Anyone know anything about this? It's a 1997 musical loosely based on The Manchurian Candidate and written by John Dempsey and Dana P. Rowe just before they did The Witches of Eastwick. It's being revived by the Union Theatre starting this week with an "unsuitable for children" notice.
Its original run was a 2 month run at the Donmar in 1997 directed by Sam Mendes and starring John Barrowman, Philip Quast and Kathryn Evans. Quast won his second (?) Olivier for the show and if you want to see more, there's a performance of it on "Hey, Mr Producer!"
2013 Theatre: Loserville ***** Merrily We Roll Along ***** La Bohéme (Royal Opera House Live) **** One Man, Two Guvnors (UK Tour) * Oliver! (UK Tour) ***** Lulu (Welsh National Opera) ***** Driving Miss Daisy (UK Tour) [x2] ***** Sexual Perversity in Chicago *** Madame Butterfly (Welsh National Opera) *** High Society (UK Tour) *** Singin' In The Rain ***** The Ladykillers (UK Tour) ***** Peter And Alice ***** A Chorus Line ***** Once *** A Chorus Line ***** GHOST: The Musical (UK Tour) **** The Great Gatsby (Northern Ballet) ***** RENT - 20th Anniversary Concert ** The Woman in Black (UK Tour) ** Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty *****
Saw the original production at the Donmar and loved it. Really different kind of show - dark and powerful - and the 3 central performannces (by John Barrowman, Philip Quast & Kathryn Evans) were outstanding.
The MD of the production at the Union is a friend of mine and, from what I've heard, this is going to be a fantastic production of what is an excellent piece of musical theatre. Don't miss it!
THEATRE 2013: Honk!***** Honk!***** Crazy For You***** Honk!***** The Magistrate***** Kiss Me, Kate**** The Bodyguard**** Lift*** A Chorus Line***** Privates On Parade**** Dear World**** Chess***** The Producers (amateur)*** British Boy In Brooklyn**** Tick Tick Boom*** Billy (amateur)*** 9 To 5*** A Class Act***** The Hired Man***** Darling Of The Day**** The Musician* Rooms***** Goodnight, Mister Tom****
I never wrote it was TOTALLY panned - one word, big difference. Can we compromise on "mixed reception" ? Wasn't Cameron Mackintosh reported to being angry at some of the reviews ?
The musical was nominated for Oliviers for Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical (for Barrowman and Quast, who won) and Best Lighting Designer (for Howard Harrison)
This is quite simply the best show I have seen on the fringe all year and Louis Maskell as Cal looks set to be a major star. Honestly I cannot rave enough about this. Grab a ticket. There's more gushing on my blog for anyone who is interested. The Fix
FrontRowDress, you've convinced me, and since there's a sunday in July when I'm in London for a night before jetting off to France, I think I'll book a ticket :)
2013: The Magistrate**** Singin in the Rain***** The Phantom of the Opera (UK Tour)**** Richard III**** Dear World** Chess**** Abigail's Party**** The Book of Mormon***** A Chorus Line**** Peter and Alice***** A Man of no importance***** 9 to 5: the musical** High Society****
A stunning show, one of the best musicals the Donmar has ever produced, it just never found its audience. The London cast recording is an amazing listen!
Saw this last night. A terrific production of a flawed but entertaining show. A wonderful score, I'm amazed I'd never heard it before. I had no idea Dempsey and Rowe were this good.
The book is a bit of a problem, however, the many good scenes never quite becoming a good story. The four leads are excellent as is the ensemble and the band. Director Michael Strassen's production is smart and inventive and manages to paper over many of the narrative cracks - but not all of them.
I was there last night too. Enjoyed it very much, and it was particularly nice to see it while I'm in rehearsals for another production of the same show. (18-21 July in the Winterflood in London if anyone's looking for another fix)
While it took me a song or two to get used to Louis Maskell's approach to Cal, I thought he was brilliant overall - Child's Play was fantastic.
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joined:5/28/04
Posted: 6/18/12 at 05:54am