London Musicals - Over The Footlights

19
2006
FLORODORA (3rd Revival)
London run: Finborough, January 8th (3 Sunday performances)
Music: Leslie Stuart
Lyrics: Ernest Boyd Jones & Paul Rubens
Book: Owen Hall
Director: Nina Brazier
Choreographer: Laura Krasnic
Musical Director: Timothy Henty
Cast: David O’Brien (Cyrus Gilfain), Katie Foster-Barnes (Dolores),
Alex Gaumond (Frank Abercoed), Abigail Jaye (Angela Gilfain),
Garrie Harvey (Arthur Donegal), Rosemary Ashe (Lady Holyrood),
Simon Butteriss (Anthony Tweedlepunch)
Songs: The Silver Star of Love, The Shade of the Palm, Tell Me Pretty
Maiden, When I Leave Town, I Want to Be a Military Man, Tact, When
You’re a Millionaire
Story: Florodora is a South Sea island ruled by wealthy American Cyrus Gilfain, manufacturer of a perfume
named after the island. But the island really belongs to Dolores, whose father was cheated by Cyrus. Cyrus would
like to marry Dolores (and therefore legalise his grip on the island) but Dolores is in love with Frank Abercoed,
Cyrus’s manager. Meantime Cyrus’s daughter, Angela, is in love with another of Cyrus’s employees, Arthur
Donegal! Suddenly Frank comes into a fortune, and inherits a title and an estate in Wales. He and Dolores leave
the island for Wales, and Cyrus secretly follows them, planning to find a way of stopping their marriage. Cyrus
seeks the help of Lady Holyrood in his scheme to prevent the wedding, but their wicked plans are exposed by the
private investigator Anthony Tweedlepunch, who also manages to force Cyrus to return Florodora to its proper
owner, Dolores. Following this, all the lovers are properly paired off for a happy ending.
Notes: The premiere at London’s Lyric Theatre in November 1899 and was an enormous success, running for 455
performances. The Broadway production a year later was an even bigger success, running 553 performances. The
song “Tell Me Pretty Maiden” was a worldwide success, and led to one of the earliest examples of musical theatre
merchandise, with all manner of souvenirs of the show being manufactured. This was an extremely cut-down
fringe version, performed as a semi-concert piece with four musicians and seven performers doubling all the roles.
However, it was its first revival in London for 75 years and was a curiosity well worth seeing.
Original London production: Lyric Theatre, November 1899
First revival: Lyric Theatre, February 1915 (transferred to Aldwych);
Second revival: Daly’s, July 1931
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND (1st Revival)
Photo by Keith Pattison
London run: Palace Theatre, March 27th – 12th August (Limited season)
Tim Rogers & Claire Marlowe with the children
2006
20
WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND (1st Revival)
London run: Palace Theatre, March 27th – 12th August (Limited season)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics: Jim Steinman
Book: Patricia Knop, Gale Edwards & Andrew Lloyd Webber
Director: Bill Kenwright
Choreographer: Henry Metcalfe
Musical Director: David Steadman
Producer: Bill Kenwright
Cast: Tim Rodgers (The Man), Claire Marlowe (Swallow), Emma Hopkins/
Henrietta Touquet (Brat), Laurence Belcher/Christopher Thomas (Poor Baby),
Garrie Harvey (Amos), Debbie Korley (Candy), Chris Holland (Snake Preacher),
Kevin Curtin (Sheriff), David Robbins (Minister), Michael Howard Smith (Boone)
Notes: This revival was a kind of “fill-in” following the early withdrawal of “The
Woman in White”. It was produced on a smaller-scale than the original (in spite of
being in a much bigger theatre). This new production was felt to be far less
pretentious, simpler, stronger and more heartfelt than the original.
Original London Production: Aldwych Theatre, July 1998
THE MUSICAL OF MUSICALS
London run: Sound, March 31st – April 22nd
Return: King’s Head, Dec 7th – Jan 28th 2007
Music: Eric Rockwell
Lyrics: Joanne Bogart
Director: Julian Woolford
Choreographer: Steven Harris
Musical Director: Dean Austin (King’s Head: Richard John)
Cast: (Sound) Geoffrey Abbott, Joanna Ampil, Susannah Fellows, Ian McLarnon
(King’s Head): Paul Baker, Julie-Alanah Brighten, Susannah Fellows, Ian McLarnon,
Songs: Oh What a Beautiful Corn, Follow Your Dream, Welcome to the Woods, We’re All Gonna Die, Take
My Advice and Live, I’ve Heard That Song Before, Over the Top, Colour Me Gay, Junie with a J
Notes: The musical premiered off-Broadway in
2003 and ran for 194 performances, winning several
awards, and was then revived in 2005 running for
the best part of the year. It has proved to be a
favourite in USA regional and college theatres. It
was great fun – its satire much gentler and more
affectionate than “Forbidden Broadway” – but
definitely “Done for the theatre cognoscenti / Done
so that we can pay the rent-y”. The parodies,
pastiche and lyrics came in for much praise. The
production was revived with two changes of cast and
played the Christmas season at the King’s Head.
Photo by Alessandro Evangelista
Story: This show consists of five sketches, all dealing with the problem of finding money to pay the rent.
Each sketch is written as a parody, pastiche and homage to a particular musical style. “Corn” is Rodgers &
Hammerstein (and even includes a dream ballet!); “A Little Complex” is Sondheim-esque; “Dear Abby” is in
the style of Jerry Herman; “Aspects of Juanita” end with a tiny chandelier crashing on the stage; “Speakeasy” is
a Kander & Ebb pastiche where the cast sing about
about how depressing life is and dance around in
skimpy clothing.
2006
21
THE HARDER THEY COME
London run: Theatre Royal, Stratford East, April 6th – June 10th
Re-staged, Stratford East Feb 7th – March 1st, 2007
Music & Lyrics: Jimmy Cliff & others
Book: Perry Henzell
Director: Kerry Michael/Dawn Reid
Choreographer: Jackie Guy
Musical Director: Stephen Cole (2007: Perry Melius/Wayne Nunes)
Cast: Rolan Bell (Ivan), Joanna Francis (Elsa), Marlon King (Pedro), Susan Lawson-Reynolds (Pinky),
Delroy Brown (Preacher), Trevor A Toussaint (José), Delroy Atkinson, Dermot Daly, Marcus Powell
Story: The action opens around a
Jamaican “ni-night”, a kind of
wake, being held for Ivan, the
country boy who went to Kingston
to become a reggae star, fell foul of
the payola system, and eventually
became a drug dealer. At the very
moment when his first single is
becoming a hit, Ivan gets involved
in a shoot-out and kills a cop, and is
hunted down as an outlaw. Featured
characters in the story included
Elsa, the choir girl who fell in love
with Ivan, Pedro, Ivan’s druggy
sidekick, the Preacher, and the sexy
Pinky.
Photo by Tristram Kenton
Songs: (Jimmy Cliff: You Can Get it if You Really Want, Many Rivers to Cross, Wonderful World Beautiful
People); (Interpolated: Pressure Drop, Rivers of Babylon, Higher and Higher, Banana Boat Song.
