Like Me is a musical with music and lyrics by Garry Lake[1] and book by Jon Smith. It tells the story of a group of four young adults navigating the social media minefield, looking for each other, for love, for validation and ultimately, for themselves – in amongst a cyber world populated by thousands of 'followers' and 'friends'. Haunted by a lack of self-confidence and self-respect, Emma, Ashley, Luke and Charlie face physical, emotional and psychological challenges, leading them to question their very identity.

Like Me
2014 Showcase Window Card
MusicGarry Lake
LyricsGarry Lake
BookJon Smith
Productions2013 Arts Theatre, London (song cycle)
2014 The Duplex, New York (song cycle)
2014 CMO Club (song cycle)
2014 Courtyard Theatre, London
2015 Waterloo East Theatre

Originally conceived as a song cycle by Garry Lake and performed at the Duplex,[2] New York and the CMO Club[3] at the Conrad Hilton, the full-book musical was first seen in a showcase performance at the Courtyard Theatre, London[4] October 3, 2014. Most recently, Like Me was showcased at The Waterloo East Theatre on April 11, 2015.[5]

Synopsis

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A twist on the romantic comedy in which four young adults navigate the social media minefield, looking for each other, for love, for validation and ultimately, for themselves – in amongst a cyber world populated by thousands of 'followers' and 'friends'. Haunted by a lack of self-confidence and self-respect, Emma, Ashley, Luke and Charlie face physical, emotional and psychological challenges, leading them to question their very identity. Are they hiding behind their online personae, or is there conviction in their tweets, pins, selfies, posts and status updates? Like the rest of the population, they're digitally aware, armed with Wi-Fi enabled devices and online. Let the tagging begin.

Musical numbers

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Characters

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Main characters

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  • Emma : A lonely, insecure young woman searching for her perfect man.
  • Ashley : An outgoing, adventurous young woman with modelling ambitions.
  • Luke: A shy, retiring young man head-over-heels in love with Emma but unwilling or unable to tell her how he feels.
  • Charlie : A brash, confident photographer determined to help launch Ashley's modelling career.

Minor characters

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  • Phil Mason: A social media junkie constantly interacting online with Emma, Ashley, Luke & Charlie

Cast

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Role Arts Theatre song cycle
cast
The Duplex song cycle
cast
CMO Club song cycle
cast
The Courtyard Theatre
cast
Waterloo East Theatre
cast
Emma Rachael Wooding Crystal Mosser Rebecca Faulkenberry Lucie Jones
Ashley Ashleigh Gray Deone Zanotto Tracy McDowell Sarah French-Ellis Georgina Hagen
Luke Oliver Tompsett Charlie Levy Jack Shalloo Jake Small
Charlie Carl Mullaney Mig Ayesa Ross William Wild

Productions

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Song Cycle workshops and off-West End showcase

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Like Me (as a song cycle) had its first staged reading at the Arts Theatre, London in November 2013. A further 3-night showcase version was performed in January 2014 at The Duplex, New York [6] starring Crystal Mosser as Emma and Mig Ayesa as Charlie with a single performance at the CMO Club, Conrad Hilton for the Innovation & Inspiration Summit in February, 2014. The full-book musical version was showcased at the Courtyard Theatre, London in October 2014 and later showcased at The Waterloo East Theatre in April 2015.

Current licensing

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Licensing and performance rights for Like me are currently being held by L&S Productions, the production arm of writers Garry Lake and Jon Smith.

Recordings and adaptations

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Audio recordings

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A number of songs from Like Me have been released as singles on Apple iTunes including "'Fore I Cry"[7] sung by Louise Dearman.

References

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  1. ^ http://www.broadwayworld.com/cabaret/article/Garry-Lake-Ella-Grace-and-More-Set-for-EMERGING-ARTISTS-at-The-Crazy-Coqs-Beg-March-15-20140220 | Broadway World | retrieved 10/10/14
  2. ^ http://calendar.dailycamera.com/new_york_ny/events/show/363815783-like-me-a-song-cycle-music-lyrics-by-garry-lake | Daily Camera | retrieved 10/10/14
  3. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZDc0YoX3vE | YouTube | retrieved 10/10/14
  4. ^ http://www.whatsonstage.com/london-theatre/news/exclusive-lucie-jones-like-me_35819.html | Whats On Stage | retrieved 10/09/14
  5. ^ http://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Lucie-Jones-Georgina-Hagen-to-Showcase-New-Social-Media-Musical-LIKE-ME-at-Waterloo-East-Next-Month-20150410 | Broadway World | retrieved 12/04/15
  6. ^ "'Like Me' A Song Cycle: Music & Lyrics by Garry Lake at the Duplex, New York - JSOnline.com". Archived from the original on 14 October 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014. | Journal Sentinel | retrieved 10/09/14
  7. ^ "ITunes - Music - 'Fore I Cry - Single by Louise Dearman". iTunes. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 9 October 2014. | Apple iTunes | Retrieved 09/10/14
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