Michael John McCarthy is a musician, sound designer & composer for stage & screen.
He has worked on over 90 theatrical productions, including twelve Scotsman Edinburgh Fringe First award winners. He is also the musical supervisor & co-sound designer on Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), winner of the 2022 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play.
His band Album Club released their debut LP on Last Night From Glasgow in May 2022. It reached #6 in the UK Vinyl Albums chart, & #2 in the Scottish Albums chart, spending 6 weeks in the Top 100.
Work for screen includes the documentaries Where You're Meant To Be and Pitching Up.
Current work (Winter 2023)
Michael John will be the composer & arranger on the RSC's forthcoming production of The Fair Maid of the West
Recent Productions
The Grand Old Opera House Hotel (2023, by Isobel McArthur) - Traverse Theatre / Dundee Rep Theatre
Winner Scotsman Edinburgh Fringe First 2023
★★★★★ 'Remarkably inventive'
The Times
★★★★ "In Gareth Nicholls’s beautifully timed production, Michael John McCarthy’s score moves centre stage, the arias come sweeping in and wild, romantic gestures take the place of minor domestic gripes from the pernickety guests [...] as formally adventurous as it is extravagantly funny."
The Guardian
★★★★ "A tremendous modern-day opera buffa."
Edinburgh Guide
England & Son: A Play for Mark Thomas (2023, by Ed Edwards) - Tin Cat Entertainment / HOME Manchester
Winner Scotsman Edinburgh Fringe First 2023
★★★★ "Cressida Brown’s powerful direction, and the effects of Richard Williamson’s lighting and Michael John McCarthy’s sound design add to the mounting sense of panic as Thomas recounts incident after incident that turned him into the man he is [...] A triumph for all concerned." Whats On Stage
Kidnapped (2023, with Isobel McArthur) - National Theatre of Scotland
★★★★★ “Scottish theatre at its absolute finest."
Broadway World
★★★★★ "Kidnapped is a piece of theatrical brilliance. "
Theatre Scotland
★★★★★ "McCarthy's rearrangements of such unlikely songs as Kenny Rogers' The Gambler, Talking Heads' Road to Nowhere, and Yazoo's Only You are folksy and funky by turns, and an absolute hoot [...] This is a special show."
The Stage
Castle Lennox (2023, by Linda McLean) - Lung Ha Theatre Company/Lyceum Edinburgh
★★★★★ "The mood of the show, therefore, has something of the texture of life itself; often brutal and heartbreaking, but also funny, beautiful, and sometimes downright magical."
The Scotsman
★★★★★ "Composer Michael John McCarthy and on-stage Arranger & Musical Director David Paul Jones conspire to soundtrack proceedings with a dynamic song-book and soundscape [...] a layering of songs, hopeful and heartbroken, motifs which follow the story through the long years towards a final liberation."
Brickbats & Bouquets
Cinderella (2022, with Lynda Radley) - Dundee Rep Theatre
★★★★ “glittering new musical that shines with tradition and heart from tales of old"
The Reviews Hub
★★★★ "A dazzling, unique family musical... A truly breath-taking show"
The Wee Review
★★★★ "a perfectly balanced show... hits all the classic fairytale notes"
The Stage
He has worked on over 90 theatrical productions, including twelve Scotsman Edinburgh Fringe First award winners. He is also the musical supervisor & co-sound designer on Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), winner of the 2022 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play.
His band Album Club released their debut LP on Last Night From Glasgow in May 2022. It reached #6 in the UK Vinyl Albums chart, & #2 in the Scottish Albums chart, spending 6 weeks in the Top 100.
Work for screen includes the documentaries Where You're Meant To Be and Pitching Up.
Current work (Winter 2023)
Michael John will be the composer & arranger on the RSC's forthcoming production of The Fair Maid of the West
Recent Productions
The Grand Old Opera House Hotel (2023, by Isobel McArthur) - Traverse Theatre / Dundee Rep Theatre
Winner Scotsman Edinburgh Fringe First 2023
★★★★★ 'Remarkably inventive'
The Times
★★★★ "In Gareth Nicholls’s beautifully timed production, Michael John McCarthy’s score moves centre stage, the arias come sweeping in and wild, romantic gestures take the place of minor domestic gripes from the pernickety guests [...] as formally adventurous as it is extravagantly funny."
The Guardian
★★★★ "A tremendous modern-day opera buffa."
Edinburgh Guide
England & Son: A Play for Mark Thomas (2023, by Ed Edwards) - Tin Cat Entertainment / HOME Manchester
Winner Scotsman Edinburgh Fringe First 2023
★★★★ "Cressida Brown’s powerful direction, and the effects of Richard Williamson’s lighting and Michael John McCarthy’s sound design add to the mounting sense of panic as Thomas recounts incident after incident that turned him into the man he is [...] A triumph for all concerned." Whats On Stage
Kidnapped (2023, with Isobel McArthur) - National Theatre of Scotland
★★★★★ “Scottish theatre at its absolute finest."
Broadway World
★★★★★ "Kidnapped is a piece of theatrical brilliance. "
Theatre Scotland
★★★★★ "McCarthy's rearrangements of such unlikely songs as Kenny Rogers' The Gambler, Talking Heads' Road to Nowhere, and Yazoo's Only You are folksy and funky by turns, and an absolute hoot [...] This is a special show."
The Stage
Castle Lennox (2023, by Linda McLean) - Lung Ha Theatre Company/Lyceum Edinburgh
★★★★★ "The mood of the show, therefore, has something of the texture of life itself; often brutal and heartbreaking, but also funny, beautiful, and sometimes downright magical."
The Scotsman
★★★★★ "Composer Michael John McCarthy and on-stage Arranger & Musical Director David Paul Jones conspire to soundtrack proceedings with a dynamic song-book and soundscape [...] a layering of songs, hopeful and heartbroken, motifs which follow the story through the long years towards a final liberation."
Brickbats & Bouquets
Cinderella (2022, with Lynda Radley) - Dundee Rep Theatre
★★★★ “glittering new musical that shines with tradition and heart from tales of old"
The Reviews Hub
★★★★ "A dazzling, unique family musical... A truly breath-taking show"
The Wee Review
★★★★ "a perfectly balanced show... hits all the classic fairytale notes"
The Stage
Stage Work Sampler
If you want to find out more about any aspect of Michael John's work, write to info@michaeljohnmccarthy.com.
Michael John is represented by Davina Shah at TEAM: davina@team-artists.co.uk