Joanna Francis & Rolan Bell
Notes: Based on Perry Henzell’s iconic 1972 reggae film, which made a star out of Jimmy Cliff as Ivan Martin,
this was a much sanitised stage version, with the film’s brutality and shocking violence considerably toned
down. Played authentically in Jamaican patois, with a gospel choir, and some superb singing and dancing, it
proved to be a highly popular theatrical event. The production was repeated at Stratford East in the following
year with the same principal cast, but with the musical direction now shared between Perry Melius and Wayne
Nunes.
MACK
AND MABEL
(1st Revival)
Photo by Globe Photos
London run:
Criterion Theatre,
April 10th
Janie Dee &
David Soul
2006
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MACK AND MABEL (1st Revival)
London run: Criterion Theatre, April 10th (96 performances)
Music & Lyrics: Jerry Herman
Book: Michael Stewart
Director: John Doyle
Choreographer:
Musical Director: Robert Cousins
Producer: Watermill Theatre
Cast: David Soul (Mack Sennett), Janie Dee (Mabel Normand),
Sarah Whittuck (Lottie), Matthew Woodyatt (Fatty Arbuckle), Richard Brightiff,
Tomm Coles, Robert Cousins, Michelle Long, Robin Pirongs, Jon Trenchard,
Simon Tuck
This was another of John Doyle’s experiments where the 11-strong cast accompany
themselves, doubling as musicians. While this has been very successful in the case of “Sweeney Todd”, it didn’t
work for numbers like “Tap Your Troubles Away”, which seemed lost without a stage full of tap-dancing
chorines. There was praise for David Soul and Janie Dee, but generally the critical reaction was that the
production looked too cut down and done on the cheap. It had originated at the Watermill Theatre for a three
month run in March 2005 and was then revived for a national tour from January 2006. Its return to the West End
survived just twelve weeks.
Original London Production: Piccadilly Theatre, November 1995
MOVIN’ OUT
London run: Apollo Victoria, April 10th (56 performances)
Music & Lyrics: Billy Joel
Conceived by Twyla Tharp
Director: Twyla Tharp
Choreographer: Twyla Tharp (re-created by Kim Craven)
Musical Director: Stuart Malina
Cast: Ron Todorowski (Eddie), Holly Cruikshank (Brenda), David Gomez (Tony), Laura Costa Chaud (Judy),
Matt Dibble (James), James Fox/Darren Reeves (Piano-man) and an ensemble of 20 dancers.
Songs: It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me, Reverie, Just the Way You Are, Summer Highland Falls, We Didn’t Start
the Fire, She’s Got a Way, Angry Young Man, Captain Jack, Goodnight Saigon, Only the Good Die Young, I’ve
Loved These Days
Notes: Twyla Tharp had choreographed and directed a collection of Billy Joel songs into a “rock ballet”. With the
rock band perched at the back onstage, a team
of non-singing dancers performed the
trademark athletic choreography while a
“piano-man” sang out Billy Joel’s songs. The
show opened on Broadway in October 2002
and ran for three years and 1,303
performances. However, even though the
British critics recognised the brilliance and
excitement of the dancing, they were mostly
unimpressed with the conception of the show,
and felt that five-star dancing was not enough
to hold together a three-star story. The limited
run was originally booked until mid-July
(when it would make way for “Wicked”) but
was taken off after just seven weeks.
Photo by Hugo Glendinning
Story: Brenda and Eddie, and James and Judy are teenage couples growing up in New York’s Long Island
during the 1960s, and have to come to terms with the Vietnam War and the other social changes of the time.
There is no dialogue, but music, lyrics and movement combine to follow the lives of the four principals from
High School prom, to combat-death in Vietnam, to widowhood and to final reconciliation with the post-Vietnam
world
2006
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THE WOLVES IN THE WALL
Photo by Keith Pattison
London run: Lyric Hammersmith, April 13th – 29th
Music & Lyrics: Nick Powell
Additional lyrics: Neil Gaiman
Book: Julian Crouch, & Vicky Featherstone
Director: Vicky Featherstone & Julian Crouch
Choreographer: Steven Hoggett
Musical Director: Martin Lowe
Producer: National Theatre of Scotland & Improbable
Theatre
Cast: Iain Johnstone (Dad), Cora Bissett (Mum),
Frances Thorburn (Lucy), Ryan Fletcher (Brother),
Cait Davis, Ewan Hunter, Jessica Tomchack,
Jason Webb
Frances Thorburn & Company
Story: Lucy hears creeping, creaking, crumpling
noises coming from behind the wallpaper and is
convinced that there are wolves in the walls of her house. Her jam-making mother, tuba-playing father and video
game obsessed brother think the noises are really mice, or rats or bats. No one believes that the creatures are thereuntil they come out. Then the family flees, taking refuge outside. It is Lucy who bravely returns to rescue her pig
puppet and who talks the others into forcing the animals to leave.
Notes: Based on the children’s book by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, this was originally created by the National
Theatre of Scotland and played Hammersmith as part of a UK tour. Although this 75 minute sung-through piece
was originally intended for children, it transports adults back into the world of childhood, a world full of mystery,
uncertainty and nameless fears. Its combination of video projections, puppets, exciting stage design and an
excellent score earned it a great deal of praise.
FOOTLOOSE
London run: Novello Theatre, April 18th (239 performances)
Music: Tom Snow
Lyrics: Dean Pitchford
Additional music: Eric Carmen, Sammy Hagar, Kenny Loggins & Jim Steinman
Book: Dean Pitchford & Walter Bobbie
Director-Choreographer: Karen Bruce
Musical Director: Gareth Owen
Cast: Derek Hough (Ren), Caroline Deverill (Ethel),
Stephen McGann (Rev Shaw Moore), Lorna Want (Ariel),
Cheryl Baker (Vi Moore), Johnny Shentall, Giovanni Spano, Stevie Tate-Bauer,
Natasha MacDonald, Caroline Deverill
Songs: On Any Sunday, The Girl Gets Around, I Can’t Stand Still, Somebody’s
Eyes, Holding Out for a Hero, Heaven Help Me, Let’s Hear it for the Boy, Almost
Paradise, Dancing is Not a Crime
Story: Following his parents’ divorce, Ren and his mother Ethel move from Chicago to a small mid-Western town,
where dancing within the town limits is forbidden by local ordinance. This ban came about some years earlier
through the efforts of Rev. Shaw Moore who was distraught when his son was one of four teenagers killed in a car
crash coming home from a dance. Rev. Moore’s fun-loving daughter, Ariel, meets Ren and falls in love with him.
Ren longs to take her dancing, and decides to challenge the Rev. and the Town Council on the validity of their
dance-ban. Eventually the Rev is persuaded that “Dancing is Not a Crime”, the ban is lifted, and fun and high
spirits return to the town.
Notes: “Footloose” was based on the screenplay of the 1984 film and had run for 708 Broadway performances from
October 1998. This production opened in Cardiff and had been on tour since January before moving into the West
End. In June, at the end of his six months’ contract, Stephen McGann left the cast and was replaced by David
Essex. In spite of excellent bookings the West End run ended in November because the Novello Theatre had been
pre-committed to a Royal Shakespeare Company season. (There had been an earlier UK touring production in 2004,
starting in Plymouth and running for six months, directed by Paul Kerryson.)
