At a time when jukebox musicals dominate London’s West End, some of theatreland’s stars argue the success of original shows is proof “audiences are ready to take a risk”.

From Motown to Michael Jackson, Tina Turner to the Jersey Boys, the past two decades have seen an exponential rise in offerings based around songs most of us will already know the words to.

Back in 1999, the runaway success of staging Mamma Mia! – based on ABBA’s extensive back catalogue – proved to be a…