"Top of the Tree" is a musical play that takes place in the world of Gilbert & Sullivan between 1877 and 1883, and is about how critical that short time period was to the development of popular culture and entertainment. It's a two act show, based on guitar music, augmented with orchestral arrangements, and a variety of singing styles. Working with historical figures who were complicated individuals, as well as a couple of new players, each character is presented as a sort of archetype of their most renowned personality traits. These were the people who created the  things we take for granted now: high production standards, directorial authority, quality control, and above all access to absurd, satirical, uplifting, hilarious, emotionally and musically fulfilling memorable entertainment. ​Top of the Tree just… appeared all at once in my head; 17 scenes and songs, complete and in sequence. I really wasn't looking for a big project, but it seemed rude to say no. I spent three weeks writing it down, making demos, notes, sketches and storyboards, and then gave myself three years to do something with it, which is up now. It was originally conceived as a live production, but now it's an animated demo.  These are still my "scratch" demos, recorded in those first three weeks. I'd hoped to have other singers by now, but it's still just me doing the parts of all the characters. I don't write musical notation, these  demo videos represent both libretto and score. The artwork ranges from my earliest pencil sketches and sequences to my latest digital art.