2006
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OUR MISS GIBBS (1st Revival)
London run: Finborough, April 30th
(3 Sunday performances)
Music: Lionel Monckton & Ivan Caryll
Lyrics: Adrian Ross & Percy Greenbank
Book: J.T. Tanner
Director: Pia Furtado
Musical Director: Timothy Henty
Cast: Celia Graham (Mary Gibbs),
Stephen John Davis (Hon. Hughie Pierrepoint),
Gary Tushaw (Slithers),
Christopher Colley (Lord Eynsford),
Stuart Hickey (Timothy Gibbs),
Gertie Millar & the Original cast, 1909
Katrine Falkenberg (Lady Elizabeth Thanet),
Vivien Care (Mrs Farquhar), Simon Clark, Adam Linstead, Savannah Stevenson, Paddy Glynn, Helen George
Songs: Yorkshire, Mary, Moonstruck, Yip-I-Addy-I-Ay, My Yorkshire Lassie, Not That Sort of Person
Story: Mary Gibbs, a Yorkshire Lass, works in the flower department of Garrod’s Department Store. Her heart
belongs to the bank clerk Harry Lancaster (who is really Lord Eynsford in disguise). Lord Eynsford is engaged to
Lady Elizabeth Thanet, but she much prefers Hughie Pierrepoint, an amateur criminal. When Mary discovers Lord
Eynsford’s deception, she leaves her job and goes off to the Franco-British Exhibition at White City. Lord
Eynsford follows her, proves his honourable intentions, and all gets sorted out happily.
Notes: Originally staged at the Gaiety Theatre in January 1909, it ran for 636 performances, and was a great
success for Gertie Millar – especially her hit song “Moonstruck”, written by her husband, Lionel Monckton.
Despite its huge London success, the Broadway production only managed 64 performances in August 1910. This
semi-staged production was, apparently, its very first revival in 97 years!
THE ROCKY HORROR TRIBUTE SHOW
One night Charity Show: Royal Court, May 3rd (One night only)
Music & Lyrics: Richard O’Brien;
Director: Christopher Luscombe
Choreographer: Jenny Arnold
Musical Director: Mark Warman
Notes: This was a special one-off charity concert in aid of Amnesty International, and marking the 50th
anniversary of the English Stage Company’s “Look Back in Anger” at the Royal Court. The permanent cast
fixtures in this production were:
Gary Amers (Rocky), Julian Litman (Dr Scott), Ben Richards (Eddie), Kraig Thornber (Riff-Raff)
Toyah Wilcox (Magenta).
Photo by Rex Features
Interchangeable casting : Michael Ball & Anthony Head (Frank) , Adrian Edmondson & Stephen Gately (Brad),
Joanne Farrell, Amy Field, Sophie Lawrence (Janet) , Christopher Biggins, Rayner Bourton, Robin Cousins,
Steve Pemberton,
Tony Slattery,
& Jamie Theakston
(Narrators) ,
with guest appearances
from Richard O’Brien,
Patricia Quinn &
Little Nell.
The performance was
filmed and was issued on a
DVD which became a
best-seller.
The full company in
the final line-up
2006
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STARTING HERE STARTING NOW (1st Revival)
London run: Upstairs at the Gatehouse, June 9th – July 9th
Music: David Shire
Lyrics: Richard Maltby Jr
Director: Racky Plews
Musical Director: Ian Dawes
Cast: Kara Lane, Rebecca McKinnis, Lisa Pearce, Chris Palmer, Mark Torrance
Songs: Autumn, I Don't Remember Christmas , I Hear Bells, I'm A Girl You Should
Know, Just Across the River, A New Life Coming, Song Of Me, Today Is the First Day
Of the Rest Of My Life, We Can Talk To Each Other, What About Today?, The Word
Is Love
Story: Maltby and Shire wrote many songs for shows that either closed out of town or were never produced.
Their songs tend to be "story songs", each one of which tells its own story, and works as a kind of mini one-act
scena. The songs in the first half of this “compilation” show explore the humorous, joyful, melancholy and angry
ups and downs of city romances. In the second half the songs present characters who have had unlucky
experiences in love and life and who have a chance to make a new start.
Notes: This “sung-through revue” was first produced in New York in 1976 under the title "Theater Songs by
Maltby and Shire." In March 1977 it was re-worked, re-named and had a 120 performance run off-Broadway. It
received its London premiere in February 1993 in the tiny Link, Holborn, with a cast comprising Clare Burt,
Michael Cantwell and Samantha Shaw. A cast recording was issued.
Original London production: Link Holborn, February 3-27th 1993
SHOWBOAT (5th Revival)
London run: Royal Albert Hall, June 13th – 25th
Music: Jerome Kern
Lyrics & Book: Oscar Hammerstein II
Director: Francesca Zambello
Choreographer: Arthur Pita
Musical Director: David Charles Abell
Producer: Raymond Gubbay
Cast: Rebecca Thornhill (Julie), John Owen Jones (Ravenal),
Elena Shaddow (Magnolia), Mark Coles (Joe), Angela Simpson (Queenie),
David Burt (Cap’n Andy), Emma Dodd (Ellie) , Jenny Galloway, Steve Devereaux,
Gareth Snook.
Notes: Original London production:
Drury Lane 1928;
First revival: London, 1943 ;
2nd revival: Adelphi, June 1971;
3rd revival: London Palladium,
July 1990 (and again, March 1991)
4th revival: Prince Edward, April 1998
Photo by Ken Howard
With the Royal Philharmonic
Orchestra and a cast of 71 (excluding
children!) this was a massive
spectacle, and the first time a fullscale musical had been presented at
the Royal Albert Hall (although some
operas had been performed in the
past.) It was highly successful.
2006
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EVITA (1st Revival)
Photo by Tristram Kenton
London run: Adelphi Theatre, June 21st (389 performances)
Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
Lyrics: Tim Rice
Director: Michael Grandage
Choreographer: Rob Ashford
Musical Director: Nick Davies
Producer: Really Useful Co & Andre Ptaszynski
Cast: Matt Rawle (Che), Elena Roger (Evita),
Philip Quast (Peron), Lorna Want (Peron’s Mistress),
Gary Milner (Magaldi), Jodie Jacobs, Jackie Marks, Gary Milner
Notes:
This was an outstanding
revival.
Elena Roger (a genuine
Argentinian) was acclaimed for a
superb, dazzling performance; the
Elena Roger
tango-themed choreography was
described as sizzingly erotic; the set
design by Christopher Oram sumptuously re-created the architectural grandeur of
Buenos Aires; Michael Grandage was hailed as one of the UK’s best directors; and,
ultimately, the score was recognised as one of the very best by Andrew Lloyd
Webber and Tim Rice. This was a triumph and hugely praised, and yet, for some
reason, did not succeed at the box office. It closed in May 2007 after just eleven
months.
Original London production: Prince Edward Theatre, June 1978
AVENUE Q
London run: Noel Coward Theatre, June 28th (1,179 performances)
Transfer: Gielgud Theatre, June 2009 (327 performances)
Transfer: Wyndham’s Theatre, March 2010 (219 performances)
Simon Lipkin & Nicky
2006
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AVENUE Q
London run: Noel Coward Theatre, June 28th (1,179 performances)
Transfer: Gielgud Theatre, June 2009 (327 performances)
Transfer: Wyndham’s Theatre, March 2010 (219 performances)
Music & Lyrics: Robert Lopez & Jeff Marx
Book: Jeff Whitty
Director: Jason Moore
Choreographer: Ken Roberson
Musical Director: Nick Finlow
Producer: Cameron Mackintosh, etc.
