London Musicals - Over The Footlights

2001
17
HIGH SPIRITS
London run: Bridewell, January 10th – February 3rd
Music & Lyrics: Hugh Martin & Timothy Gray
Director: Raymond Wright
Choreographer: Alison Pollard
Musical Director: Nathan Martin
Cast: Gay Hamilton (Madam Arcati), James Staddon (Charles Condomine)
Sarah Payne (Ruth), Kate Graham (Elvira), Geoffrey Abbott, Lilo Milward,
Nigel Pilkington
Notes: This was its first revival in 37 years, and its modest, well-crafted and
unpretentious skill was generally warmly welcomed.
See: Original London run: Savoy Theatre, November 1964
MAPP AND LUCIA
London run: Jermyn Street, February 13th – March 3rd
Music: William Hetherington
Book & Lyrics: Peter Benedict
Director: Peter Benedict
Musical Director: Trevor Defferd
Cast: Gaye Brown (Elizabeth Mapp), Aimi Macdonald (Emmeline Lucas), Peter Gale (Georgie Pillson),
Roz McCutcheon (Diva Plaistow), Becky Barnes (Quaint Irene), Richard Pescud (Major Benjy),
Maureen Marsh (Grosvenor), Charles Grant, Paddy Glynn
Songs : A Bachelor Life,
Notes: Based on the stories
by E.F.Benson (and
following a long-running
TV series with Geraldine
McEwan and Prunella
Scales) this small-scale
musical, with a piano
quartet, was praised for the
humour of the book and
performance, but generally
the music was found
wanting.
Photo by Guy Chapman Associates
Story: Set in the late1930s where the widowed small-town and pretentious Lucia – real name Emmeline
Lucas- is looking for new worlds to conquer. With her toupéed co-conspirator, Georgie Pillson, she takes up
residence in Tilling, only to
do battle with the resident
dragon, Elizabeth Mapp.
Lucia shakes the village
with her piano soirees and
pageants and both women
fight to destroy the other’s
reputation, leading to a
fateful check-mate.
Aimi Macdonald, Gaye Brown & Peter Gale
2001
18
THE SECRET GARDEN
London run: Aldwych Theatre, February 27th (111 performances)
Music: Lucy Simon
Book & Lyrics: Marsha Norman
Director: Adrian Noble
Choreographer: Gillian Lynne
Musical Director: Chris Walker
Producer: Royal Shakespeare Company
Cast: Eliza Caird/Tamsin Egerton Dick/Natalie Morgan (Mary ),
Philip Quast (Archibald), Peter Polycarpou (Dr Neville Craven), Meredith Braun (Lily),
Eddie Brown/Adam Clarke/ Luke Newberry (Colin), Linzi Hateley (Martha),
Craig Purnell (Dickon), Dilys Laye (Mrs Medlock), Duncan Smith, Freddie Davies,
Ray C Davis
Songs: There’s a Girl, The House Upon the Hill, I Heard Someone Crying, A Fine White Horse, Show Me the
Key, Lily’s Eyes, The Girl I Mean to Be, Come Spirit Come Charm, How Could I Ever Know?
Story: The spoiled, lonely Mary Lennox, orphaned by a cholera epidemic in India, is sent to live at Misselthwaite
Manor in Yorkshire with her Uncle Archibald. Archibald is still in mourning for his wife, Lily, who died ten years
earlier in childbirth, and is grief-stricken for Colin, his bedridden ten year old son – and thus the house is suffused
with gloom and mystery. Mary discovered a secret garden, formerly Lily’s, and in revitalising it, she restores life to
her sick cousin and her miserable uncle.
Notes: A previous musical version of “The Secret Garden” ran at the King’s Head in January 1987 – music by
Steven Markwick and book and lyrics by Diana Morgan. This different version had opened on Broadway in April
1991, running for 706 performances with Rebecca Luker and Mandy Patinkin. Its UK premiere was first seen at
the Royal Shakespeare Theatre at Stratford-upon-Avon in November 2000. The West End run was a short one –
just 9 weeks.
MY FAIR LADY (2nd Revival)
London run: Lyttleton, March 15th – June 30th
Transfer: Drury Lane, July 21st (873 performances)
Music: Frederick Loewe
Lyrics & Book: Alan Jay Lerner
Director: Trevor Nunn
Choreographer: Matthew Bourne
Musical Director: Nick Davies
Producer: Cameron Mackintosh & Royal National Theatre
This hugely-praised revival won four Olivier Awards, including Best Musical, and awards for Martine McCutcheon
and Matthew Bourne. From the outset Martine McCutcheon was plagued with throat problems, and very frequently
missed performances, being replaced (to much acclaim!) by
her understudy, Alexandra Jay. By December, with five
months left on her contract, it was clear that Martine
McCutcheon could not continue, and she was replaced with
Joanna Riding (who went on to win a further Olivier Award
for the show as Best Actress in a Musical in 2003). The
show ran two years at Drury Lane, finishing at the end of
August, 2003. (It was revived for a 12 city UK tour in
September 2005, ending in August 2006. This tour starred
Amy Nuttall and Lisa O’Hare as Eliza, Christopher
Cazenove as Henry Higgins, Russ Abbot and Gareth Hale
as Doolittle, and Honor Blackman and Hannah Gordon as
Mrs Higgins.)
