A Vashon-born musical will have a London workshop production

The original Vashon Island-developed musical, “Winghaven Park,” will get a London debut in a special limited workshop presentation, on September 25 and 26 at The Actors’ Church in Covent Garden, London.

The workshop will be directed by Gabriel Barre (“Here We Go Again” United Kingdom tour and “The Wild Party” off-Broadway), with book, music, and lyrics by islander Lisa Peretti. This workshop presentation will allow “Winghaven Park” to play to the general public, professional producing partners, and London-based investors, in the hopes of securing a future London premiere.

“It truly takes a village to bring a musical to the stage, and I’m so grateful for every collaborator, performer, consultant, and patron who has been a part of the journey so far,” said Peretti.

“Winghaven Park” explores how people are divided by secrets and prejudice, and how true and honest love can set them free to build a better future together.

Taking place amid the tensions and uncertainties of World War II, the show’s plot centers on Hollywood movie star Vera Webster, who returns to Vashon and her childhood home of Winghaven Park during a national fundraising tour to sell war bonds.

Her three-day stay turns into a journey of self-discovery as she navigates her relationship with an estranged sister, uncovers buried family secrets, and rekindles a long-lost love with her high school sweetheart.

Peretti began writing “Winghaven Park” in 2018, upon returning to her home on Vashon after training professionally as an actor and writer in London. Beginning with a few songs and a narrative sketch, Peretti knew she wanted to write a musical about Vashon, but didn’t have a specific compelling location to ground the story — until she visited Winghaven Park.

“There are some ghosts here,” Peretti said, remembering her first visit to the musical’s namesake. The atmosphere of Winghaven Park itself, paired with the domestic and international racial tensions of World War II-era Seattle, proved to be the needed catalyst to bring the story together.

Vashon-based Drama Dock Theatre Company commissioned a full version of the musical, and “Winghaven Park” received its first public reading at Open Space for Arts & Community in December 2021. Drama Dock went on to produce a fully staged workshop production in August 2022, directed by Kelly Kitchens. The Vashon–Maury Island Beachcomber called the workshop production “thrilling” and “a great achievement…[that] brought down the house.”

Two informal readings in New York in late 2023 and early 2024 further refined the script and introduced three new songs. This London workshop presentation is considered to be the latest version of the musical — and has the goal of soliciting producers and investors for a fully-produced London premiere.

“We’ve been working around a table for many months and will now get the chance to put the show up on its feet with a stellar cast of West End performers,” said Barre, director of the London workshop. “We’re excited to mine the depths of this original and dramatic story with the team in London, and hope that we can also bring the soft winds of Vashon Island to the English island as well!”

The show’s London workshop will run for three showings on September 25 and 26 at The Actors’ Church in Covent Garden. The workshop boasts musical direction and orchestration by Paul Schofield, with performances by West End actors Jamie Muscato, Summer Strallen, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Lloyd Notice, Charlotte Kennedy, Anton Stephans, and others.

For tickets and more information, visit winghavenpark.com and actorschurch.org.