Cast: Julie Atherton, Clare Foster, Ann Harada, Simon Lipkin, Sion Lloyd,
Jon Robyns, Giles Terera, with Luke Evans, Gloria Onitri, Jacqui Sanchez,
Matthew J. Henry, Gabriel Vick, Yanie Zhong
Songs: It Sucks to be Me, If You Were Gay, Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist, The Internet is for Porn, I’m Not
Wearing Underwear Today, Who Lives is Canada?, Schadenfreude, School for Monsters
Story: The show is set in the poorest part of New York City – Avenue Q, the farthest you can get away from
rich Manhattan. The residents consist of a recent college graduate, a kindergarten teacher, the former child-star
Gary Coleman who is now forced to work as a building superintendent, an unemployed comedian, his therapist
wife, and a male couple who may be gay. Collectively they commiserate and share their lives and problems.
Notes: The novelty of this show was several of the characters being puppets – puppets bearing a similarity to
the children’s TV series “Sesame Street”, but this time with very adult themes of racism, homosexuality and
pornography. The puppets are “worked” by actors in full sight, but the other characters react only to the
puppets. The show premiered off-Broadway in 2002, and quickly moved to Broadway itself in July 2003
where it ran until September 2009 – 2,534 performances. Within a few weeks of its closure, a smaller version
of the show was revived at the West 50th Street off-Broadway complex, and is still running (as of December
2011)
Several changes were made for the London production, including the portrayal of the Gary Coleman character
by a male actor. The production was very successful and developed a cult following, transferring to other
theatres in the course of its five-year run. It finally closed on September 25th 2010. The Independent critic
noted: “. . .the spirit of Avenue Q is humane and healthy. After all, it’s not every show that manages to be
tongue-in-cheek and hand-on-heart, while having its arm up a puppet’s bum.”
THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW (6th Revival)
London run: Playhouse, July 6th – 22nd
Music & Lyrics: Richard O’Brien;
Director: Christopher Luscombe
Choreographer: Jenny Arnold
Musical Director: Simon Beck
Producer: Howard Panter, ATG, etc.
Photo by Eric Richmond
Cast: Steve Pemberton/ Nigel Planer/ Roger Lloyd-Pack
(Narrator – 1 week each),
David Bedella ((Frank-n-Furter),
Julian Essex-Spurrier (Rocky ), Matthew Cole (Brad),
Suzanne Shaw (Janet), Iain Davey (Riff-Raff),
Shona White (Magenta), Kay Murphy (Columbia),
Nathan Amzi (Eddie/Dr Scott)
Suzanne Shaw & David Bedella
This was the prelude to yet another new touring production,
playing briefly in the West End before opening in Glasgow for
a six month tour.
See original production: Theatre Upstairs Royal Court), June 19th 1973; Transferred to the Comedy Theatre,
April 1979; 1st revival: Piccadilly Theatre, July 1990; 2nd revival: Duke of York’s, June 1994; 3rd revival:
Duke of York’s May 1995; 4th revival: Victoria Palace, April 1999; 5th revival: Queen’s Theatre, June 2003
2006
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TOMORROW MORNING
London run: New End, July 10th – August 13th
Music, Book & Lyrics: Laurence Mark Wythe
Director: Nick Winston
Musical Director: Matt Brind
Cast: Alistair Robins (Jack), Annette McLaughlin (Catherine), Stephen
Ashfield (John), Emma Williams (Kat)
Songs: The Time is Coming, Suddenly, Chapter 17, Where do I Hide the
Porn?, When I’m a Bride, The Time is Coming.
Story: Two couples are respectively about to tie and untie the marriage
knot. Jack and Catherine are an older divorcing pair, world-weary, trying
to recall the last time they had sex and about to sign the decree nisi; John
Annette McLaughlin
and Kat are getting married in the morning, though John is suffering a
recurring wedding nightmare. At this last minute, both couples are having doubts. At the end of the show it turns
out that they are actually the same couple, separated by a decade or so of marriage.
Notes: This intricately constructed musical seemed to owe a huge debt to Sondheim, with its self-absorbed lyrics,
intricate rhymes, diminished chords and staccato riffs. However, it was welcomed as a promising start for a new
young composer. The show then underwent considerable re-writing and was staged in Chicago in 2008 with a
significant plot change and some new and re-arranged musical numbers. This version was the basis of the 2010
London revival (See October, 2010)
BLONDE BOMBSHELLS OF 1943
London run: Hampstead, July 18th – August 12th
Music: Various
Book: Alan Plater
Director: Mark Babych
Musical Director: Howard Gray
Cast: Elizabeth Marsh (Betty), Karen Paullada (Elizabeth), Claire Storey (Lily),
Rosie Jenkins (Miranda), Chris Grahamson (Patrick), Ruth Alexander-Rubin,
Sarah Groarke, Barbara Hockaday
Songs: I Lift Up My Finger and I Say Tweet Tweet, If I Had a Ribbon Bow, In My
Little Snapshot Album, It Ain’t What You Do It’s the Way That You Do It,
Photo by Ian Tilton
Story: It’s 1943 and an all-girl swing-band has been booked for their BBC debut that
evening, but half the band has gone AWOL after playing an American base where the GIs had an unlimited supply
of nylons. Band-leader Betty is desperately auditioning emergency replacements. Along come Elizabeth, an
innocent 6th-form girl; Lily, a ukulele-strumming nun; Miranda, an upper-class officer; and Patrick – a drummer
desperately draft-dodging and more than
happy to wear a wig and a dress. The
auditions are interrupted by a bombing raid,
some developing tensions, some heartbreak,
and a developing romance . This portrait of
wartime Britain is told in flashback, and
ends with a staged version of the concert as
broadcast on the wireless.
Notes: Alan Plater adapted his TV film with
Judi Dench, Cleo Laine, Leslie Caron and
Joan Sims (2000) into a musical play for the
West Yorkshire Playhouse in 2004. This
new production, with some re-writing was
first staged at the Bolton Octagon Theatre
and transferred to London for a limited run.
The talented cast of actor-musicians was
much praised.
29
Photo by Robert Daly
2006
THE BOY FRIEND (4th Revival)
London run: Open Air Theatre, July 20th – September 9th
Music & Lyrics : Sandy Wilson
Director: Ian Talbot
Choreographer: Bill Deamer
Musical Director: Catherine Jayes
Producer: New Shakespeare Company
Cast: Claire Carrie (Hortense), Rachel Jerram (Polly Browne), Joshua Dallas (Tony),
Michael Rouse (Bobby van Husen), Summer Strallen (Maisie), Anna Nicholas (Mme Dubonnet),
Ian Talbot (Lord Brockhurst), Steven Pacey (Percival Browne), Selina Chilton, Hayley Flaherty,
Helen Owen, Jennifer Piercey.
Described as a “perfectly joyful piece of summer fluff” coinciding with glorious summer weather, and as
entertaining now as it was at its premiere over 50 years ago.
