London Musicals 1965-1969.pub - Over The Footlights

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QUEENIE London run: Comedy Theatre, June 22 nd (20 Performances) Music: Ted Manning & Marvin Laird Lyrics & Book: Ted Willis Director: Arthur Lewis Choreographer: Leo Kharibian Musical Director: Leo Mole Producer: Bernard Delfont & Arthur Lewis Cast: Vivienne Martin (Queenie) ,Kevin Colson (James) , Bill Owen (Tom), Simon Oates (Dick), Paul Eddington (Harry) 1967 13 Songs: Here is the Key of the Door, We’re Gonna Be Dead and Gone, Special Kind of Man, How Does He Look in the Morning?, Excuse Me for Speaking My Mind. Story: This was the ballad tale of a young widow, the landlady of the Queen of Sheba public house, and her attempts to re-marry. She has her heart set on James, her barman, and to try and get him to propose to her, she pretends to take on a succession of three “trial” husbands: Tom, Dick and Harry. A sub-plot involves the love affair of a much younger couple. Notes: This “ballad-opera” began life as a short TV play – claimed to be the first ever play written entirely in verse. The musical adaptation retained the rhyming couplets in an attempt to re-create the “ballad” feel. However, the critics claimed the effect was similar to an exceptionally bad pantomime script. The show failed after 20 performances. ANNIE London run: Westminster Theatre, July 27 th (156 Performances) Revived February 1 st 1968 ( 242 Performances) Music: William L. Reed Lyrics & Book: Alan Thornhill Director: Henry Cass Choreographer: Denny Bettis Musical Director: Ray Cook Cast: Margaret Burton (Annie Jaeger), Bill Kenwright (Bill Jaeger), Donald Simpson, Norman Ghent, Angela Richards. Songs: I Don’t Like Your Hat, It Fair Takes Your Breath Away, I Keeps Myself to Myself, Who’s the Dictator Jim Parks?, We’re Going to Shake the Country, A Basinful of Revolution. Story: The life story of Annie Jaeger, an early member of the Moral Rearmament Movement, was the subject of this musical, starting with her leaving her comfortable home surroundings in 1930s Stockport, and coming to London to spread her message of moral rearmament amongst the people of the capital. Notes: With its preachy message and parable-like scenes and songs, it was clearly not aimed at the ordinary theatre-going public, but specifically at supporters of the Moral Rearmament Movement. It turned out that there were more supporters than one might have thought: after a four and half month run, it was withdrawn for the planned Christmas show at the Westminster, and then revived in February 1968 for a further six month run. There were a few minor cast changes for the 1968 production.
SWEET CHARITY London run: Prince of Wales Theatre, October 11 th (476 Performances) Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics: Dorothy Fields Book: Neil Simon Director: Bob Fosse, restaged by Lawrence Carr Choreographer: Bob Fosse, reproduced by Robert Linden Musical Director: Alyn Ainsworth Producer: Bernard Delfont & Harold Fielding 1967 14 Cast: Juliet Prowse (Charity), Rod McLennan (Oscar) , John Keston (Vittorio Vidal) Josephine Blake, Paula Kelly, Fred Evans, Songs: Hey Big Spender, If My Friends Could See Me Now, There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This, Rhythm of Life, I'm a Brass Band, I Love to Cry at Weddings Rod McLennan & Juliet Prowse Story: Charity Hope Valentine works as a dime-adance hostess at the Fan-Dango Ballroom. Her trusting, romantic nature gets her involved with an Italian screen star, Vittorio Vidal, and with a “square” named Oscar whom she meets when they are stuck in an elevator at the 92 nd Street “Y”. Later they also get stuck on a Coney Island Ferris wheel. Though Oscar promises to marry Charity, he backs out, and she returns to the Fan-Dango, living “hopefully ever after” Notes: Based on Fellini's film “Nights of Cabiria”, the South-African born actress Juliet Prowse gained a great personal success in the London production. Photo by Tom Hustler MRS WILSON’S DIARY London run: Criterion, October 24 th (175 Performances) Music: Jeremy Taylor Lyrics: John Wells Book: Richard Ingrams & John Wells Director: Joan Littlewood Cast: Bill Wallis (Harold Wilson), Myvanwy Jenn (Gladys Mary Wilson), Bob Grant (George Brown), Peter Reeves (Gerald Hoffman), Sandra Caron (Audrey Callaghan), Johnny Lyons (Jim Callaghan), Carl Forgione (David Frost), Kevin Smith (President Johnson) Unknown credit Bob Grant as George Brown Songs: Here I Kneel, Who Are the Bastards Now?, The Terrible Mr Brown, Why Should I Worry?, Harold and Me Notes:: This was a piece of gentle political satire based on the on-going lampoons in the fortnightly magazine “Private Eye”. It was not really a musical – it was a satirical play laced with some rather funny songs. It originally opened at the Theatre Royal Stratford on September 21 st and quickly transferred. THE BOY FRIEND ( 1 st Revival) London run: Comedy Theatre, November 29 th (365 Performances) Music & Lyrics : Sandy Wilson Director: Sandy Wilson Choreographer: Noel Tovey Musical Director: Grant Hossack Producer: Michael Codron Cast: Ann Beach (Hortense), Cheryl Kennedy (Polly Browne), Tony Adams (Tony), Nicholas Bennett (Bobby van Husen), Frances Barlow (Maisie), Marion Grimaldi (Mme Dubonnet) Notes: See Original London production, Wyndham’s, January 1954
Page 1 and 2: WHO'S PINKUS? WHERE'S CHELM? London
Page 3: OLIVER (1 st Revival) London run: P
Page 7 and 8: 1968 YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE B
Page 9 and 10: I DO! I DO! London run: Lyric Theat
Page 11 and 12: THE STUDENT PRINCE (3 rd Revival) L
Page 13 and 14: HAIR London run: Shaftesbury Theatr
Page 15: THE YOUNG VISITERS London run: Picc

London Musicals 1965-1969.pub - Over The Footlights

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