See original London production: Drury Lane, April 1958
First revival: Adelphi, October 1979
Martine McCutcheon & Jonathan Pryce
Photo by Michael Le Poer Trench
Cast: Jonathan Pryce (Henry Higgins), Martine McCutcheon (Eliza Doolittle),
Dennis Waterman (Alfred P. Doolittle), Nicholas Le Prevost (Colonel Pickering),
Caroline Blakiston (Mrs Higgins), Mark Umbers (Freddy Eynsford-Hill),
Patsy Rowlands (Mrs Pearce), Jill Martin, Sévan Stephan, Ann Emery
2001
19
HELLO AGAIN
London run: Bridewell, March 19th – April 14th
Music & Lyrics: Michael John LaChiusa
Director: Clive Paget
Choreographer: Jenny Arnold
Musical Director: Christopher Frost
Producer: Anthony Field, Keith Stanley etc
Photo by Houston Rogers
Cast: Ellen O’Grady (The Whore),
Matt Rawle (The Soldier),
Golda Rosheuvel (The Nurse),
Mark Stobbard (The College Boy),
Jenna Russell (The Young Wife),
Charles Shirvell (The Husband),
Dominic Brewer (The Young Thing),
Michael Cahill (The Writer),
Anita Louise Combe (The Actress),
Nigel Richards (The Senator)
Songs: Got A Little Time, Tom, Safe, The One I Love, Silent
Movie, Mistress of the Senator, The Bed Was Not My Own.
Michael Cahill, Nigel Richards & Jenna Russell
Story: This is the story of a series of love affairs among ten
characters during the ten different decades of the 20th century, ranging from scenes onboard the Titanic, to
inside a New York cinema, from a prostitute and a soldier in 1900 to a prostitute
and a senator in the 1980s.
Notes: Based on Arthur Schnitzler’s 1897 play “La Ronde” this musical adaptation
closely follows the structure of the original, using some original dialogue.
However, each scene is set in a different decade of the 20th Century (not
necessarily in chronological order), so the musical style covers a wide range from
opera to disco but also introduces “leitmotifs” which links all the characters and
their experiences together. He also altered the gender of Schnitzler's "Little Miss"
to the sexually ambiguous "Young Thing" to introduce a homosexual element into
his century of sexual partnerships. It was originally produced off-Broadway in
December 1993 and ran for 101 performances. This London premiere received
widely mixed notices: for most it was a brilliant, bitter-sweet and superb show; but
for some it was a sordid, vulgar, smutty piece of trash.
PETER PAN—A Musical Adventure
London run: Royal Festival Hall, April 26th – one special performance
Music: George Stiles
Lyrics: Anthony Drewe
Book: Willis Hall
Director: Julia McKenzie & Jonathan Butterell
Musical Director: David Charles Abell
Cast: Sheila Hancock (Narrator) Joe McFadden (Peter Pan),
Laura-Michelle Kelly (Wendy), Jenna Russell (Mrs Darling),
John Thaw (Mr Darling/Captain Hook), Tim Healy (Smee), Graham Bickley,
Joanna Thaw, Nathaniel Kelly, Jorim Kelly
Notes: A one-off concert-version, semi-staged, to present a “work in progress”.
2001
20
THE BLUES BROTHERS (3rd Revival)
London run: Whitehall Theatre, May 2nd (189 performances)
Music: Various
Director: David Leland
Choreographer: Michael King
Musical Director: Steve Parry
Cast: Brad Henshaw (Jake),
Simon J. Foster (Elwood),
Antonio Fargas (Guest Star)
Mike Henry, Alana Mariue, Joe Speare (The Bluettes).
Notes: Original London Production:
Whitehall Theatre, September 1991
First Revival: Comedy Theatre, Sep 1994
Second Revival: Apollo Theatre, December 1996
Photo by Maria Ramstrom
Back again, ten years after its West End debut, still touring, but
now seemingly tired and played-out according to the majority of
critics. It ran until October.
Simon Foster, Antonio Fargas
& Brad Henshaw
IS THERE LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL?
