The Glasgow Poisoner: a new musical
music and lyrics by Tom Cooper, book and lyrics by Jen McGregor
co-directed by Jen McGregor and Tom Cooper
Òran Mór, Glasgow - 22-27 Sept 2025
Paisley Town Hall - 7-10 Oct 2025
Gaiety Theatre, Ayr - 15-17 Oct 2025
A new musical inspired by a sensational murder trial in 19th century Glasgow.
Madeleine Smith, a Glasgow socialite living in Blythswood Square, was accused of a secret affair and poisoning her lover to death.
The trial ended with a rare ‘Not Proven’ verdict, but now Plume, an aspiring pamphleteer, is working out which version of the story to tell. Was Madeleine innocent or guilty?
The libretto for The Glasgow Poisoner by Jen McGregor and Tom Cooper is published by Salamander Street, and is available from all the usual places you buy books, and also direct from the publisher: https://salamanderstreet.com/product/the-glasgow-poisoner-by-jen-mcgregor-and-tom-cooper/
‘★★★★ a riotously clever and entertaining 60-minute musical… a fierce kaleidoscope of 19th century possibilities that have some powerful 21st century resonances… a delightfully scandalous tale’ - Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman
‘★★★★ a thrillingly deadly affair… ingeniously scripted… fabulous showtunes… tremendous fun… Like all good detective yarns, Cooper and McGregor’s story questions everything’ - Neil Cooper, The Herald
‘★★★★ a witty, revisionist take on a Victorian murder case… for all its flippancy, the show ultimately arrives at some resonant questions about how women’s sexuality is used against them, how the media portrays female defendants and how society struggles to cope with uncertainty. It emerges as an intelligent and amusing slice of historical revisionism’ - Fergus Morgan, The Stage
‘★★★★ a gritty and thrilling new Scottish musical’ - Broadwayworld.com
‘★★★★ hugely playful and inventive… Lunchtimes don’t get much better than this’ - acrossthearts.co.uk
‘★★★★ a thrilling, true-crime mystery, with smart stage direction and fun musical elements’ - therecs.co.uk
‘★★★★ with ten original songs by Cooper and McGregor, The Glasgow Poisoner bursts onto the stage with energy and flair… the ferocious, upbeat live score is a welcome, bouncy backdrop to the dark tale… With its well-balanced pacey plot and catchy showtunes it proves that musical theatre and murder are the perfect match’ - lisainthetheatre.com
Cast: David Joseph Healy, Morgan E Ross, Chiara Sparkes
Book and lyrics: Jen McGregor
Music and lyrics: Tom Cooper
Directors: Tom Cooper and Jen McGregor
Arranger and musical director: Samuel Macdonald
Set and costume design: Heather Grace Currie
Choreography: Hannah Docherty
Lighting design: Ross Kirkland
Sound design: Ross Nurney
Photos: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan