Man And God
Leopold Mannes and Leopold Godowsky Jnr. - the musician-scientist inventors of Kodachrome, the first mass-produced colour film. Both the sons of famous musicians and Jewish immigrants to the USA. Friends and patrons of the Gershwins, vexations to Hitler, this pair of fascinating individuals became the core of a new musical based on Professor Michael Berkowitz's research for UCL Culture.
Its workshopped form travelled to Leeds, York, and the Bloomsbury Studio in London, receiving glowing praise from audiences and academics. What I am most pleased with is the way that the structure reflects the composition of Kodachrome film itself - successive layers, each revealing more detail.
Ultimately, it is a musical about memory. As Mannes and Godowsky made the preservation of history possible for millions of people, Leopold Godowsky Senior descended into senility, losing his own memories. The striking contrasts in the accounts of Frankie Gershwin-Godowsky and her husband Leopold Junior suggest further 'forgetting'. Together, they were woven into a musical I hope to revisit as the years roll on.
“Concept, new story and a fresh talent.”
- Audience Feedback
“Felt like you were really there... with the characters”
- Audience Feedback
