'Berlin, the musical', A Dream comes True

When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 Alan Hawkshaw, a member of the St Albans congregation, had a dream that made him determined to be a part of this momentous event in some small way. His wife, Christine, was born in Germany, so this made Alan more determined to do something to make his mark on the music scene where he had achieved so much success over many years. Alan’s dream came finally true on Saturday 21st September in London when the curtain was raised on 'Berlin, the musical', from a story by David Soames with music written by Alan Hawkshaw.

“It was a fantastic night in the theatre - a quality and engrossing piece of work set in of one of the most iconic periods of 20th century western history. Sally and I - along with the rest of the audience - were blown away. The story and characters were immediately engaging and the themes of aspiration, love, beliefs and family loyalties were woven beautifully. I could go on forever about the wonder of last night but shall just say that it was one of the most joyous evenings I (and Sally) have ever spent in a theatre.” (Tony Osoba, actor) 

The story is of a young woman, Katja, whose father is responsible for stopping East Berliners from escaping to West Germany, who dreams of one day becoming an opera star but because of her belief that the wall should be torn down, she is rejected. Katja falls in love with Andreas and they plan to escape together but the plan fails and only Katja is able to escape and Andreas is captured and imprisoned. It is a heart wrenching story of the dangerous liaisons between family members who are caught up in the conflicts that surrounded the division of loved ones caught up in political turmoil.

Alan, a member of the St Albans congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the world’s best lyricists. In his earlier years Alan has performed with groups such as The Checkmates and The Shadows and written music for many star performers. Some of his awards have included the Ivor Novello award for best film score for the Silent Witness, also the American Academy of Arts and Sciences' 'Best Arrangement' for Olivia Newton-John, the prestigious Gold Badge Award for services to the industry. He was also nominated for a BAFTA award for a well known TV series and you will hear his theme music everyday on several well known TV programmes. In 2008 he was awarded the Gold Badge Award from BASCA for services to the industry.