Tobias Künzel and Mark Underwood - Death On The Throne Interview

A simple bedtime story swirls into a surreal tale of four flawed souls stuck in purgatory—a celestial bathroom—in this irreverent yet warmhearted new musical with songs by German pop-rock star Tobias Künzel (Die Prinzen) and Mark Underwood.

With four new arrivals but only three spots in the afterlife, St. Peter is barely keeping his head above water. As each soul pleads their case for a second chance on Earth, ‘help’ arrives in the form of (puppet) Elvis and, you guessed it, (puppet) former leader of the German Democratic Republic, Erich Honecker.

With hints of Avenue Q, this toe-tapping romp through the absurdity of bureaucracy, the search for meaning in utter chaos, and the hope that even the most flawed among us can find redemption promises to be anything but bog-standard.

During a recent run at Upstairs at the Gatehouse in London we caught up with songwriters Tobias and Mark to learn more about the piece.

What can you tell me about Death on the Throne? 
Tobias: It’s a brand new musical with a brand new story and brand new music. It’s great fun. It’s about a little girl who doesn’t want to go to bed so she creates a pretty bizarre bedtime story with her dad. It’s only two actors, playing the father and daughter, speaking and singing all the characters. For example, there is Queen Elizabeth II, Margaret Thatcher, and Elvis Presley played by the puppeteers who only move the mouths of the puppets and don’t speak or sing on their own. It’s packed with many catchy tunes which you’ll definitely take back home with you after you’ve seen the show. 

Mark: It’s a brand new musical with a live band, featuring an array of all-singing, all-dancing puppets. Our puppeteers not only operate the puppets but double as puppets themselves by lip-syncing as the show is entirely voiced by two actors: a father and daughter making up a bedtime tale together. Their story? Four puppets die on the ‘throne’ but with only three spots in the afterlife, St. Peter enlists help from Elvis Presley to judge who gets to go back home. 

What first inspired the creation of the piece? 
Tobias: Mark Underwood and I went to a pub after a rehearsal of another musical production we had been involved in. A few drinks later, we decided to write a musical together. Another few drinks later, it was titled: The Loosical. So we started building a story around the title. 

Mark: Camden Hells.

When did you both meet and how has the creative process been for this piece? 
Tobias: The first time we met was in 2021, in my little studio in Kentish Town, during the pre-production of Copperfield! - The Musical. In 2022, Mark played one of the main characters and I wrote the music for the play as the musical director. 

Mark: Tobias thinks we met in Kentish Town to record songs for his musical Copperfield! But I actually met him when he did his Karl Marx musical. I remember it distinctly because one of the main songs sounded like the theme tune to Brookside, and it was very hard not to tell him.

How do you approach blending the songs into the narrative? 
Mark: I don’t believe that they’re separate things. Each song is there to move the story along and expand on the character. Except maybe, Lenin is on the Loo, but we’re allowed a little fun right? 

Tobias: The music was always a part of the writing process. When we created the story, there was a laptop and a piano and we included the songs directly into the plot. Sometimes Mark had written a song before that we then put into the play, sometimes I sent him a song idea when I was back home, but mainly it was all written by the both of us. Mark is a brilliant writer and I’m more of the one at the piano, but the words and music have mostly been influenced by the two of us. 

What research did you have to do whilst developing the ideas for this show? 
Mark: I personally spent a lot of time with the Collins Rhyming Dictionary. And I was pleased to discover that the Leader of the Socialist Unity Party, Honecker, rhymed with a slang term for the toilet, Donneker.

Tobias: In the show, we built some well-known historical people in, so we had to read and learn about the historical facts and their biographies. The main characters came to us directly from real life, but we describe all of them as a little exaggerated. 

How would you describe the style of the show? 
Tobias: It’s an incredibly funny musical, supported by amazing puppets, and a classic four piece live band completed by a trombone. 

Mark: The director, Blair, uses the word “stupido” a lot, and I think this is a fair assessment. If you like silly, frothy, toe-tapping nonsense, this might be for you.

When did you know that you wanted a career in the arts? 
Mark: I actually still haven’t decided what I want to do when I grow up. I might go into politics. It’s pretty much the same—they pay you to lie—but the hours are way shorter.

Tobias: At the age of 3 when my parents gave me a tin drum. 

What was the first piece of theatre that had a big impact on you? 
Tobias: Parzifal by Richard Wagner and Jesus Christ Superstar by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Jesus Christ Superstar is also Mark’s favourite musical. 

Mark: I like to tell people that I saw Complicité at the end of the 90s and was exhilarated that theatre didn’t have to be all talking… But honestly, I think it was the excessive swearing in East by Steven Berkoff.

What gives you inspiration? 
Mark: Nothing gives me inspiration. I have to forcibly crank it out by headbutting the keyboard.

Tobias: I actually don’t think about that too much. I just do it. I’m grateful and feel privileged that I can live out my passion and that enough people are interested in what I’m doing. 

What do you hope someone takes away from seeing Death on the Throne?
Tobias: A memory of a great night, big laughs afterwards, melodies they can never forget, and a big affection for children and their innocent truth-telling.

Mark: Ideally the soundtrack and tee-shirt. Failing that, I hope they get the tune of Welcome to Purgatory stuck in their head, and suffer like I have done for the past couple of months.