London run: Bridewell, May 2nd – 26th
Music & Lyrics: Craig Carnelia
Book: Jeffrey Kindley
Director: Matthew Ryan
Choreographer: Sam Spencer-Lane
Musical Director: Martin Lowe
Cast: Robert Finlayson, Penny-Belle Fowler, Helen Hobson, Julie Jupp, Mark Lacey,
Vincent Leigh, Eliza Lumley, Stephen Matthews, Alastair Parker
Songs: The Kid Inside, Things I Learned in High School, Second Thoughts, Nothing Really Happened, Beer,
Diary of a Homecoming Queen, Thousands of Trumpets, Fran and Janie, I’m Glad You Didn’t Know Me
Photo by Ivan Kyncl
Story: The show uses songs and monologues to recall the joys, terrors, envies, hates, and loves that most
teenagers experience throughout their four years at High School. There is no set, no plot, no characters, it is a
kind of teenage “Chorus Line” without
the anger, intensity and angst.
Notes:
Originally performed on
Broadway in May 1982, the show
flopped after 48 previews and just 17
official performances. It was first seen
in London as a series of late-night
performances at the Donmar
Warehouse in July 1985 performed by
cast-members of currently running
West End shows, including Caroline
O’Connor, Rosemarie Ford and Mark
Hutchinson. This was its first full UK
staging.
21
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1st Revival)
Cast: Chris Vincent (Seymour), Sarah-Jane Bourne (Audrey),
Richard Swerrun (Orin), Harry Dickman (Mushnik),
Mark Edison (Audrey II Manipulation), John Danbury (Audrey II Voice),
Hayley Ince, Alice Redmon, Laura Roxburgh
Notes: See Original London production: Comedy Theatre, October 1983
Sarah-Jane Bourne as Audrey
ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE
London run: Queen’s Theatre,
May 29th (111 performances)
Music & Lyrics: Lennon & McCartney
Devised by: Jon Miller & Pete Brooks
Director: Jon Miller & Pete Brooks
Choreographer: Nigel Charnock &
Katie Prince
Musical Director: Chris Booker
Notes: A cast of 12 perform no less than
54 Beatles songs – a kind of sung-through
song-and-dance compilation, with some of
the songs being given unusual
interpretations – a concert rather than a musical. It lasted just 14
weeks.
CLOSER TO HEAVEN
London run: Arts Theatre, May 31st – 13th October
Music & Lyrics: Neil Tennant & Chris Lowe (The Pet Shop Boys)
Book: Jonathan Harvey
Director: Gemma Bodinetz
Choreographer: Peter Darling
Musical Director: Christopher Nightingale
Cast: Paul Keating (Straight Dave), Stacey Roca (Shell Christian), David Burt (Vic Christian),
Frances Barber (Billie Tricks), Paul Broughton (Bob Saunders), Tom Walker (Mile End Lee), David Langham (Flynn)
Songs: Shameless, Call Me Old Fashioned, For All of Us, Positive Role Model
Story: Straight Dave, escaping the troubles of Ireland, gets a job as a dancer at a gay club
and falls in love with Shell Christian, the daughter of Vic, the debauched owner of the
club. The club’s disco diva is the raunchy Billie Tricks, and a regular is the sleaze-bag
record producer, Bob Saunders. But Straight Dave is about to find his true sexual
preference when he meets another club regular, Mile End Lee, a cockney rent-boy drugdealer, and poor Dave is doomed to lose his true love when Lee dies of an accidental
overdose.
Notes: The message that a life of drug abuse, nightclubbing and promiscuous sex will
leave you ravaged and lonely came over more as a warning than a sermon, and the Pet
Shop Boys’ songs received much praise. However, this was very much aimed at a niche
market.
Photo by Hugo Glendenning
Photo by Roy Tan
London run: Landor Theatre, May 17th – June 9th
Music: Alan Menken
Lyrics: Howard Ashman
Director-Choreographer: Paul Tate
Musical Director: Dan Jackson
2001
ELEGIES FOR ANGELS PUNKS AND
RAGING QUEENS (2nd Revival)
London run: Bridewell, June 19th – July 7th
Music: Janet Hood
Book & Lyrics: Bill Russell
Director: Omar F. Okai
Musical Director: Rowland Lee
Cast: A cast of 28 performers
Photo by Bill Russell
Notes: Original London run:
King’s Head, Nov 1992/ Drill Hall Jan 1993
First revival: Comedy Theatre, June 1993
Matthew Fraser Holland
SONG OF SINGAPORE
London run: May Fair Theatre, July 2nd (80 performances)
Music & Lyrics: Erik Frandsen, Michael Garin,
Robert Hipkens & Paula Lockheart
Book: Allan Katz
Director: Roger Redfarn
Choreographer: Michelle Hardy
Producer: Chichester Festival Theatre
Cast: Beatrice Grace (Chah-Li), Elio Pace (Freddy S. Lyme),
Issy van Randwyck (Rose), Richard Brightiff (Hans van der Last),
James Lailey (Spike Spauldeen), Miles Russell (Trunk Johnson),
Neil Gore (Inspector Kurland) , James Wilson (Jug Jug A-Razor),
Julian Tucker (Carstairs Motley), Martin Roach (Slam Dunk).
