Meon Productions’ new musical ‘GIRLZ’ debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe last year and is returning to the festival for 2026 in a bigger performance space. It follows a pop band’s rise to fame and explores the group’s personal struggles and the choices they have to make in pursuit of success. Covering themes of friendship and love against the backdrop of such a high pressure industry, I was intrigued to hear more about the musical and how it has evolved since last year. I recently had the opportunity to ask show writer Daf Hughes some questions about the show, before it opens at Gilded Balloon in August.
What inspired you to create a musical about a girl band aspiring to make it in the pop world?
I wanted to write something for a mainly young female cast. I also wanted to write a show with contrasting musical styles, so not only the ‘pop’ songs of the Girlz, but also the very different songs of Adam, the struggling singer-songwriter. I also felt that there could be plenty of dramatic material from 5 talented and ambitious young women, thrown together into a spotlight. I also wanted to have a section of the show which would basically be a mini live gig. I would have loved to write songs for a band like Girls Aloud or The Saturdays, so this was then the closest I could get!
How has it been exploring the pursuit of success through the lens of the music industry?
I enjoyed researching some real-life stories which helped me formulate some of the ideas and plot the show. However the music industry is more the setting for several individual personal stories, which could happen anywhere. The high pressure and highly public world in which the characters inhabit just (I hope) adds an additional level of dramatic intensity.
If you had to describe the score in one word, what would it be and why?
Varied. There are the catchy ‘pop’ songs of the Girlz themselves (which are also hopefully funny because they are a funny band), the more ‘serious’ songs of the struggling singer-songwriter, and then there are the more traditionally ‘musical theatre’ style songs.
How are you as a creative team preparing for the musical’s return to Edinburgh?
Katy Weir (the director) and I have been zooming and texting a lot since March to discuss the shape of this new version of the show. Katy is based in Newcastle and I’m in Hampshire! We met up with Matt Powell (video/set) at the Leeds Playhouse (Matt is based in Derby!) in April to discuss the visual approach and so Matt is working and sharing their ideas regularly with us. Simone Mistry-Palmer (choreographer) came on board recently and she is already working on an exciting new approach to movement and choreography for the whole show.
We have 3 brand new cast members and the production is much bigger than last year so there is lots to do. We have a read through of the new script on June 11, then a break for nearly a month before 6 full days of rehearsals in London spread across July. Then we arrive in Edinburgh on August 1st and have rehearsals on August 2/3/4. So there has been a lot of distance communication with both cast and creatives so far, but we can’t wait to all be in the same room together!
What are you most excited about, bringing the show back to the festival in a bigger venue?
Although it’s essentially the same music and story as last year, everything about the show is much bigger this year. Although the show can (and did) work in a very small space, many sequences, particularly the sequences where we see the Girlz playing live work much better in a bigger venue. They are meant to be playing large stadiums and it was hard to convey this on a tiny stage! The larger space also allows us to really use the video projection that a lot of the show will really benefit from. Not only the Live Show sequences, but also in helping to create a real sense of atmosphere and mood without a huge amount of set (which you can never have at Edinburgh!). The extra space allows Simone to really expand the choreography elements which I can’t wait to see!
Catch ‘GIRLZ’ at the 2026 festival
The creative team have clearly been very busy preparing for their upcoming festival run and it’s exciting to hear how the musical is scaling up for the 2026 festival. I am sure it will be amazing to see the impact of the live show “mini gig” sequences in a larger performance space. ‘GIRLZ’ is based at Doonstairs at Gilded Balloon Patter House (venue 24) from 5th – 30th August. Performances start at 14:25 (1 hour 5 minutes), with the show on sale via the EdFringe website now.
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