Murder At The Gates is a killer new musical, with book and lyrics by the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning Steven Sater (Spring Awakening) and music, production and songwriting by the chart-topping, multi-Platinum musician James Bourne. More than a decade in the making, it features an array of major talents from the stage and screen. The concept album for the forthcoming new musical is set to be released on July 1, 2026, and is launched alongside the first song ‘Fuckin’ Scream’ which features vocals from Gaten Matarazzo, best known for portraying fan favourite Dustin in the global phenomenon “Stranger Things.”
Murder At The Gates is Clue meets Clueless, a black-comic murder mystery from a Gen-Z, gated-community America. It’s a dark and stormy night. Cameron’s birthday. To her horror, her rugged, entitled Dad is throwing her a party to help her get over the worst year ever. The sudden death of her mother and a gruesome break-up from her soul-mate, the poet-rebel Ethan. And so, the stage is set. A Murder Mystery Party!
All of Cam’s supposed friends arrive in costume. It’s all going splendidly until the party “murder” occurs. And somehow, it’s real. Someone’s dead. And now, the security system locks down. Are they locked in with some maniac? Or is the killer one of them? Knives out, one by one, all the guests start to go down. At least, the night has a theme: It’s Your Party, and You’ll Die if They Want You.
Steven Sater says, “Back in the day, when I was first conceiving Spring Awakening, I was urged to update the story to contemporary times. As I suspected, that didn’t work. But that energy spilled into Murder at the Gates, a black comic look at how totally effed life can be as a young person today."
James Bourne adds, “Unfortunately, my illness prevented me from touring last summer, but it allowed me to complete this project of my dreams, Murder at the Gates.”
The first song from the album, ‘Fuckin’ Scream’, features Gaten Matarazzo in the role of Graham. Living up to his stage background in the likes of RENT and Les Misérables, his vigorous punk rock performance captures the panic and the fear of a friend caught in the murderous mayhem of this dark and stormy night. Sonically, it hits the homicidal halfway house of two of James Bourne’s main musical passions - as the pop-punk rush of My Chemical Romance catapulted into a blood-splattered rock opera.
In addition to Gaten Matarazzo, Murder At The Gates features a stellar cast of exemplary talents who have earned critical adoration on Broadway and/or in the West End. It includes Milo Manheim (Disney’s “Zombies” series); Isa Briones (“The Pitt”); Joy Woods (a Tony and Grammy nominee for Gypsy); Helen J Shen (Maybe Happy Ending, The Devil Wears Prada 2); Mason Alexander Park (Much Ado About Nothing, Cabaret); Casey Likes (Marty McFly in the original Broadway run of Back To The Future: The Musical); and the vastly experienced Ramin Karimloo (Love Never Dies, Pirates!, Les Misérables).
An early version of Murder At The Gates previously played at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 2013 before two rehearsed readings at The Other Palace, London, in 2019 and, more recently, a workshop with Madison Wells Media in NYC in 2024.
Murder At The Gates tracklist:
The Murder At The Gates soundtrack is available to pre-order / pre-save. If you are interested in listening, please click HERE.
Image courtesy of Murder At The Gates