Songs: We’re Rich, I Can’t Remember, Serve it Up, Harbour of Love, Foolish Geese, Never Pay Musicians
What they’re Worth, There’s a Dead Man at the Bar
Story: It’s Singapore, 1941, and the Chinese hostess, Chah-Li welcomes
customers to her dingy nightclub. Even though the invading Japanese are
not too far away, Freddy S. Lyme and his band play on, accompanying the
dizzy chanteuse, Rose, who has lost her memory. Freddy’s band includes
Hans van der Laast (trombone), Spike Spauldeen (clarinet), and Trunk
Johnson (trumpet) and other bizarre musos. A corrupt policeman, Inspector
Kurland, (“tall, dark and underhanded”), is trying to smuggle a set of Hindu
jewels out of the country before the Japanese arrive, and gets involved in
some fishy business with a red herring and a bleeding corpse alongside the
bar. Just as the Japanese arrive, the amnesiac Rose suddenly remembers
who she is - she is the long-lost pilot Amelia Earhart – and so she can
rescue her beloved bandsmen by flying them all to safety – and off they fly
to Hawaii – the date December 7th 1941.
Notes: A glorious piece of nonsense of the Bob Hope-Bing CrosbyDorothy Lamour “Road” films type, this was first produced off-Broadway
in 1991 where it ran for 459 performances. The first UK production was at
the Minerva Chichester for three weeks in 1998 – and this revival was the
same production with just a few cast changes. It ran for just 10 weeks.
Issy van Randwyck
22
2001
23
GONDOLIERS
London run: Apollo Theatre, July 3rd – 10 week season.
Music: Sir Arthur Sullivan
Lyrics: W.S. Gilbert
Adaptation: John Doyle
Director-Choreographer: John Doyle
Musical Director: Sarah Travis
Producer: Bill Kenwright & Watermill Theatre
Notes: Eight actor-musician-singers performed all the roles and played all the
music in this completely re-written version, which abandoned nearly all Gilbert’s
dialogue and all Sullivan’s original
orchestration in favour Mafia and
spaghetti gags and boogie-woogie/
cool jazz/easy listening .
The
production had originated at the
Watermill, Newbury, where John
Doyle had been pioneering a new kind
of approach to musicals using actormusicians accompanying themselves
as they perform. This had brought
interesting new interpretations to his
earlier “Irma la Douce”, “Cabaret”
and “Carmen”, but it was generally
felt not to have worked with such a
period piece as Gilbert & Sullivan’s
“The Gondoliers”. It was booked into
the Apollo for a limited ten week
season.
SHOUT
London run: Jermyn Street, July 5th – 28th
Music: Various
Devised by Philip George & David Lowenstein
Director: Philip George
Choreographer: David Lowenstein
Musical Director: Paul Knight
Cast: Sophie-Louise Dann, Lizzie Deane, Hilary O’Neill,
Catherine Porter, Gemma Wardle, Carle Griffiths
Songs: Goldfinger, Georgy Girl, To Sir With Love, Son of a Preacher
Man, Puppet on a String, Those Were the Days, Twenty-Four Hours
from Tulsa
Notes: An all-girl musical revue in which six performers sing a
treasure trove of some 43 Sixties pop hits interspersed with fashion
and beauty tips from “Woman’s World”, advice on Women’s Lib and
stern admonishments from an Evelyn Home-type agony aunt.
Louise Dann & Lizzie Deane
Photo by Roy Tan
Photo by Laurence Burns
Cast: Karen Mann, Mike Afford, Elizabeth Marsh, Mark Crossland,
Rebecca Arch, Josephine Baird, Eddie Burton, Christopher Dickins
2001
24
WHERE’S CHARLEY? (1st Revival)
Cast: Cameron Blakely (Charley),
Lottie Mayor (Amy Spettigue),
Alistair Robins (Jack Chesney),
Karen Evans (Kitty),
Mary Lincoln (Donna Lucia D’Alvadorez),
Philip York (Sir Francis Chesney),
Christopher Godwin (Mr Spettigue),
John Conroy (Brassett)
This was its first revival in 43 years.
