25 Oct – 03 Nov
2025
Before Fame OR: What not to do when you discover one of the world’s greatest pop duos in a village hall
Michael Burdett
London, UNITED KINGDOM - ENGLAND
OR: WHAT NOT TO DO WHEN YOU DISCOVER ONE OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST POP DUOS IN A VILLAGE HALL.
Before Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, before the sold-out stadiums, and before superstardom, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were two 17-year-olds with big dreams.
In 1979, Michael Burdett spotted their potential and took them into the studio to record their very first demo tracks. But there was a twist –at that point they were the two singers in a ska band. This musical plan didn’t quite work out, but what happened next changed pop history forever.
Now, in this funny, surprising, and uplifting solo show, Edinburgh award-winner Michael Burdett takes you behind the scenes of George and Andrew’s early musical ambitions before they formed Wham! – from record company rejections to the first glimpse of George’s genius. All before global fame that saw them go on to sell over 30 million records.
40 years later, Michael did something remarkable with the long-lost recordings they had made together.
He travelled to every county in the UK stopping people at random. He photographed them listening on headphones to George and Andrew's first recording. Could they guess who they were listening to?
The show features extraordinary stories and coincidences from his travels and on-screen appearances from James Acaster reading George and Andrew's first rejection letter and Paul Whitehouse skanking like his life depends on it.
Told with wit, warmth, and a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour, Before Fame, In Michael’s words, is a show about two musical geniuses and an idiot. Spoiler: Michael is the idiot.
Before Fame is the follow up to Michael's award winning Edinburgh show Strange Face - Adventures with a lost Nick Drake Recording
Michael Burdett is a composer. He has written theme tunes to some of the UK’s most popular shows, from Masterchef to Homes under the Hammer. He has composed music and performed voiceovers for computer games. He has written about music for books and magazines.
Before Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, before the sold-out stadiums, and before superstardom, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley were two 17-year-olds with big dreams.
In 1979, Michael Burdett spotted their potential and took them into the studio to record their very first demo tracks. But there was a twist –at that point they were the two singers in a ska band. This musical plan didn’t quite work out, but what happened next changed pop history forever.
Now, in this funny, surprising, and uplifting solo show, Edinburgh award-winner Michael Burdett takes you behind the scenes of George and Andrew’s early musical ambitions before they formed Wham! – from record company rejections to the first glimpse of George’s genius. All before global fame that saw them go on to sell over 30 million records.
40 years later, Michael did something remarkable with the long-lost recordings they had made together.
He travelled to every county in the UK stopping people at random. He photographed them listening on headphones to George and Andrew's first recording. Could they guess who they were listening to?
The show features extraordinary stories and coincidences from his travels and on-screen appearances from James Acaster reading George and Andrew's first rejection letter and Paul Whitehouse skanking like his life depends on it.
Told with wit, warmth, and a healthy dose of self-deprecating humour, Before Fame, In Michael’s words, is a show about two musical geniuses and an idiot. Spoiler: Michael is the idiot.
Before Fame is the follow up to Michael's award winning Edinburgh show Strange Face - Adventures with a lost Nick Drake Recording
Michael Burdett is a composer. He has written theme tunes to some of the UK’s most popular shows, from Masterchef to Homes under the Hammer. He has composed music and performed voiceovers for computer games. He has written about music for books and magazines.
