A cast of West End stars brings Broadway-style music and immersive storytelling to life in “Following Jimmy Valentine,” (Feb. 2, 2026), an original audiobook musical told entirely through story and song.

Performed by stage icons Hadley Fraser, Kerry Ellis, David Hunter, Celinde Schoenmaker and George Blagden, and jazz legend Jacqui Dankworth, author Jeff Flaster’s bold reimagining of O. Henry’s classic short story “A Retrieved Reformation” combines world-class performances with a score that blends classical, jazz and classic rock influences into melodic storytelling that stays with listeners after the final note.

Blending melodic music, noir comedy and a timeless tale of reinvention, “Following Jimmy Valentine” reinvents the musical experience for the 21st century. Never before staged or filmed, it’s an audio-first creation where dialogue and song are fully integrated — a book that sings.

At its heart is the notorious jewel thief Jimmy Valentine (Fraser: “The Phantom of the Opera,” “City of Angels”) — fresh out of prison and swearing he’ll go straight. But his past refuses to let him go. Pursued by disillusioned New Orleans detective Jen Price (Ellis: “Wicked,” “We Will Rock You”) Valentine hides in a small town where he falls in love with Annabel Adams (Schoenmaker: “Les Misérables,” “The Light in the Piazza”, “Guys and Dolls”). For the first time, Valentine dares to believe in a new life. But as the walls close in, the question remains: Can a man truly change, or will fate pull him back into the shadows?

“Following Jimmy Valentine” brings the powerhouse voices of the West End to a format that can be heard anywhere.

JEFF FLASTER is a New Yorker by birth whose parents were both mathematicians. They had saved since Flaster was born so that they could send him to MIT, and were not pleased when college-aged Flaster asked if he could major in music instead of math. So Flaster made music a minor, but it remained a major in his life. The fact that he is a tenor gave him easy entrée into choirs and ensembles, and he performed regularly in a group at MIT, The Chorallaries. He has also performed at The Kennedy Center with the Choral Arts Society of Washington, and at Tanglewood with the Tanglewood Festival Chorus.

Flaster produced three recordings of his original compositions, available on Apple Music. Recently, inspired by O. Henry's sunnier version of “Les Misérables,” Flaster wrote a full-length musical now called “Following Jimmy Valentine.” The 2021 version of this musical, called “Shell Shock,” was directed by Lennie Watts and can be seen on Melodic Music's YouTube channel. Flaster’s interest in cabaret was sparked by his father, and by a course he took at 92Y with the late Collette Black.