London Musicals 1995-1999.pub - Over The Footlights

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WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND London run: Kenneth More Theatre, September 2 nd (5 performances – fixed run) Music & Lyrics: Richard Taylor Book: Russell Labey & Richard Taylor Director: Vivyan Ellacott Musical Director: Edna Graham Cast: Nic Greenshields (The Man), Katie Waller (Cathy Bostock), Leonard Charles (Dad), Jason Kew, David Kingsmill, Steven Day, Pharic Scott, Kelly Chinery, Sophia Wrightman 1998 Notes: The first musical version of Nic Greenshields as The Man “Whistle Down the Wind” was created by Russell Labey and Richard Taylor at the New Olympus Theatre in Gloucester. It was then given a large amateur production by the National Youth Music Theatre in August 1993 in Kirkcaldy and toured to Edinburgh and the Lilian Baylis Theatre at Sadler’s Wells. Andrew Lloyd Webber, patron of the NYMT, expressed interest in staging a professional production, but became so taken with the idea that he decided to write his own version. The Lloyd- Webber version had opened two months earlier than this Kenneth More Theatre production - a fully-staged version with professional leads and a large children’s chorus - making it possible to compare two very different versions of the same story. 50 Photo by Philip Wade Photo by Joss Reiver Bany PERSONALS London run: New End, September 3 rd – October 11th Music: Various Book & Lyrics: David Crane, Seth Friedman, Marta Kaufman Director: Dion McHugh Choreographer: Sam Spencer-Lane Musical Director: Matthew Freeman Cast: David Bardsley (Louis), Martin Callaghan (Typesetter), Marcus Allen Cooper (Sam), Christina Fry (Louise), Ria Jones (Kim), Summer Rognlie (Claire) Songs: Nothing to do with Love, Moving in With Linda, Mama’s Boys, I Think You Should Know, Some Things Don’t End, The Guy I Love Marcus Allen Cooper, David Bardsley & Martin Callaghan Story: A musical revue of some 15 songs provides an insight into six people seeking love through the Personal columns : Kim, a lonely divorcée, obsessed with her ex-husband; Claire and Sam are neighbours who unknowingly end up on a blind date together; a newspaper typesetter puts in a joke personal ad for his wife and ends up in a threesome with a dwarf; Louis, a nerdy guy needs a self-help videotape on how to date a woman; and sparkly Louise is determined to change the nature of her Mr Potato-Head boyfriend . Notes: With a three piece band and an excellent cast, the few critics who reviewed this fringe production felt it deserved a wider audience. However, the show would have to wait a couple of years before making it to the West End itself.
1998 51 Photo by Ivan Kyncl ANNIE (2 nd Revival) London run: Victoria Palace, September 30 th (173 performances) Music: Charles Strouse Lyrics: Martin Charnin Book: Thomas Meehan Director: Martin Charnin Choreographer: Peter Gennaro Musical Director: John Evans Producer: Paul Elliott, etc. Cast: Lesley Joseph (Miss Hannigan), Charlene Barton/Sophie McShera (Annie), Kevin Colson (Oliver Warbucks), Kate Normington (Grace Farrell). Andrew Kennedy (Rooster), Gail Marie Shapter (Lily), Matt Zimmerman (Bert Healy), Peter Harding (FDR) This was re-created by the same production team that staged the original London production in 1978 – twenty years earlier. Most critics welcomed it back, though one or two felt the intervening decades had taken the edge off the show. It ran for five months. Notes: See original London production: Victoria Palace, May 1978 First revival: Adelphi Theatre, December 1982 CITY OF ANGELS (1 st Revival) London run: Landor Theatre, September 29 th – October 4th Music: Cy Coleman Lyrics: David Zippel Book: Larry Gelbart Director: Eileen Gourlay Choreographer: Tim Taylor Musical Director: Laurence Wythe Cast: Andrew Bain (Stein), Russell Wilcox (Stone), Claire Carpenter (Oolie/Donna), Jody Hall (Buddy Fidler), Claire Bryan, Beth Eden. Serena Giacomini. Matthew Gould, Barbara Hastings, William Wolfe Hogan, Abigail Hopkins, Anthony O’Driscoll This was not a success. Following a string of “fringe” revivals, many critics were suggesting that small-scale, cut-down versions of established West End/Broadway musicals enabled the audience to concentrate more on the works themselves, and brought some interesting gains. However, not in this case. Fringe productions needed to be completely re-thought. This was just an attempt to produce West End glitz on a shoestring, and it failed. Notes: Original London Production: Prince of Wales, March 1993
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London Musicals 1995-1999.pub - Over The Footlights

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