Coming up at Wilton’s Music Hall is a run of ‘Ruth’, a noir musical about Ruth Ellis and the events that led to her execution, which explores themes of sex, class, power and injustice in 1950s Britain. 

The show is the brainchild of Caroline Slocock, who wrote the book and co-wrote the lyrics with John Cameron, while the score is by John Cameron, Francis Rockliff and James Reader. It’s directed by Andy Morahan and Denise Silvey. 

I wanted to find out more, so I spoke to Caroline ahead of the London run. 

CM: I’m pretty sure lots of our readers will know about Ruth Ellis and what happened to her, but for those who don’t, can you give us an idea what to expect from the narrative of the show?  
CS: Ruth Ellis was a nightclub hostess who shot and killed her violent upper class lover after a long abusive relationship. She was executed for the crime in 1955, making her the last woman to be hanged in England.

But I don’t want people to think ‘Ruth’ is two hours of doom and gloom. There are certainly moments that pack an emotional punch, but there’s also plenty of life and energy and humour.

CM: What themes are explored through it? 
CS: The themes we touch on are all the big ones… love, death, jealousy, obsession, injustice, class divide, misogyny. It’s a very dramatic chapter in British history. Ruth’s story is operatic.

CM: How would you say it differs from previous dramatisations and media covering this story? 
CS: We have taken one particular leap of imagination that puts a whole new spin on the narrative and adds great emotional depth to Ruth’s story. I think musical theatre is probably the only form of storytelling where we could have done that.

CM: Can you tell us about the music? What style or genre is it? 
CS: The music is quite broad in style. There are jazzy nightclub songs, soulful ballads, big ensemble numbers, a fabulous rock and roll number at the racetrack. All rooted in the 1950s.

CM: What inspired you? What made you want to make work on this topic? 
CS: It’s hard to explain what compelled me to do this. I was sitting one day, about fifteen years ago, thinking about ideas for a musical and suddenly Ruth Ellis landed in my imagination like a thunderbolt. I decided there and then that I would write a musical about her. It’s been a long journey.

CM: Does the musical have a message? Would you regard it as political?
CS: For me, the message is… come and spend a couple of hours with Ruth Ellis, absorb what her life was really like, walk in her shoes. And then maybe you’ll understand what drove her to commit murder.

CM: Why stage it now? 
CS: Well timing is everything in life, isn’t it? And it just so happens that our bringing ‘Ruth’ to the stage now coincides with Ruth’s family’s campaign to gain her a conditional pardon. The documents are currently on David Lammy’s desk.

CM: Can you tell us about yourself? How did you come to be working in the arts, was it what you always wanted to do? 
CS: My career has gone in different directions.

I studied fashion at St Martins and worked in the fashion business for a while, ending up as personal assistant to couturiers David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the designers of Princess Diana’s wedding dress.  

I then lived in the States for seven years and worked in television. I’ve done interior design too, painting murals for clients. But there was always a pull towards writing, which led me to scripts and lyrics and the desire to write a full length musical.

CM: What have been the highlights of your working life thus far? 
CS: Meeting Princess Diana, being involved in the making of her wedding dress and being invited to the wedding. That was a surreal time of my life. 

Working with some extraordinary actors in the States, people I’d always been in awe of, like Jack Lemmon and Kirk Douglas and Glenn Close, was an extraordinary time of my life too.  

CM: What aims and ambitions do you have for the future? 
CS: My dreams for the future are all wrapped up with ‘Ruth’… to have a longer run, hopefully with the amazing cast we currently have, and then to make the feature film – which is already written.

I would love to think those things might be somewhere on the horizon.

‘Ruth’ is on at Wilton’s Music Hall from 18-28 Mar. For more information and to book tickets, head to the venue website here. 

wiltons.org.uk | ruthmusical.co.uk