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LONDON – David Bowie was secretly working on an “18th Century Musical” titled ‘The Spectator’ at the time of his death in 2016. The aspiring project was inspired by a daily periodical of the same name, published in London between 1711 and 1712 by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele.
Discover David Bowie’s final, secret musical project and its upcoming public unveiling.
- David Bowie’s secret project, an 18th-century musical called ‘The Spectator,’ is set to be revealed.
- Materials related to the musical,including post-it notes and a notebook,will be exhibited at the V&A East storehouse.
- The musical was inspired by a 1711-1712 London periodical.
- Bowie’s notes detail plans to incorporate historical London figures and explore political satire in musicals.
The existence of ‘The Spectator’ was unknown until archivists cataloged Bowie’s belongings in his New york study. A series of post-it notes detailing the plot where discovered stuck to the wall of the meticulously private room, accessible only to Bowie and his personal assistant.
Madeleine Haddon, curator of the David Bowie Archive, noted Bowie’s interest in the evolution of musicals during that period and their function as tools for political satire.
“He was interested in the progress of musicals themselves in london in this period, and how musicals were used for political satire, particularly towards the Robert Walpole government,” haddon explained.
She also posed a compelling question about Bowie’s mindset: “It’s engaging to think that Bowie was working on this in the US in 2015, with the political situation that was taking place there. Was he thinking about that: The power of art forms to create change within our own political moment?”
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