Le monde des musicals

Version 1

Big Ben (1946-07-Adelphi Theatre-London)

Type de série: Original
Théâtre: Adelphi Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Durée :
Nombre : 172 représentations
Première Preview : Wednesday 17 July 1946
Première : Wednesday 17 July 1946
Dernière : Inconnu
Mise en scène : Wendy Toye •
Chorégraphie : Wendy Toye •
Producteur :
Avec : Carole Lynne (Grace Green), Trefor Jones (Henry Hope), Eric Palmer (George Hume), David Davies (Benjamin Green), Gabrielle Brune (Juniper Joy), Lizbeth Webb (Miss Sylvester)
Commentaires : This was a very competent and well-written combination of political humour and a dose of patriotism for a Britain that had survived the war with its democracy and its spirit intact. However its “preachy” quality tended to overwhelm the comedy and fun. It managed a five month run. Shortly after opening Carole Lynne (Mrs Bernard Delfont) dropped out of the show due to pregnancy, and was replaced by Lizbeth Webb. Then Gabrielle Brune dropped out for the same reason, replaced by Noele Gordon.

Version 2

Bless the Bride (1947-04-Adelphi Theatre-London)

Type de série: Original
Théâtre: Adelphi Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Top
Durée :
Nombre : 886 représentations
Première Preview : Saturday 26 April 1947
Première : Saturday 26 April 1947
Dernière : Inconnu
Mise en scène : Wendy Toye •
Chorégraphie : Wendy Toye •
Producteur :
Avec : Lizbeth Welch (Lucy Veracity Willow), Georges Guetary (Pierre Fontaine), Brian Reece (Thomas Trout), Betty Paul (Suzanne Valois)
Commentaires : This was Lizbeth Welch’s first leading role, and the show itself the very best of the series of collaborations between Vivian Ellis, A.P. Herbert and the producer C.B. Cochran. In spite of the huge success of the “new” American shows like “Oklahoma” and “Annie Get Your Gun”, “Bless the Bride” became a great favourite, running for two years.

Version 3

Colette (1980-09-Comedy Theatre-London)

Type de série: Original
Théâtre: Harold Pinter Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Durée :
Nombre : 47 représentations
Première Preview : Inconnu
Première : Wednesday 24 September 1980
Dernière : Inconnu
Mise en scène : Wendy Toye •
Chorégraphie :
Producteur :
Avec : John Moffatt (Narrator), Cleo Laine (Colette), Kenneth Nelson
Commentaires : It was originally staged at the Dankworth’s converted stable theatre at their home in Wavendon to an audience of their friends, but it did not make a good transition to a West End theatre.
The Daily Mail critic said : “...as an entertainment it has not strayed far from the village hall which, come to think of it, is where it began.”

Version 4

Fledermaus (Die) (1945-03-Palace Theatre-London)

Type de série: Revival
Théâtre: Palace Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Durée :
Nombre : 412 représentations
Première Preview : Thursday 08 March 1945
Première : Thursday 08 March 1945
Dernière : Inconnu
Mise en scène : Bernard Delfont • Leontine Sagan •
Chorégraphie : Wendy Toye •
Producteur :
Avec : Cyril Ritchard (Baron von Eisenstein), Ruth Naylor (Rosalinda), Peter Graves (Orlofsky), Bernard Clifton (Dr Falke), James Etherington (Alfred), Jay Laurier (Frosch)
Commentaires : On April 5th 1874 Vienna’s Theater an der Wien saw the premiere of “Die Fledermaus” with music by Johann Strauss II. It was based on a French play by Meilhac & Halevy and set to a German libretto by Karl Haffner & Richard Genee. It was soon recognised as the greatest of all Viennese operettas to date and it remains the golden standard by which all other operettas are measured even today.
By the end of that same year it had been performed in New York, and it first appeared in London at the Alhambra on December 18th 1876 in a rather heavily adapted version. In the early years of the 20th Century it began to appear in the repertoire of the world’s great opera houses, and was first performed at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 1931.
In 1942 the famous German director, Max Reinhardt, staged a revival on Broadway under the title “Rosalinda”, and this was a triumph, running for 502 performances. This version, with musical arrangements by Erich Korngold was adapted for London by Austin Melford and Rudolf Bemauer - and was a great success, running for a year, closing on March 2nd 1946.

Version 5

Fledermaus (Die) (1946-08-Princes Theatre-London)

Type de série: Revival
Théâtre: Shaftesbury Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Durée :
Nombre :
Première Preview : Thursday 08 August 1946
Première : Thursday 08 August 1946
Dernière : Inconnu
Mise en scène : Bernard Delfont • Leontine Sagan •
Chorégraphie : Wendy Toye •
Producteur :
Commentaires longs: This was the same production which had ended its year long run at the Palace just five months earlier and had been on a highly successful provincial tour ever since. It was back in London for a six week season before returning to its tour. There had been a number of cast changes since the original production, and the orchestra was now conducted by Michael Collins and not Richard Tauber.

Version 6

Great Waltz (The) (1970-07-Drury Lane Theatre-London)

Type de série: Original London
Théâtre: Drury Lane Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Durée : 1 an 7 mois 3 semaines
Nombre :
Première Preview : Thursday 09 July 1970
Première : Thursday 09 July 1970
Dernière : Wednesday 01 March 1972
Mise en scène : Wendy Toye •
Chorégraphie : Edmund Balin •
Producteur :
Avec : Walter Cassel (Johan Strauss Snr.), David Watson (Schani), Sari Barabas (Helene Vernet), Diane Todd (Resi), Robert Dorning (Dommeyer), Leo Fuchs (Hirsch), Eric Brotherson (Hartkopf)
Commentaires : The book was pedestrian, the lyrics unexciting – and sometimes quite dreadful – but the music was glorious, the costumes gorgeous and the scenery entrancing. In spite of the critics it filled the vast Drury Lane for over 600 performances. Originally the producer Harold Fielding tried his best to persuade the best-loved and most famous European operetta star, Anneliese Rothenberger to play Helen Vernet, but the role eventually went to Hungarian opera star Sari Barabas, and Walter Cassel from New York’s Metropolitan Opera.

Version 7

Show Boat (1971-07-Adelphi Theatre-London)

Type de série: Revival
Théâtre: Adelphi Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Durée : 2 ans 2 mois
Nombre : 910 représentations
Première Preview : Friday 09 July 1971
Première : Thursday 29 July 1971
Dernière : Saturday 29 September 1973
Mise en scène : Wendy Toye •
Chorégraphie : Wendy Toye •
Producteur :
Avec : Cleo Laine (Julie), Andre Jobin (Ravenal), Lorna Dallas (Magnolia), Thomas Carey (Joe), Kenneth Nelson, Derek Royles, Pearl Hackney, Jan Hunt, Ena Cabayo, John Larsen
Commentaires : The first London production featured Edith Day, Cedric Hardwicke and Paul Robeson. The first revival in London was in 1943 with Gwyneth Lascelles and Bruce Carfax. This second revival was the longest running of them all so far.

Version 8

Sound of Music (The) (1992-06-Sadler's Wells Theatre-London)

Type de série: Revival
Théâtre: Sadler's Wells (Londres - Angleterre)
Salle : Theatre
Durée : 2 mois 2 semaines
Nombre : 44 représentations
Première Preview : Thursday 18 June 1992
Première : Monday 22 June 1992
Dernière : Saturday 05 September 1992
Mise en scène : Wendy Toye •
Chorégraphie :
Producteur :
Avec : Liz Robertson (Maria Rainer), Linda Hibberd (The Mother Abbess), Christopher Cazenove (Captain Georg von Trapp), Lottie Mayor (Liesl), George Asprey (Rolf Gruber), Jan Waters (Elsa Schraeder), Robin Nedwell (Max Detweiler), Patrice Taylor (Sister Berthe), Brenda Longman (ii) (Sister Margaretta), Bernadette Keenan (Sister Sophia)
Commentaires : This production came to London following a long nationwide tour.

Version 9

Tough at the Top (1949-07-Adelphi Theatre-London)

Type de série: Original
Théâtre: Adelphi Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Durée :
Nombre : 154 représentations
Première Preview : Friday 15 July 1949
Première : Friday 15 July 1949
Dernière : Inconnu
Mise en scène : Wendy Toye •
Chorégraphie : Wendy Toye •
Producteur :
Avec : Berly Kaye, Jean Telfer, Kyle Adair, Keith Beckett, Peter Darrell, Clive Stock, Felix Kent, Peter Morton, Geoffrey Bayldon, Maria D'Attili, Carol Raye, Pearl Newman, Gwen Nelson, Brian Reece, George Tozzi, Eddie Byrne, Stanley Rose, Peter Morton, Richard Dunn, Vincent Charles, Peter Lupino, Tommy Linden, Alex Dignam, Paddy Ryan, Joe Powell, Queenie Taylor, Anita Bolster. The ballet: Beryl Kaye, Tommy Linden, Claudine Goodfellow, Tamara Kirova, Barbara Pearce, Mary Reynolds, Margaret Tate, Keith Beckett, Maurice Boyle, Peter Darrell, Edward Elders, Donald Gillies. Singers: June Bishop, Phyllis Bridgwater, Dorothy Caston, Muriel Cooke, Janet Crawford, Hilary Gordon, Leonie Hodge, Joan Kaye, Mimi Piper, Joan Ryan, Queenie Taylor, Mary Turner, Sheila Williams, Richard Aubrey, Day Buckingham, Vincent Charles, Andrew Cole, Gil Cornwall, Richard Dunn, Herbert Garry, Philip Livesey, Walter Myerson, Terence O'Donohue, Brian Tebbit, Cyril Turnidge, Ridgway West.
Commentaires : Charles Cochran imported Maria d’Attili from Bolivia and George Tozzi from New York to head his latest Vivian Ellis production. This was intended to top the glory of “Bless the Bride” - but it was too long, too unexciting, and too improbable, despite its magnificent Edwardian costumes and lavish settings. Sadly it would be the last of C. B Cochran’s West End shows. He died in January 1951, aged 78, having been a major force in British theatre since the 1920s.