Notes: Original London production: Palace
Theatre, February 1958
ONE TOUCH OF VENUS
London run: King’s Head, July 30th – September 2nd
Music: Kurt Weill
Lyrics: Ogden Nash
Book: S.J. Perelman & Ogden Nash
New adaptation: Timothy Childs
Director: Timothy Childs
Choreographer: Nichola Treherne
Musical Director: Kate Young
Photo by Helena Berg
Cast: Peter Land (Whitelaw Savory), Giselle Wolf (Molly Grant),
Kim Medcalf (Venus), Michael Gyngell (Rodney Hatch),
Gina Murray (Gloria), Mark White (Dr Rook/Zuvetli),
Garry Kilby (Dr Crippen, etc), Amber Sinclair, Jody Hall, Paul Tate
Songs: How Much I Love You, I’m a Stranger Here Myself, West Wind,
Foolish Heart, The Trouble With Women, Speak Low, That’s Him, Wooden
Wedding
Story: Whitelaw Savory has acquired a 3,000 year old statue of Venus and
proudly displays it in his New York museum, under the watchful eye of his
P.A., Molly Grant. Rodney Hatch, an innocent and nervy barber from Ozone Heights, wanders into the museum,
and jokingly puts his fiancée’s engagement ring on the statue’s finger. The statue immediately comes to life, and a
series of complications begin. Whitelaw falls in love with Venus, but she prefers Rodney
who is firstly accused of stealing the statue and then of murdering his whining, man-eating
fiancée, Gloria, after Venus has magicked her off to the North Pole. But Venus becomes
disillusioned with the world of 1940s New York: there’s Dr Rook, a mad prison shrink;
Zuvetli, a knife-wielding Egyptian determined to take the statue back to his homeland;
women prisoners in the city jail obsessed with Dr Crippen; and, worst of all, there’s the
prospect of becoming a barber’s wife in Ozone Heights. She decides to return to life as a
marble statue. Luckily for Rodney, enter a girl who looks exactly like his Venus, and, of
course, they fall in love and will live happily ever after!
Kim Medcalf & Michael Gyngell
Notes: The role of Venus was originally intended for Marlene Dietrich, but when she turned
it down it was offered to Mary Martin, for her first starring role on Broadway. It opened in
October 1943 and ran for 567 performances. This was its London premiere and was intended
as a try-out for a New York revival, but unfortunately the September 11th Twin Towers
attack changed all plans, by which time it was too late to consider a West End transfer, even
though the production received excellent reviews.
Photo by Alastair Muir
London run: Open Air, July 26th - 16th August
Music & Lyrics: Frank Loesser
Book: George Abbott
Director: Ian Talbot
Choreographer: Gillian Gregory
Musical Director: Catherine Jayes
2001 25
SONGS FOR A NEW WORLD
London run: Bridewell, August 13th – September 15th
Music & Lyrics: Jason Robert Brown
Director: Clive Paget
Choreographer: Sam Spencer-Lane
Musical Director: Christopher Frost
Cast: Craig Purnell, Sarah Redmond, Nigel Richards, Golda Rosheuvel
Songs: The New World, On the Deck of a Spanish Sailing Ship 1492, Just One Step,
The River Won;lt Flow, Stars and Moon, The Steam Train, The World Was Dancing,
Surabaya-Santa, King of the World, I’d Give it All for You, Flying Home, Hear My
Song
Story: This show is a cross between a musical and a song cycle, being an abstract
musical containing a series of songs all connected by theme rather than narrative. The
show features four performers who do not actually play the same characters throughout
the show but who do have consistently developing character arcs nonetheless. The composer himself described
the show as being “. . . about one moment. . . .about hitting the wall and having to make a choice, or take a
stand, or turn around and go back."
Notes: The original off-Broadway production ran for just 28 performances in 1995, but thereafter it was much
revived at smaller theatres and college venues in spite of its vocally demanding score. The music encompasses
a wide range of styles, including pop, gospel, jazz and classical music.
PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED
London run: Shaftesbury Theatre, August 20th (64 performances)
Music: Bob Gaudio
Lyrics: Jerry Leichtling
Book: Arlene Sarner & Jerry Leichtling
Director: Kerry Robinson
Choreographer: Sergio Trujillo
Musical Director: Olly Ashmore
Producer: Paul Elliott, Dunca Weldon, Mirvishes, etc
Cast: Ruthie Henshall (Peggy Sue), Andrew Kennedy (Charlie),
Melanie Marcus (Delores), Tim Howar (Michael), Gavin Lee (Richard),
Sara Weymouth (Evelyn), Terence Hillyer (Jack), Samuel James (Danny)
Songs: Crown of Love, New Car Smell, You Still Sing To Me, Yesterday
Tonight, When You Get a Girl Alone, Two Kinds of Fire, Bad Girls Do What Good Girls Won’t, Bongo Beat,
You’re Carrying My Dreams, This Time Around.
