Showstopper

Joyous, feel-good, queer romance set in the world of musical theatre. 

Larger-than-life Olly is back at the UK’s most prestigious competition for teen performers to prove he has what it takes to be a leading man. After being sabotaged last year, he is determined to stand out ahead of his drama school auditions. 

Nervous newbie Tarun was nominated after stepping in from the chorus to a leading role. This is his week to explore if his secret hobby could be something more serious. But imposter-syndrome is real, and his dad's derisive comments threaten to derail him.   

When the two boys are paired together, Olly can’t comprehend being with someone who doesn’t get his niche musical references, whilst Tarun thinks Olly is “way too much”. But they soon discover they’ve more in common than the opening number might reveal. Amidst the drama of rehearsals, could two boys be falling in love?  

A life-affirming read for all those searching for their place and their people.

Tom Ramsay has been telling stories since childhood, when he spent many hours in his Yorkshire bedroom building sets out of cardboard boxes and acting out full productions of musicals with a cast of Sylvanian Families. He’s since been allowed to turn this into a profession, working for a West End Producer as literary manager and dramaturg looking after new work and writers of theatre for the company. This role has included working on an Olivier-nominated play and helping to translate a musical about the life of Marie Curie from Korean to English.