New musicals: Little Piece of You & Smalltown Boy to hold London workshops

A round-up of news about forthcoming West End and London workshops and readings of new musicals and plays.

Two new musicals are set for workshops in the coming weeks in London, with new show Smalltown Boy to star Aimie Atkinson, Jo Foster and Grace Mouat; and new musical Little Piece of You to star Zoe Birkett, Jodie Steele, and David Bedella.

Both Little Piece of You and the 80s-inspired Smalltown Boy will showcase their development through exclusive presentations for industry professionals.

Other workshops coming up in London include next month’s reading of new play Right Before I Go, starring The Devil Wears Prada’s Vanessa Williams and Matt Henry, and Olly Alexander.

Smalltown Boy

On Friday 13 March 2026, the new jukebox musical Smalltown Boy will take over @SohoPlace theatre in the West End for an industry presentation.

Set against the vibrant yet precarious backdrop of New York City’s East Village in 1983, the musical follows a runaway seeking a new life just as the AIDS crisis begins to loom over the community.

The production is a nostalgic and emotional journey through the New Wave era, featuring 22 seminal hits including “Tainted Love,” “True Colours,” and the titular “Smalltown Boy.”

The workshop features a big ensemble of West End favourites, including:

Aimie Atkinson (Pretty Woman The Musical) as Jenny New Wave
Grace Mouat (Six The Musical) as Julia
Jo Foster (Into the Woods) as Deeds
Rob Fowler and Rosanna Hyland
Benjamin Cameron (The Book of Mormon) as Simon
Rosanna Hyland (Back to the Future) as Madga
Rob Fowler (Bat Out of Hell) as John
Aonghas Ewen (Sleeping Beauty) as Scotty
Adam Filipe (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) as Max
Jack Butterworth (Kiss Me, Kate) as Robbie
Kat Ronney (Titanique) as Lisa
Lucca Chadwick Patel (Mean Girls) as Rick
Liv Andrusier (Fiddler on the Roof) as Thal
Olly Manley (Hairspray) as Dave

Writer Jeffrey Fischer-Smith describes the piece as a tribute to the “extraordinary creativity and profound loss” of the 1980s. “At its heart, this is a story about young people finding family when the world feels uncertain,” Fischer-Smith said.

The musical workshop is directed by Jonathan O’Boyle (Barnum), and features orchestrations and musical direction by Mark Crossland.

Little Piece of You: An Atypical Musical

Following its successful, sold-out concert run at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane last year, Little Piece of You returns for a closed workshop presentation on Friday 6 March 2026 at Sadler’s Wells’ Lilian Baylis Studio in London.

Originally developed as Relative Space at the Creekside Theater Group, the production has undergone a number of significant developments. This latest iteration features an expanded score and a revised book by Melissa Leilani Larson.

The story explores the friction and healing between an ageing rock icon, Sydney, and her daughter, Sara, blending a raw family narrative with a contemporary rock-pop soundtrack.

The presentation boasts a powerhouse West End cast, led by:

Jodie Steele (Heathers) as Sydney
Kjersti Long as Sara
Zoe Birkett (Tina – The Tina Turner Musical) as Jules
David Bedella (& Juliet) as Roger
Madison Swan (The Book of Mormon) as Maggie
Emma Crossley (Military Wives The Musical) as Riley
The cast also includes Simon Anthony, Eloise Davies, Luke Latchman, Gino Ochello and Lorren Santo-Quinn.

The creative team for Little Piece of You features music and lyrics by Kjersti Long, direction by Joshua Long, and choreography by Jonnie Riordan.

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Main photo: New musicals Little Piece of You and Smalltown Boy