Most 23-year-olds aren’t dusting off lost Broadway scores and resurrecting the ghosts of Tin Pan Alley—but Emerson Hurley isn’t most 23-year-olds.
Part historian, part composer, Hurley has unearthed the long-forgotten music of 1930s and ’40s Broadway composer Wilbur Weissman, a name once up in lights that’s since faded into near-total obscurity. Until now thanks to The Forgotten Songbook.
The Forgotten Songbook
- When: 25th-27th July in The Loft – Chapel Off Chapel
- Tickets: here
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The Forgotten Songbook, Hurley’s passion project turned fully staged production, brings Weissman’s work back to life—decades after it was last heard onstage. Think smoky pianos, witty lyrics, and the kind of old-school Broadway charm that makes you wonder how we ever let this stuff fall through the cracks.
Performed by local theatre legends Karla Hillam and Jonathan Guthrie-Jones, and with Hurley himself on piano, the show is part vintage cabaret, part musical history lesson—without the dusty vibe. Directed by Mikey Halcrow, the production is funny, poignant, and a total love letter to a composer who time nearly erased.
Hurley’s also penned a new book on Weissman’s life and work, diving deep into archives, scores, and the weird and wonderful corners of music history. But don’t worry—this isn’t a lecture. It’s a toe-tapping, heartwarming night of music that makes a strong case for Weissman’s place back in the Broadway canon.
So if you’re into lush harmonies, golden-era storytelling, and discovering the greats you should have heard of—The Forgotten Songbook is calling your name.
