Writer and lyricist Sam Norman is an award-winning rhymester who bounces between the UK and US. He is a Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriter, an American Opera Initiative Fellow, a Lincoln Center Broadway Future Songbook writer, and a two – time finalist for the Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Prize. A proud member of the BMI Musical Theatre Librettists Workshop and the Dramatists Guild, you might have seen his work produced and/or developed at theatres including the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, Britten Theatre, Hackney Empire , and (of course) the Edinburgh Fringe .
Composer Aaron Nihal King has been composing since the age of seven and h as earned an MA in Composing from the National Film and Television School as well as a 1st Class degree in Music from the University of Oxford. He has worked as an orchestrator for BAFTA – nominated composer Lorne Balfe on various projects including Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning part 1, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour among thieves, and Netflix series Life On Our Planet; his film projects have seen nominations and awards at the Royal Television Society awards, the BAFTA Student Awards, and London Independent Animation Festival.
Aaron and Sam join us on Close-Up Culture to talk about their show, Come Dine With Me: The Musical, ahead of Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Hi! First things first, how are you?
Fightin’ fit and ready to go!
In your own words, can you describe for us what your show is about?
Come Dine With Me is a national treasure. But what goes on behind the cameras? Our (fictional!) musical hones in on the TV crew in a pickle. They ’ re shooting a milestone episode of the much – loved cooking show, but they suspect one of the contestants is sabotaging their rivals’ food. Who could it be? The Sound Guy is tasked with tracking down the culprit – but, to complicate matters, the prime suspect might just be his childhood crush. Mix in some divas, a splash of romance and a sizzling score, and the result is a joyful musical comedy that’ll leave you craving seconds!
And if you were to condense that into three words, what would they be?
Bonkers, British, big-hearted. (Do hyphenated words count?)
What has preparation for the Fringe looked like for you so far?
Navigating Edinburgh is a work-out, so our preparation has mostly consisted of cardio, calisthenics, a hundred push-ups before breakfast, that kind of thing.(Also a TON of rewrites.)
What do you want audiences to take away from seeing your show?
Our musical is about a bunch of strangers who go on a reality TV show and accidentally discover what it means to be human. We hope audiences will emerge feeling similarly uplifted!
How did you come up with the concept of your performance?
Come Dine With Me is a very theatrical TV show. Big characters, a clear goal, obstacles, stakes. It’s also an irreverent, hilarious show dedicated to chronicling the mishaps and magic of human connection. We thought it was perfect source material for a musical!
EdinburghFringe is certainly an incredibly busy event, what are you most looking forward todoing whilst there?
Seeing a zillion shows, not getting enough sleep, walking everywhere, getting drenched, meeting new people, and plenty of post-show pub trips.
Where can people catch your show this summer?
Underbelly Bristo Square, 31stJuly–26thAugust, 2:20pm. Come dine with us! And where can people follow your work? Follow us on @samcreatesdrama and @aaronnihalking, or our websites samuelnorman.com and aaronkingcomposer.com.(Sam also sends out a very infrequent newsletter to friends and fellow theatre geeks–seriously, it’s cracking stuff, you should get on the mailing list.)
Finally, what would be your dream venue or theatre to perform at?
Come Dine With Me is as British as fish and chips, and we’d love to bring our show to all corners of the nation.
TWITTER / X ACCOUNT: @cdwmmusical
INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT: @cdwmmusical