Notes: See Original London production, Wyndham’s, January 1954
First revival: Comedy Theatre, November 1967; Second Revival: Old Vic/Albery July 1984
Third revival: Players Theatre, April 1994
SHE LOVES ME (2nd Revival)
London run: Upstairs at the Gatehouse, July 25th – August 12th
Music: Jerry Bock
Lyrics: Sheldon Harnick
Book: Joe Masteroff
Director: Paul Precott
Choreographer: Faye Austin
Musical Director: Derek Hirst
Cast: Julia G. Addison (Amalia Balash), Lincoln Stone (Georg Nowack),
Faye Austin (Ilona Ritter), Steven Quick (Steven Kodaly),
Saul Reichlin (Zoltan Maraczek), Ashley Knight (Ladislaw Sipos),
Martin Clark, Ashley Bloom, Derry Pope
See Original London run: Lyric Theatre, April 1964
First revival: Savoy Theatre, July 1994
Julia G. Addison
& Lincoln Stone
2006
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THE LAST FIVE YEARS
London run: Menier Chocolate Factory, July 25th – Aug 9th
Music & Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown
Director: Matthew White
Choreographer: Sam Spencer Lane
Musical Director: Tom Murray
Cast: Damian Humbley (Jamie Wellerstein),
Lara Pulver (Cathy Hyatt)
Songs: Still Hurting, Shiksa Goddess, Moving Too Fast, I’m a Part
of That, The Schmuel Song, A Summer in Ohio, The Next Ten
Minutes, If I Didn’t Believe in You, I Can Do Better Than That,
Goodbye Until Tomorrow, I Could Never Rescue You.
Damian Humbley & Lara Pulver
Story: The story deals with the five-year relationship between
Jamie Wellerstein, a rising Jewish novelist, and Cathy Hyatt, a
struggling non-Jewish actress. Their individual stories are told
separately - Cathy’s is told in reverse chronological order (starting
with the break-up of the marriage and going back to their first
meetings; Jamie’s story is told in chronological order (beginning
just after the couple have first met). Neither Jamie nor Cathy
directly interact except for a wedding song in the middle of the
show – the point where their time-lines meet.
Notes: This one-act musical was inspired by Jason Robert Brown's failed marriage to Theresa O'Neill. When
the show originally opened in Chicago in 2001, Theresa O’Neill threatened legal action on the grounds the
story of the musical represented her relationship with Brown too closely. For its off-Broadway production in
March 2002 he changed the original opening song , “I Could Be in Love With Someone Like You" to "Shiksa
Goddess" and made Cathy non-Jewish in order to reduce the similarity between the real and the fictional wife.
Although it only ran two months off-Broadway it won several major awards, and since then has had a very
large number of productions throughout the USA and internationally.
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (3rd Revival)
London run: Theatre Royal, Haymarket, August 16th – (109 performances)
Music: Gene de Paul
Lyrics: Johnny Mercer
Book: Lawrence Kasha & David Landay
New songs: Al Kasha & Joel Hirschhorn
Director: Maurice Lane
Choreographer: Adrian Allsopp
Musical Director: Dave Bintley
Producer: UK Productions
Cast: Dave Willetts (Adam), Shona Lindsay (Milly), David Ball,
Jonathan Stewart, Sonny Lee Hymas, Owen Woodgate, Stuart Marshall,
Jay Webb, Claire Louise Connolly, Jessica Punch, Nikki Stokes,
Grace Harrington, Lucy Johnson, Natalie Langston
This production came into the West End following a UK tour, and received a
very mixed reaction from the critics. It was accused of having a wobbly set,
acting pitched at pantomime level, and very slow direction. On the other
hand the choreography was praised for its energy and the cast for their
enthusiasm. It ran for just over three months.
Notes: See original London run: Old Vic July1985 ;
First revival: Prince of Wales, May 1986.
Second revival: BAC Main, December 1999
2006
31
IT’S A FINE LIFE
Photo by Nobby Clark
London run: Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch,
August 29th – September 16th
Music & Lyrics: Lionel Bart
Book: Chris Bond
Director: Bob Carlton
Choreographer: Elizabeth Walsh
Musical Director: David Barber
Cast: James Earl Adair (Fagin),
Richard Brightiff (Bill),
Diana Croft (Joan Littlewood),
Matt Devitt (Lionel Bart),
Karen Fisher-Pollard (Barbara Windsor),
Allison Harding (Mrs Begleiter),
Simon Jessop (Fred), Maria Lawson (Nancy),
Philip Reed (Charlie), Steve Simmonds (Frankie)
Songs: (From Stage Shows) Fings Ain’t Wot They Used to Be, Oliver, Blitz, Maggie May, Twang!, La Strada;
(From Pop Songs) Living Doll, Little White Bull, A Handful of Songs
Story: This is a freely imagined biography of Lionel Bart – a hoary rags-to-riches tale of a lonely man chasing
adoration in show business. He rises from the wartime Jewish East End, through the doors of the Theatre Royal
Stratford East (where a welcoming Joan Littlewood invites him to consider himself at home!). He soars to the
millionaire heights of West End and Broadway success, becoming friend to the stars, only to fall into drugs, booze
and bankruptcy. Characters from his musicals merge into real-life characters, like Emmanuel Fagin, the dodgy
accountant who persuades him to sell the future rights of “Oliver” to keep afloat the disastrous “Twang”. Bart’s
homosexuality is skirted around, though he is given an invented but loyal friend, Charlie, a transvestite, who, when
Bart hits rock bottom is able to sing “As Long As He Needs Me”.
Notes: With a cast of 10 frequently switching roles, and all working as actor-musicians, this was a show with some
very cheesy moments, and yet it was performed with genuinely heartfelt affection and was generally reviewed
kindly.
FOLLIES (3rd Revival)
London run: Landor, September 21st – October 14th
Music & Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
Book: James Goldman
Director: Robert McWhir
Choreographer: Robbie O’Reilly
Musical Director: Paul Maguire
Cast: Claire Moore (Sally), Sarah Payne (Phyllis), Bryan Kennedy (Buddy),
Leo Andrew (Ben), Brian Jackson (Weisman), Adele Anderson (Carlotta),
Carol Ball (Stella), Roni Page (Heidi), Anne Smith (Solange), Rachel Izen (Hattie),
Nova Skipp, Claire Winsper, Dominic Brewer, Callum McIntosh.
In this extremely cut-down, piano-only version in a tiny
theatre, clearly it would not be possible to emulate the
faded grandeur of the Weisman Theatre – but it was
able to emphasise every twinge of jealousy, every
slipping smile and every nuance in the troubled
relationships between the principal quartet of
characters.
Original London run: Shaftesbury Theatre, July 1987
First revival: Kenneth More Theatre, June 1996
Second revival: Royal Festival Hall, August 2002
2006
32
DADDY COOL
London run: Shaftesbury Theatre, September 21st (172 performances)
Music: Boney M & Frank Farian Prods
Book: Stephen Plaice & Amani Naphtali
Director: Andy Goldberg
Choreographer: Sean Cheeseman
Musical Director:
Cast: Dwyane Wint (Sunny),
Hope Augustus (Grandma Ella),
Melanie La Barrie (Pearl),
Camilla Beeput (Rose),
Michelle Collins (Ma Baker),
Emmanuel Sonubi (Johnny Cool), Harvey,
Donovan F. Blackwood,
Davie Fairbanks, Javine
Songs: Hooray It’s a Holiday, Mary’s Boy
Child, Girl You Know It’s True. Take the
Harvey & Javine
Heat Off Me, Baby Don’t Forget My Number,
Brown Girl in the Ring , Sunny, One Way
Ticket, Rasputin, Girl I’m Gonna Miss You, I Can’t Stand the Rain, Rivers of Babylon
Story: The musical tells of Sunny, living happily on the islands with Grandma Ella, but reluctantly required to
move to England to join his mother Pearl. He becomes part of a music group called the Subsonics and meets a girl
named Rose Baker. When Ma Baker finds out her daughter is seeing Sunny, she gives him a coat which once
belonged to his father, who happened to be her one-time dancing partner, Johnny Cool. Sunny is soon caught up in
local rivalry between East and West London groups, and, with echoes of Romeo and Juliet, the love between Sunny
and Rose fuels hostility between the two gangs, forcing their families to face past secrets and confront their future.
Notes: Daddy Cool was a compilation of songs by Boney M and other Frank Farian produced artists with the songs
adapted to fit into an Anglo-Caribbean love-story somewhat indebted to the gangland rivalry of “West Side Story”.
The show had a troubled start: the announced opening in May was postponed to enable “more creative time”, and it
finally opened four months later, with previews from August 15th. Following mixed notices, it ran for nearly five
months, closing on 17th February 2007.
WICKED:
London run: Apollo Victoria, September 27th
Photo by Tristram Kenton
Photo by Tristram Kenton
Producer: Robert Mackintosh & Frank Farian
2006
33
WICKED
London run: Apollo Victoria, September 27th
Music & Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz
Book: Winnie Holzman
Director: Joe Mantello
Choreographer: Wayne Cilento
Musical Director: William David Brohn
Cast: Idina Menzel (Elphaba), Helen Dallimor (Glinda), Nigel Planer (The Wizard),
Miriam Margolyes (Madame Morrible), Adam Garcia (Fiyero),
Katie Rowley-Jones (Nessarose), Andy Mace, Nicky Griffiths, Kerry Washington,
James Gillan, Martin Ball, Simon Hardwick.
Songs: No One Mourns the Wicked, Dear Old Shiz, The Wizard and I, What is This Feeling?,
Dancing Through Life, Popular, I’m Not That Girl, Defying Gravity, Thank Goodness,
Wonderful, As Long as You’re Mine, For Good.
Story: The Shiz University, (Headmistress: Madame Morrible), is where two student witches meet and clash. The
two are the noble green Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the East, and the ambitious Glinda, the Good Witch of the
North. In the course of their story we learn the origins of Toto, the Munchkins, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow,
the Yellow Brick Road, and the Wizard of Oz.
Notes: The show was loosely based on novelist Gregory MaGuire’s “Wicked”, a kind of prequel to the “Wizard of
Oz”, with the story told from the point of view of the witches. It opened on Broadway in October 2003 with Idina
Menzel and Joel Gray in the original cast and won three Tony Awards. On October 30th 2011 the Broadway
“Wicked” celebrated its eight birthday, having played 3,347 performances, and is still running.
The London show was tailored slightly for a British audience, with some changes in dialogue, choreography, and
special effects. The London production celebrated its fifth anniversary on September 27th 2011 with a special curtain
call featuring former West End cast members. After Idina Menzel's three-month run she was replaced by Kerry Ellis.
Other Elphabas have included Alexia Khadime and Rachel Tucker; with Dianne Pilkington and Louise Dearman as
Glindas; and Oliver Tompsett, Lewis Bradley, Lee Mead (Fiyeros), and Desmond Barrit, Sam Kelly, Clive Carter
(Wizards). In both New York and London the show initially received mixed reviews, but it seems to be a criticproof show, and has had a phenomenal world-wide box office success.
CABARET (4th Revival)
Unknown credit
London run: Lyric Theatre, October 10th
(704 performances)
Music: John Kander
Lyrics: Fred Ebb
Book: Joe Masteroff
Director: Rufus Norris
Choreographer: Javier de Frutos
Musical Director: David Steadman
Producer: Bill Kenwright
Cast: Anna Maxwell Martin (Sally Bowles),
James Dreyfuss (Emcee), Michael Hayden (Clifford),
Sheila Hancock (Fräulein Schneider),
Geoffrey Hutchings (Herr Schultz),
Andrew Maud (Ernst Ludwig),
Harriet Thorpe (Fräulein Kost)
Anna Maxwell Martin
This was, to date, the darkest and most gritty interpretation of “Cabaret”. During “Tomorrow Belongs to Me”, sung
by a fresh-voiced Aryan youth, the company cavorted nude like the naturists of the period. In the finale the same
naked dancers piled up on top of each other in the gas chambers. This compelling, fearless and frank production was
not to everyone’s taste, but it ran the best part of two years, and won an Olivier Award for Sheila Hancock. Later
replacements were Kim Medcalf and Amy Nuttall as Sally, Julian Clary and Alistair McGowan as the Emcee, and
Honor Blackman and Angela Richards as Fräulein Schneider. It closed on June 21st 2008.
See Original London Production: Palace Theatre, February 1968; First Revival: Strand Theatre, July 1986 ;
Second revival: Donmar Warehouse, December 1993; Third revival: Union, July 2002
34
Photo by Catherine Ashmore
2006
MONTY PYTHON’S SPAMALOT
London run: Palace, October 16th (928 performances)
Music: John du Prez & Eric Idle
Book & Lyrics: Eric Idle
Director: Mike Nichols
Choreographer: Casey Nicholaw
Musical Director: Michael England
Cast: Tim Curry (King Arthur), Christopher Sieber (Sir Galahad), Tim Goodman-Hill (Sir Lancelot),
Hannah Waddingham (Lady of the Lake), John Cleese (The Voice of God), Darren Southworth, David Birrell,
Robert Hands, Tony Timberlake
Songs: Fisch Schlapping Song, I Am Not Dead Yet, The Song That Goes Like This, All For One, Knights of
the Round Table, Find Your Grail, Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, You Won’t Succeed on Broadway,
The Diva’s Lament, His Name is Lancelot
Story: This was a send-up of musicals like “Camelot” with its search for the Holy Grail, and included satirical
nods at “Fiddler”, Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and the many Jewish producers who stage shows on
Broadway. With a limbless, blood-gushing knight, a giant killer-rabbit, plague victims who refuse to die, and
knights riding on hobby-horses to the onstage accompaniment of coconut shells, this was a Monty Python style
tale of medieval England and the Knights of the Round Table.
Notes: A stage version “lovingly ripped off from” the 1975 Monty Python film, it opened on Broadway in
March 2005 and received an astonishing 14 Tony Award nominations, winning three, including the Best
Musical Award. It ran for 1,574 performances, and took over $175 million at the box office, closing January
11th 2009. The London production opened in October 2006, with Tim Curry and Christopher Sieber repeating
their Broadway roles. During the London run cast replacements included Simon
Russell Beale, Peter Davison, Marin Mazzie and Sanjeev Bhaskar. The muchpraised Hannah Waddingham was replaced by Nina Soderquist , the winner of a
Swedish TV “Search for a Star” competition. The London production closed on
January 3rd 2009 a week earlier than the Broadway version.
(During the UK Tour which opened at Wimbledon in May 2010 the song “You
Won’t Succeed on Broadway if You Don’t Have Any Jews” was re-named "You
won't succeed in showbiz". The theme of the song was changed from the need for
Jewish input into Broadway productions and instead made fun of the need for
“celebrities” from reality television talent-show competitions such as the “X Factor”.
The new song mocks celebrities like Simon Cowell, Cheryl Cole and especially
Susan Boyle (who is shot by Sir Robin when she begins to sing!).
2006
35
CAROLINE, OR CHANGE
London run: Lyttleton, October 19th – Jan 4th 2007 (In repertoire)
Music: Jeanine Tesori
Book & Lyrics: Tony Kushner
Director: George C. Wolfe
Choreographer: Hope Clarke
Musical Director: Martin Lowe
Producer: National Theatre Co.
Cast: Tonya Pinkins (Caroline Thibodeaux),
Greg Bernstein/Perry Millward/Jonny Weldon (Noah),
Anna Francolini (Rose Gellman), Clive Rowe, Ian Lavender,
Richard Henders, Hilton McRae Valda Avicks
Story:
The Jewish Gellman family employ a black maid, Caroline
Thibodeaux, for the pitiful sum of $30 a week. Their eight-year old son,
Noah, has a strong emotional connection to Caroline, and she provides great help to him when his mother dies
of cancer. Later, the second Mrs Gellman, Rose, enlists Caroline’s help to teach her stepson a lesson about the
value of money and his “small change”, and this goes horribly wrong when Caroline is accused of stealing the
boy’s money.
Against a background of the assassination of President Kennedy, the civil rights protests of Martin Luther
King, and Caroline’s own son being drafted into the Vietnam War, Caroline story is that of a working mother,
with a broken marriage and facing economic hardship, inequality and racial prejudice. Forever a maid, her
tragic destiny is ultimately acknowledged in an epilogue, a heroic solo sung by her daughter Emmie, laying
claim to the hope and determination for a better life for Caroline's appreciative and proud children.
Notes: This through-composed musical, combining spirituals, blues, Motown , classical music and Jewish
Klezmer, began off-Broadway in November 2003, and received a Broadway production from May 2004
running for 126 performances. In spite of its very short run, it received six Tony Award nominations. The
London production at the National Theatre did not achieve its hoped-for West End transfer, but it did win the
Olivier Award for Best New Musical. (Tony Kushner was better known as the author of the AIDS play “Angels
in America” )
SALAD DAYS (5th Revival)
London run: Greenwich Theatre, October 23rd – November 4th
Music: Julian Slade
Lyrics & Book: Julian Slade & Dorothy Reynolds
Director: Matthew Townshend
Choreographer: Tony Read
Musical Director: Ben Stock
Cast: Tony Howes (Tramp), Helen Power (Jane),
Jamie Read (Timothy), Matthew Townshend (Troppo),
Georgina Field, Ben Tolley, Vicki Michelle, Alice Williams,
Ben Stock, Mark Holman, Andrew Alexander.
This production made use of actor-musicians, with some of the cast
performing the score as well as the majority each playing several
different roles.
Notes: See Original Production , Vaudeville Theatre, August 1954.
First Revival: Prince’s Theatre, December 1961
Second Revival: Lyric, Hammersmith, August 1964
Third Revival: Duke of York's, April 14 1976
Fourth Revival: Vaudeville Theatre, April 1996
Vicki Michelle
2006
36
DIRTY DANCING
Photo by Tristram Kenton
London run: Aldwych, October 24th
(2,055 performances)
Music & Lyrics: Various
Book: Eleanor Bergstein
Director: James Powell
Choreographer: Kate Champion/Craig Wilson
Musical Director: Chris Newton
Georgina Rich & Josef Brown
Cast: Josef Brown (Johnny Castle),
Georgina Rich (Baby Houseman),
David Rintoul (Jake Houseman),
Issy van Ryndwyck (Marjorie Houseman),
Isabelle Calthorpe (Lisa Houseman),
Nadia Coote (Penny Johnson),
Richard Lawrence (Robbie),
Songs: (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life, Do You
Love Me?, Hungry Eyes, She’s Like the Wind, Yes, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Will You Love Me Tomorrow?, Some Kind
of Wonderful, Love is Strange
Story: Whilst on holiday with her wealthy parents in an exclusive summer resort, 18-year-old Frances "Baby"
Houseman develops a crush on the resort's dance instructor, the working class Johnny Castle. Secretly she attends an
after-hours party and experiences “dirty dancing” for the first time. She gets involved in helping Johnny’s dancing
partner, Penny, who is pregnant by a cheating waiter, Robbie. Baby arranges to pay for an illegal abortion, and also
agrees to stand in secretly for Penny while she is having the operation. But Jake Houseman finds out what is
happening, and, believing Johnny to be responsible for Penny’s pregnancy, forbids Baby to have any further contact
with Johnny. Baby, however, defies him, and when the deception is discovered Johnny is sacked for having an affair
with one of the guests. However, he still has to perform the final dance of the season, and he grabs Baby from the
audience to be his partner. She, of course, dances superbly, Jake discovers the truth, all is forgiven, and a happy
ending ensues.
Notes: With a screenplay by Eleanor Bergstein, this was originally a low-budget 1987 film with Patrick Swayze and
Jerry Orbach. It was a massive box office hit, becoming the first film to sell more than a million copies on home
video, and spawning a 2004 prequel, “Dirty Dancing Havana Nights” In that same year a stage version was staged in
Australia and although reviews were mixed, it was a sell-out during its six-month run. This production was re-created
for the West End, with the Australian Josef Brown in the role of Johnny Castle. It opened with a box office advance
of £6 million – the largest in the history of the West End. The show ran for five years , closing at the end of
September, 2011– and Josef Brown continued to play the lead role throughout. (The show has had hugely successful
productions in Toronto, Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles, but has not yet made it to Broadway.)
PORGY & BESS
(1st Revival)
Clarke Peters and
Nicola Hughes
Photo by Tristram Kenton
London run:
Savoy Theatre, November 9th
2006
37
PORGY & BESS (1st Revival)
London run: Savoy Theatre, November 9th – May 5th 2007
Music: George Gershwin
Lyrics: DuBose Heyward & Ira Gershwin
Book: Dubose Heyward
Director : Trevor Nunn
Choreographer: Jason Pennycooke
Musical Director: David Braun-White
Cast: Clarke Peters (Porgy), Nicola Hughes (Bess), O-T Fagbenie (Sportin’ Life),
Cornell S John (Crown), Edward Baruwa, Yolanda Grant-Thompson, Ruby King,
Lorraine Velez, Des Coleman, Anton Stephans
Notes: Trevor Nunn had directed the opera “Porgy and Bess” at Glyndebourne in 1986,
and that production, conducted by Simon Rattle, was re-created as a television opera in
1993, and re-staged for a one-night concert version at the 1998 Royal Albert Hall
Promenade Season. This, however, was produced as a “musical” not an opera. Working
with the Gershwin estate, Nunn used dialogue from the original novel and subsequent
Broadway stage play to replace the recitatives with naturalistic scenes. He also
considerably reduced its running time. He did not cast operatic voices but relied on
musical theatre actors as leads. Gareth Valentine re-scored the work for a 20-strong
orchestra (as opposed to the 50 piece symphony orchestra of the Glyndebourne version).
In spite of generally welcoming reviews the show did not attract an audience, and closed
after just a few months.
Original London production: Stoll Theatre, October 1952
DA KINK IN MY HAIR
London run: Hackney Empire, November 9th – 25th
Music & Lyrics: Trey Anthony
Director: Weyni Mangesha
Choreographer: Ma’at Zachary
Musical Director: e’Marcus Harper
Cast: Karen Robinson (Novelette), Quancetia Hamilton, Lisa Codrington, Toni Anderson,
Satori Shakoor, Abena Milika, D’Bi Young, Rachel-Lea Rickards, Zena Brown.
Story: Set in an Afro-Caribbean salon in Toronto, the story explores the lives of eight different women who
share their joys and troubles with Novelette, the hairdresser and owner. During a series of monologues
interspersed with song, dance and gospel numbers, the stories include darker elements like the death of a son,
the breakup of a marriage, and a suicidal
career woman as well as the joyous
hilarity of a grandma rediscovering her
sex life and the irrepressible spirit of what
it means to be a woman with Afro hair in
a society where possessing “da kink”
leaves you on the opposite scale of
Eurocentric standards of beauty.
Notes: With in-jokes like morning hair
appointments that start late in the
afternoon and the strict no water rule that
governs the lives of most black women
this was hugely popular with its mainly
black audience, with sell-out houses, huge
audience participation and standing
ovations at most performances.
38
Photo by Ralf Brinkhoff
2006
Connie Fisher, Sophie Bould and the Von Trapp Children
THE SOUND OF MUSIC (4th Revival)
London run: London Palladium, November 14th (951 performances)
Music: Richard Rodgers
Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II
Book: Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse
Director: Jeremy Sams
Choreographer: Arlene Phillips
Musical Director: Michael Lloyd
Producer: Andrew Lloyd Webber & David Ian
Cast: Connie Fisher (Maria), Alexander Hanson (Captain von Trapp), Lesley Garrett (Mother Abbess),
Lauren Ward (Elsa), Ian Gelder (Max Detweiler), Sophie Bould (Liesl), Neil McDermott (Rolf),
John Griffiths, Claire Massie, Susie Fenwick, Margaret Preece.
This was a spectacular and very successful revival. The original intention was for Hollywood actress Scarlett
Johansson to play Maria, but when contract negotiations fell through, it was decided to cast the role of Maria
through a talent search reality-TV show called “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?” – presented by
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Graham Norton, with David Ian, John Barrowman and Zoe Tyler as judges. The
final choice, Connie Fisher, was selected by public vote. This method of casting was much criticised within the
performing industry, but Connie Fisher (after a nervous opening night) turned out to be an excellent choice
(and the enormous publicity led to record advance sales.)
Early in 2007 Connie Fisher missed two weeks due to illness and her understudy,
Aoife Mulholland, took over, and later played the matinees to relieve the pressure on
Connie Fisher. The original von Trapp was Simon Shepherd, but after two preview
performances he was withdrawn from the production, and Alexander Hanson took
over the role. During its two year run later Marias included Aoife Mulholland,
Summer Strallen and Gemma Baird, with Simon Burke and Simon MacCorkindale
as later von Trapps. The show closed on February 21 2009, after a run of over two
years.
Notes: See Original London production, Palace Theatre, 1961;
1st London revival, Apollo Victoria, August 1981;
2nd revival, Sadlers Wells, June 1992
3rd revival, BAC, December 1997
2006
39
BLONDEL (1st Revival)
London run: Pleasance, November 23rd – December 31st
Music: Stephen Oliver
Book & Lyrics: Tim Rice
Director: Patrick Wilde
Choreographer: Stewart Nicholls
Musical Director: Matthew Pritchard
Cast: Chris Grierson (Blondel), Mark Inscoe (King Richard),
Matt Harrop (Prince John), Napoleon Ryan (Assassin),
Abi Finley (Fiona), James Durrant, Gavin James, Charlie Tighe,
Nick Trumble (Monks)
Photo by Martin Ogden
Notes: This was the show’s first revival and although Stephen Oliver
had died in 1992, the show had undergone some revision and
updating (with references to the Middle East War and so on.) It was
now shorter and sharper, although it still received a luke-warm
critical reception. The role of Fiona was played by Abi Finley who
had been a runner-up in the “How Do You Solve a Problem Like
Maria” TV show.
Chris Grierson
Original London Production: Old Vic, November 1983
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (3rd Revival)
London run: Menier Chocolate Factory, Nov 29 - Feb 25, 2007
Transferred Duke of York’s March 12 – June 23
Transferred to New Ambassador’s Theatre, June 27 - Sept 8 (Total 314 performances)
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Howard Ashman
Director: Matthew White
Choreographer: Lynne Page
Musical Director: Alan Berry
Cast: Paul Keating (Seymour), Sheridan Smith (Audrey), Jasper Britton (Orin),
Barry James (Mushnik), Katie Kerr, Melitsa Nicola, Jenny Fitzpatrick, Mike McShane, Andy Heath
This revival was a critical and commercial success and transferred to the Duke of York’s Theatre in March for
a three month run, with one change of cast - Alistair McGowan replacing Jasper Britton. The show then
transferred to the Ambassadors, where it ran for a further three months, finally ending on September 8th, 2007.
Sheridan Smith, Alistair
McGowan and the show
itself were all nominated
for Olivier Awards.
Original London
production:
Comedy Theatre,
October 1983
Second revival: Upstairs
at the Gatehouse,
December 2002
Sheridan Smith
& Paul Keating
Photo by Alastair Muir
First revival:
Landor, May 2001
2006
40
I SING
London run: Union, November 30th – December 23rd
Music: Eli Bolin
Book & Lyrics: Sam Foreman & Benjamin Salka
Director: Thomas Southerland
Choreographer: Andrew Wright
Musical Director: Magnus Gilljam
Cast: Joanna Ampil (Heidi), Adam-Jon Fiorentino (Nicky),
Declan Harvey (Alan), Debbie Kurup (Pepper), George Miller (Charlie)
Songs: A Night at the Bar, Daddy’s Girl, What Alan Likes, I’m Coming Out,
Drinking Games, Awkward, Promise Me, It’s Just a Little Awkward, Smile
Through the Pain
Story: Nicky is a Lothario who has broken off his engagement to the overly doting Heidi, but then decides he
would like her back once his flatmate, the neurotic, Jewish Alan, starts dating her instead. At the same time,
Pepper, a cocktail waitress and sex-pot,
faces a problem when her openly gay
flatmate, Charlie, suddenly gets a straight
crush on her.
Notes: This show originated in 1999 as a
Northwestern University production written
by three young students. They re-created it
for an off-Broadway production in June
2001 where it was politely received as an
interesting and promising “senior graduation
project” rather than a finished work. It is a
sung-through piece for five performers and a
three-piece band. The London premiere
received a similarly cool critical response,
though the performers were highly praised.