Notes: This was based on the 1986 Francis Ford Coppola film. In spite of
mostly good reviews and an eventual Olivier nomination for Ruthie
Henshall, the show closed after just eight weeks. It was one of the many
shows which suffered when tourism collapsed following the 9/11 events.
It subsequently toured the UK and, as a result, apparently recovered its
investment.
Ruthie Henshall & Tim Howard
Photo by Tristram Kenton
Story: It’s 1985 and the 42 year old Peggy is about to get divorced from
Charlie, her former high-school sweetheart. In her old prom dress she
goes alone to the school’s Class Reunion Dance, but she faints under the
stress, and, when she comes round, it is 1960 and she is 17 again, but with
the insight and experience of her grown-up self. Once again she faces
competition from Delores, the High School bitch . Will she still settle for
Charlie the second time around? Or will she elope to Paris with Michael,
the leather-jacketed beat poet? Or even with Richard, the nerdy, toothy
and bespectacled class scientist? And, second time round, will she heed
the advice of her mother, Evelyn?
2001
26
PIRATES OF PENZANCE (3rd Revival)
London run: Open Air Theatre, August 27th - September 8th
Music: Arthur Sullivan
Lyrics: W.S.Gilbert
Director: Ian Talbot
Choreographer: Gillian Gregory
Musical Director: Catherine Jayes
Cast: Gary Wilmot (Pirate King), Karen Evans (Mabel), David Alder (Major General),
Joshua Dallas (Frederic), Su Pollard (Ruth), Giles Taylor, Mark Roper, Sara Hillier, Alison Crowther,
Eileen Hunter, Catrin Darnell, Sue O’Brien, Pierre Fabre, Ramin Karimloo
Notes: This was the same production
which had played the 2000 season at
the Open Air, but with a new cast,
and it had been touring in the meantime.
Original London Production
of this version:
Drury Lane, May 1982
First revival: London Palladium,
March 1990
Second revival: Open Air, July 2000
Gary Wilmot & Su Pollard
GREASE (3rd Revival)
London run: Dominion Theatre, October 22nd – November 3rd
Music & Lyrics: Jim Jacobs & Warren Casey
Additional songs: Barry Gibb, John Farrar, Louis St Louis, & Scott Simon
Director: David Gilmore
Choreographer: Arlene Phillips
Musical Director: Stephen Owens
Producer: Paul Nicholas & David Ian
Cast: Craig Urbani (Danny Zuko), Haley Flaherty (Sandy), Nina French (Rizzo) , Matthew Cutts (Kenickie),
Emma Cannon (Marty), Tanya Caridia (Frenchy), Richard Taylor Woods (Sonny), Rebecca Cameron,
Peter Jamieson, Jason Packett, paul Burnham, Barnaby Thompson, Lorraine Graham.
Back in the West End for two weeks
only before commencing a nine
month UK tour.
Notes: See
Original London production,
New London Theatre, June 1973
First revival,
Astoria Theatre, June 1979
Second revival:
Dominion July 1993
(transfer Cambridge Oct 1996)
2001
27
KISS ME KATE (4th Revival)
London run: Victoria Palace, October 30th (343 performances)
Music & Lyrics: Cole Porter
Book: Sam & Bella Spewack
Director: Michael Blakemore
Choreographer: Kathleen Marshall
Musical Director: Gareth Valentine
Cast: Brent Barrett (Fred Graham), Marin Mazzie (Lili Vanessi),
Colin Farrell (Harry), Nancy Anderson (Lois Lane) ,
Michael Berresse (Bill Calhoun), Teddy Kempner & Jack Chissick (Gangsters) ,
Kaye E. Browne (Hattie, )Nolan Frederick (Paul),
Nicolas Colicos (Harrison Howell)
Notes: Original London Production
March 1951
1st revival, Coliseum, December 1970
2nd revival: Old Vic/Savoy, May 1987
3rd revival: Open Air Theatre, July 1997
Teddy Kempner, Brent Barrett
& Jack Chissick
RAGS (2nd Revival)
London run: Bridewell, November 2nd – December 2nd
Music: Charles Strouse
Lyrics: Stephen Schwartz
Book: Joseph Stein
Director: Matthew White
Choreographer: Norma Atallah
Musical Director: Joe Townsend
Cast: Sally Ann Triplett (Rebecca), Louis Constantine/Sam Morris (David),
David Bardsley (Nathan Hershkowitz), Davor Golub (Saul),
Alicia Davies (Bella Cohen), John Levitt (Avram),
Jon-Paul Hevey (Ben Levitowitz), Susan Humphries, Sarah Counsell,
Gareth Williams
Notes: This was the third time “Rags” had been staged in London, and it was also
the third different version of the show. This time the production reverted to the
(original) 1986 Broadway version as far as the running-order and plot development
was concerned, but combined this with the cut-down scenery and reduced cast
numbers of the rewritten 1991 American Jewish Theatre version. This Bridewell
version used a four-piece Klezmer band (the other versions had been scored for full
orchestra and two pianos respectively.) As always, the show received mixed
notices, but there was unanimous praise for Sally Ann Triplett as Rebecca.
