Series / Our Gay Wedding: The Musical

"It's gayer than Glee!"

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness, well. To witness something so extraordinary and historic. A day I thought I'd never live to see. As of Saturday the 29th of March 2014, we gays can get married. Not a civil partnership, the works; full equality, at last. So, let me introduce two grooms: Benjamin and Nathan, who wanted to celebrate by sharing their wedding - their actual wedding - with all of us. Along with some fabulous guests they will tell us how they fell in love, and how we came so, so far. And because Benjamin's a composer, and Nathan's an actor and singer, they're doing it all in a rather special way."

—Stephen Fry, the opening speech

Our Gay Wedding: The Musical was one of the first same-sex weddings in the United Kingdom, performed on the day that marriage equality was legalised there^note Well, on the first day same-sex weddings could be performed in England and Wales and their territories (except Guernsey, but including parts of Cyprus). Scotland legalised it about the same time. Northern Ireland remains without same-sex marriage, even though Ireland have already passed it, too., 29th March 2014. It was recorded and then aired on Channel 4 two days later, marking the start of the channel's new trend of very gay programming (along with February 2014's controversial Gay Mountain).

Benjamin Till, a musical composer and musical documentary director, was engaged to actor Nathan Taylor after the announcement that marriage equality was to be recognised again in England and Wales from March 2014^note Gay marriages were, thanks to Henry VIII and the 1949 Marriage Act being non-gender specific, legal until the 1970s in these two countries (though "homosexual acts" was only decriminalised in the 1960s), so to allow them was just lifting a ban that had been imposed forty years ago. Following the repeal, England and Wales became the 17th and 18th countries to permit same-sex marriages^note The full list (end January 2017) in order is the Netherlands; Belgium; Spain; Canada; South Africa; Norway; Sweden; Portugal; Iceland; Argentina; Denmark; Brazil; France; Uruguay; New Zealand; England & Wales; Scotland; Luxembourg; the United States including DC, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and 27 Tribal Jurisdictions; Ireland; and Colombia. Till then got in touch with Channel 4 and pitched his idea of having his ceremony as a Sung Through Musical.

After an opening speech from Stephen Fry regarding the momentous occasion, a pre-recorded clip of family and friends singing a song of messages that the couple received upon announcing their impending nuptials whilst making their way to the hall^note The Church of England and Church of Wales will not permit the joining of LGBT+ individuals is played. The wedding-musical is entirely sung through except for two lines announcing recognition that legally have to be spoken. It also features a short video recounting the history and progression of homosexuality in England and Wales, another about the state of the world regarding homosexuality, and a pseudo-newscast that "interrupts" regular broadcasting^note This is a habit of Channel 4's. Some of it was shot in Australia.

Nathan and Benjamin met on the set of Boy George's musical Taboo, Nathan performing and Ben the musical director. Amongst other notable members of the UK gay community, Boy George makes a special appearance. The whole musical is "written and composed by Benjamin & Nathan - the grooms, featuring Noëlle & Celia - their mothers, Samantha & Edward - the MCs, officiated by Franschene & John - the registrars, and some very special guests." Thank god everyone they know lives in a Musical and so can sing really well.

Songs

1. "OMG!"
2. "Brand New Future"
3. "Ladies and Gentlemen"
4. "God Only Knows (What I'd Be Without You)" feat. The Feeling
5. "Franschene's Script/I Know No Reason"
6. "Let the Sun Light Shine/Feel the Love" feat. Alison Jiear
7. "A Little Respect" feat. Andy Bell
8. "Let's Get To Know The Grooms (I Love Him)"
9. "Franschene's Script/I Know No Reason (reprise)"
10. "Changing Expectations (My Children Make Me Proud)"
11. "Franschene's Script: Introducing the Vows"
12. "Benjamin, I Love You (Nathan's Vows)"
13. "'Gay': A Young Lad/Love Conquers All (Benjamin's Vows)"
14. "Ladies and Gentlemen (reprise)"
15. "Make Your Own Kind of Music" feat. Hannah Waddingham and The London Gay Men's Chorus
16. "It Gets Better/Love Conquers All" feat. Sharon D. Clarke
17. "Franschene's Script: You May Now Kiss The Groom"
18. "Love Is Everyone (Under the Sun)" (feat. Michael Ball, The Overtones, Katherine Kingsley, Rufus Hound, Lesley Garrett, Sharon Bushman, Christopher Sieber, Kevin Burrows, The Rebel Chorus)

Tropes

• Call-Back: Unintentionally, one of the lyrics is very similar to one from Gay Mountain: "woman and woman, man and man"
• The Cameo: The "special guests" include Boy George, Will Young, Kylie Minogue, Gok Wan, Paul O'Grady, Nick Clegg (Deputy Prime Minister at the time), Ed Miliband (Leader of the Opposition at the time), Lynne Featherstone (former Equalities Minister), Lisa Stansfield, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Leona Lewis, Olivia Newton-John, Jon Snow (C4 Newscaster), Peter Tatchell, Sir Nick Partridge, Lorna Fulton, Dr Christian Jessen, Toyah Wilcox, Robert Fripp, Ana Matronic, Kristian Nairn, Alan Cumming, Katherine Jenkins, Immodesty Blaize, Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, Walter Collins.
• Camp Gay: It's a gay wedding that's a musical.
• Cast Full of Gay
• Distant Duet: The grooms' mothers' song pre-recorded in Essex and the Midlands.
• Double Entendre: "What if I laugh when the registrar talks about the ring?/Why would you laugh when the registrar talks about the ring?" Benjamin smirks.
• Exact Words: "marriage is no longer defined as a union of one man and one woman, but the union of two people"
• Hereditary Homosexuality: Ben makes note that all of his siblings (and obviously himself) are gay. When he suggests that there's something genetic, Nathan quickly debunks this as not proven.
• Ho Yay: Invoked, and even sung about: "It's gayer than 'Glee'!" (Even with Glee's double gay wedding in 2015, it may still be stereotypically "gayer" than that.)
• "London, England" Syndrome
  • Averted by the Establishing Shot showing the outskirts of London (indistinguishable from any other city) and only titled with "London, Saturday 29th March 2014".
  • But used for "Thaxted, Essex / Two weeks earlier" because who's heard of Thaxted?
• Lyrical Cold Open
• The Musical
• Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: The script is different in the UK, not only featuring 'until death us do part' and 'I will', but also "if anybody present knows of any reason why these two should not be joined in matrimony, they should declare it now."
• Spoken Word in Music: Stephen Fry's reading of Siegfried Sassoon's "Everyone Sang"

---