Robyn and the Merrymen
Robyn and the Merrymen: A New Musical
It’s London, 1996, and big money is gentrifying the city’s bohemian and working-class enclaves. Charismatic and optimistic street musician Robyn—along with her guitarist friend Little John and their Merrymen bandmates—discover that a real estate tycoon, Hereford Bishop III, plans to demolish the well-worn pub where they perform and rent rooms in order to build a luxury hotel. Worse, Bishop bribes Inspector Nottingham to arrest all the tenants on bogus charges so he can evict them more easily—even 80-year old matriarch Mother Mary, an Irish immigrant who has run the pub for decades and lived there since childhood.
Desperate to stop Bishop, Robyn and Little John sneak into a party at the billionaire’s mansion, disguised as caterers. They’re discovered by Bishop’s stepdaughter, the clever grad student Marian—who confesses that she loathes her stepdad and his exploitative empire. As Marian starts to fall for Robyn, she grows more confident and daring—even helping Little John break Robyn out of jail after Nottingham arrests her—and helps the friends thwart the billionaire. They resurface the pub’s forgotten women’s history to halt its demolition, sell Bishop a forged painting purportedly stolen in a museum heist, and then rally neighborhood residents to purchase the pub as a community-owned cooperative.
This big-hearted, rebellious but hopeful story is a modern, LGBTQ+ riff on Robin Hood—complete with playful humor, disguises, a jailbreak, and Robin’s legendary archery prowess (or darts, in this case). Most importantly, it adheres to the tradition of denouncing greed and inequality while celebrating generosity, love in all forms, and “good trouble.”
I've spent the past many months recording the full 24-song concept album with some very talented musicians lending vocals and violin tracks—to be released January 1st!
But for now, here's a preview of the first single—my favorite song of the show—which is scheduled for official release on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services on Nov. 6th.
It's called "What I Wouldn't Do When I'm With You," sung by Berklee's Malavika. Marian sings this ballad while she's on lookout duty outside the police station, marveling at the kind of person she's become in Robyn's company:
