NY (Top40 Charts) - Boy George has written a musical based on his life's experiences as the flamboyant lead singer of the popular '80s group Culture Club. George has penned 15 new songs for the musical Taboo, named after a London nightclub where the singer spent much of his youth. Taboo will also feature some of Culture Club's biggest hits, including " Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" and " Karma Chameleon." An open audition for Boy George look-alikes, held in London on Friday (August 10), brought out some 200 made-up, brightly wardrobed hopefuls. George told Reuters, "The reason we decided on an open audition was because we felt we might easily stumble upon a gem of a person that we might not get from an agency." Casting directors are seeking an actor "larger than life in character and personality" to play the charismatic Boy George. George, who now openly admits that he is gay, kept his relationship with the group's drummer Jon Moss secret at the height of Culture Club's popularity. George also struggled with drug addiction during those years. George said of Taboo, "The message really is that no matter what someone looks like, they are still a person and that is what the show is about." Culture Club won the Grammy for best new artist in 1983 and earned nine top-20 hits between 1983-1986. George, who left Culture Club in 1987, has made a new career for himself as a successful club DJ. Taboo will open at the Notre Dame Hall on London's West End in November.
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