Original London run: Kenneth More Theatre, November 1992
First revival: Spitalfields Market Opera, July 1996
Photo by Alastair Muir
This was a transfer from Broadway, with Marin Mazzie and Michael Berresse repeating the roles they had
played in New York, where the show had
opened in November 1999 and run for 881
performances. (The show interpolates one
extra Cole Porter song – “From this
Moment On”). It won several awards on
Broadway and was lavishly praised by the
London critics. It closed on August 24th
after nearly ten months.
2001
28
OVER MY SHOULDER
London run: Jermyn Street, November 6th – December 2nd
Music: Various
Book: Richard Stirling
Director: Stewart Nicholls
Musical Director: Ben Stock
Cast: Anne Rogers (Jessie Matthews), Suzy Bloom (Young Jessie),
Abigail Langham (Rosie Matthews/ Sheilah Graham), Stephen Carlisle (Fred Astaire/Harry Lytton),
Andrew Halliday (Sonnie Hale), Duncan Wisbey (C.B. Cochran/ Bing Crosby), Ben Stock, Daniel Fine
Songs: Room with a View, Dancing on the Ceiling, Everything’s in Rhythm with my Heart, A Room with a
View, My Heart Stood Still, Let’s Do It, When You’ve Got a Little Springtime in your Heart, Gangway
Story: The life-story of Jessie Matthews begins as she waits in an ante-room at the Palace to collect her OBE,
and then, in flashback, goes back to her early days in Berwick Street Market and her rise to the very top as
Britain’s biggest revue and film star of the 1920s and 30s, only to fall from her perch because of marital
scandals and mental problems.
She then made a remarkable
comeback in the 1960s in the
radio serial “Mrs Dale’s Diary”
and with some remarkable stage
performances.
Photo by Ash Scott-Lockyer
Notes: This marked the return to
the West End of Anne Rogers
after decades away. She had been
in the original production of “The
Boy Friend” and had even played
the lead in the first US tour of
“My Fair Lady”.
Her
performance was received with
delight.
RENT (1st Revival)
London run: Prince of Wales, December 4th – January 26th
Music, Lyrics & Book: Jonathan Larson
Director: Paul Kerryson
Choreographer: Mykal Rand
Musical Director: Karl Pendlebury
Photo by Francis Loney
Cast: Adam Rickitt (Mark Cohen),
Damien Flood (Roger), Debbie Kurup (Mimi),
Neil Couperthwaite (Angel), Mykal Rand (Tom),
Helen York (Maureen), Wendy Mae Brown (Joanne),
Jason Pennycooke, Jane Doyle, Gilz Terera, Tracy Kashi,
Delroy Atkinson, Tom Kavanan, Zeph, Yildiz Hussein.
Notes: This was a production from the Leicester Haymarket which
was playing an eight week West End engagement prior to a UK
tour.
Original London production: Shaftesbury Theatre, May 1998
Adam Rickitt & Damien Flood
2001
29
AROUND THE WORLD IN EIGHTY DAYS
London run: BAC Main, December 5th – January 12th
Music & Lyrics: Various
Book: Phil Willmott
Director: Phil Willmott & Caitriona McLaughlin
Choreographer: Jack Gunn
Musical Director: Annemarie Lewis Thomas
Cast: Bill Ward (Phileas Fogg), Timothy Mitchell (Passepartout),
Rae Baker (Queen Aouda), Chevaun Marsh (Katy O’Flaherty),
Phil Willmott (Captain Fix), Jane Lucas (Miss Fotherington),
Shirley Barr (Queen Victoria), Alan Atkins (Disraeli),
Nick Smithers (Sherlock Holmes), Paul Oliver (Dr Watson)
Story: Phileas Fogg accepts a wager from Captain Fix: he will circumnavigate the world in 80 days, a bet which
attracts the interest of such diverse Victorians as Disraeli, Sherlock Holmes, Dr Watson and the mighty Queen
Victoria herself. Accompanied by his valet, Passepartout, the first port of call is Paris, where Passepartout’s
fiancée, Katy O’Flaherty, works in a seedy nightclub; then there’s the jungle and the exotic, feisty Queen Aouda;
a dragon in Hong Kong; a gay elephant called Eugene; an encounter with Miss Fotherington - Captain Fix’s jilted
lady; adventures in an opium den and in the Wild West – all accomplished in spite of Captain Fix’s dastardly
attempts to scupper the whole undertaking.
