BETWEEN THE ANGEL AND THE OLD KENT ROAD

Between The Angel And The Old Kent Road is at once a gothic tragedy about a playboy rock musician who betrays the girl he loves and an uplifting romantic comedy about his psychotherapist; an East London ghost story and an emotional whodunnit careening from rock/pop, jazz and gospel towards an inevitable and astonishing operatic climax.

Loosely inspired by Mozart’s Don Giovanni, it follows the oddly interconnected stories of two very different protagonists: a young musician trying desperately to balance the demands of love and career; a middle-aged psychotherpaist who may finally be ready to let love back into her life.

Under the original title Above Hell’s Kitchen, the musical debuted as a staged reading in 2009 at Joe’s Pub in New York’s Public Theater. In addition to Spottiswoode and his band of Enemies, the cast included Martha Redbone, Don DiLego, Meghan McGeary, Max Low, Kyra Climbingbear and Anthony Patellis as the narrator.

The following year the script was accepted for inclusion in the New York Musical Theatre Festival, then the top musical theatre festival in the world. Directed by Hayley Finn and starring Andrea Frierson in the role of Dr. Charity, the 2010 NYMF production played to sell-out crowds. It also garnered a Best Orchestration Award for Spottiswoode & His Enemies and for musical director, Riley McMahon.

Several years later Spottiswoode decided to write a film adaptation - Between The Angel And The Old Kent Road - and to set it in London. A chamber piece for six actors evolved into something much larger.

So when Anthony Patellis reached out in 2024 to say he and his partner Janine Molinari wanted to revisit the project for their Breaking Borders production company, Spott immediately sent them the new screenplay. There followed the challenge of adapting the screenplay adaptation - now with more characters - back into a piece for theatre.

After a successful in-house reading of the new script in early 2025 Breaking Borders used a Rockefeller Grant to take the project to the next level… a weeklong workshop culminating in a staged reading with live music at a packed Seven Dials Playhouse in January 2026.

The reading starred Gemma Knight Jones (Dr. Charity), Ulysses Wells (DJ), Isabella Mason (Isabel), Tim Gooding (Gary), Lucy Bryan (Ethel), Jonathan Brenner (narrator), Matt Rutherford (Brian), Keegan Smith (Charley), Rocco Di Donato (Vic Venice), Aaron Cass (multiple roles), Gabrielle Vecciarelli (Maria), Carly Baron (Desi) and also included a wonderful ensemble of singers and actors from Florence Italy.

Musical Director Paul Jeanes (piano) headed a quartet which included Jonny Gee (bass), AJ Moore (guitar) and Jimmy Norden (drums).

The reading was choreographed by Janine Molinari with assistance from Giovanni Ceniccola, and directed by Anthony Patellis.

In order to build on the success of the reading Breaking Borders is currently prepping a budget proposal for a more extensive workshop and an even more ambitious production.

Stand by for further details and for a sizzle reel from the reading. In the meantime you can hear studio and demo recordings and performances from the original staged reading at Joe’s Pub HERE. Script available upon request.