Mood Music

Music is medication.

Behind its seductive and glamorous veneer, the music industry has a dark side. Whether it’s bitter legal battles fought by the likes of George Michael, Kesha and Tulisa, or the lost lives of Amy Winehouse and Chris Cornell, the price of fame and success can be brutal.

‘The music industry isn’t about healing heartbreak and vulnerability. It’s about selling it.’

In a top London recording studio, Cat, a young songwriter, her producer Bernard, their lawyers and psychotherapists go to battle over who owns a hit song. Amidst a gathering storm of bitter complaints and recriminations Cat and Bernard inflict a devastating toll on each other.

‘Music is medication. The elixir of life. It’s for injecting into the blood stream to take away the pain…to promote euphoria…to adrenalise us and give us courage and empathy.’

Mood Music is a timely new play about power, passion and the price of creativity, written by Joe Penhall (Sunny Afternoon, Blue/Orange) and directed by Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Enduring Love).