Notes: The annual Phil Willmott musicals at the BAC were a highlight for many reviewers, though this year one or
two felt he had bitten off a little more than he could chew with this rambling and somewhat untidy show, using
existing tunes, folk songs and music hall numbers. However, its good-hearted, silly humour and sheer energy of a
23-strong cast launching into waltzes, polkas on a tiny stage won over the vast majority.
THE ROSE AND THE RING
London run: Hen & Chickens, December 7th – January 5
Music: Michael Jeffrey
Book & Lyrics: Peter Morris
Director: Lucy Skilbeck
Musical Director: Michael Jeffrey
Cast: Julie-Alanah Brighten (Fairy Blackstick),
Paul Keating (Prince Giglio),Joanna Kirkland (Rosalba/Betsinda),
Ben Caplan (Prince Bulbo), Louisa McCarthy (Angelica),
Sally Bourne (Countess Gruffanuff), Oliver Senton (Padella),
Jeremy Worsnip (Valoroso), Ben Heathcote, Andrew Prosser
Story: Fairy Blackstick is a no-nonsense fairy responsible for two magic
gifts, the rose and the ring. Anyone who gets hold of these magic items is
immediately irresistible to others. There are two Princesses- Angelica
and Rosalba. Angelica is spoilt and haughty, and to prevent Rosalba
going the same way, Fairy Blackstick has magically turned her into a
maidservant called Betsinda. And, of course, there are two Princes: the
slightly soppy Prince Giglio and the goofy Prince Bulbo. Both princes
keep falling in and out of love with different ladies (depending on who
has the magic gift at the time. And the plot is further complicated by the
wicked Countess Gruffanuff, who fancies becoming Queen herself, and
her henchman, Padella and Valoroso. Finally Fairy Blackstick has to sort
out the whole mess and ensure a happy ending.
Photo by Richard Hadley
Songs: Be Mine, I Can Hardly Wait, Machismo, Oops
Paul Keating & Julie-Alanah Brighten
Notes: Based on William Makepeace Thackeray's comic novella, this version was staged earlier in 2001 at New
York’s National Music Theatre Network. It played a four week Christmas season at the tiny Hen & Chicken venue
– just 54 seats – and would not normally qualify for inclusion as a “West End” musical, except the casting
contained two top names – Paul Keating and Julie-Alanah Brighten - and its authors had previously collaborated
on the award-winning musical “Escape from Pterodactyl Island”. The show was highly praised for its charm, wit
and delightful score
2001
30
SOUTH PACIFIC (3rd Revival)
London run: Lyttleton, December 12th – April 27th
Music: Richard Rodgers
Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II
Book: Hammerstein & Joshua Logan.
Director: Trevor Nunn
Choreographer: Matthew Bourne
Musical Director: Stephen Brooker
Producer: Royal National Theatre Co
Cast: Lauren Kennedy (Nellie Forbush), Philip Quast (Emile), Edward Baker-Duly
(Lt. Cable), Sheila Francisco (Bloody Mary) , Nick Holder (Luther).
This major revival at the National Theatre interpolated two songs that had been cut
from the original production: “My Girl Back Home” and “The Time is Now”. It was staged with some grainy
newsreel projections, and there was an attempt at “gritty realism” by ensuring the crew of GIs were tubby,
sweaty and a long way from the usual
dancing chorus boys. There was the usual
criticism that taxpayers’ money should not
be used to subsidise commercial musicals
at the National Theatre, but it was
generally agreed this was an excellent
production of a now slightly dated show.
Photo by John Haynes
Notes: See Original London Production,
Drury Lane Nov 1951
1st revival: Prince of Wales Theatre,
Jan 1988
2nd revival: Drill Hall, Sep 1995
Lauren Kennedy & Nick Holder
RETURN TO THE FORBIDDEN PLANET (2nd Revival)
London run: Savoy Theatre, December 13th – January 19th 2002
Music: Various
Book: Bob Carlton
Director: Bob Carlton
Choreographer: Carole Todd
Musical Director: Julian Littman
Producer: Bill Kenwright & Richard Temple
Cast: Sarah Beaumont (Miranda),
James Earl Adair (Dr Prospero),
Adrian Cobey (Captain Tempest),
Diana Croft, Scott Finlay, Zita Frith, Cameron Gordon,
Christine Holman, Nick Lashbrook, Jane Milligan, Philip Reed, Frederick
Ruth
This re-worked version had transferred from Bob Carlton’s base at the
Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch for a limited return season in the West End.
Notes: Original London production:
Cambridge Theatre, September 1989
First revival: Shaftesbury Theatre, December 1995