Le monde des musicals

Version 3

State Fair (Scène) (2009-08-Finborough Theatre-London)

Type de série: Original London
Théâtre: Finborough Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Durée : 1 mois 1 semaine
Nombre :
Première Preview : mardi 04 août 2009
Première : mardi 04 août 2009
Dernière : samedi 12 septembre 2009
Mise en scène : Thom Southerland •
Chorégraphie : Sally Brooks •
Producteur :
Avec : Philip Rham (Abel), Susan Travers (Melissa), Laura Main (Margy), Gareth Nash (Harry), Sion Lloyd (Wayne), Kellie Shirley (Emily), David Botham (Pat), Sarah Waddell, Anthony Wise, Robert Rees
Commentaires : “State Fair” was Rodgers and Hammerstein’s only film musical, first made in 1945 and then re-made in 1962 with Pat Boone and Ann-Margret. It was first adapted into a stage musical in 1969, and premiered in St Louis, but it was not very well received. Twenty-three years later a completely new stage version was created, using a different combination of songs, and was staged at the 1995 Iowa State Fair. This version opened on Broadway in March 1996, the last show to be produced by the legendary David Merrick. It ran for just 110 performances, and was generally regarded as a piece of old-fashioned nostalgia . This fringe-theatre version was its European premiere and opened to generally positive reviews. Due to popular demand its original closing date of 22 August was extended three weeks to September 12th.
Commentaires longs: Les chansons:
(From the film versions): It Might as Well be Spring, Our State Fair, That’s For Me, Isn’t it Kinda Fun?, All I Owe Iowa, It’s a Grand Night For Singing, More Than Just a Friend.
(Re-cycled or cut from other shows ): So Far, Driving by Night (Allegro ), The Man I Used to Be, Next Time it Happens (Pipe Dream ), You Never Had it So Good (Me & Juliet ), When I Go Out Walking with my Baby, Boys and Girls Like You and Me (Oklahoma)
Presse : “This is nothing short of a miniature musical miracle.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“The Finborough is a wonderfully resourceful fringe theatre and somehow creates the feel of what a rather tautological lyric calls “the best state fair in our state”. A dozen cast members even manage to dance energetically in a space designed for a dozen Iowan piglets.” Benedict Nightingale, The Times

“The triumph of Thom Southerland’s production is to telescope this panoramic portrait of a rural family leaving the farm behind for a few days to visit the Iowa State Fair into the smallest, tightest...theatrical space imaginable, yet filling it with teaming life and bursting with irrepressible choreography and lovely, lilting songs, that are...beautifully rendered.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“Thom Southerland's bouncy and ebullient production, which marks the work's European premiere, it turns out to be akin to a lightweight but equally tuneful Oklahoma!.” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Anyone wanting the breadth of repertory a national theatre might be expected to provide should travel the West London axis between Richmond and its Orange Tree theatre and the Finborough near Earl’s Court. Both mix eclectic new plays with neglected British and foreign works. And neither lets its miniscule stage space limit ambition.” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate

“There's a plentiful supply of memorable tunes.” Theo Bosanquet, WhatsOnStage

“Whilst State Fair doesn't have a You'll Never Walk Alone or a Shall we Dance, it does have Academy Award-winning It Might As Well Be Spring and more besides, most particularly It's a Grand Night for Singing and All I Owe Ioway which joyously bookend the interval.” Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide

“Some super tunes. So Far and It’s a Grand Night for Singing are among those that wouldn’t disgrace Oklahoma!.” Benedict Nightingale, The Times

“On the minuscule Finborough stage, with an eye wateringly large cast, the musical’s charms are proudly displayed like the back teeth of a prize hog.” Lucy Powell, Time Out

“Musically it’s meltingly good: comic barbershop numbers, wildly catchy show tunes and ballads that soar.” Lucy Powell, Time Out

“Much heart warming, toe-tapping fun is on offer.” Lucy Powell, Time Out

“In its melodic paean to middle America, I found this infinitely more enjoyable than some of Rodgers and Hammerstein's later, tendentious excursions into east-west politics.” Michael Billington, The Guardian
“As often happens in musicals, pleasure increases in inverse proportion to the size of the space.” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Director, choreographer, pianist and cast ensure that…this State Fair is far more than a village fete.” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate

“Beautifully handled by actors who are believably wholesome.” Rhoda Koening, The Independent

“The stand-outs being Siôn Lloyd as sheltered farmer's boy Wayne, Laura Main's equally-innocent Margy and Philip Rham as hog-serenading Abel.” Theo Bosanquet, WhatsOnStage

“There is particularly appealing work from the genial Siôn Lloyd and dulcet Laura Main.” Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard

“There’s also seriously good singing from principals that include Laura Main as Margy.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“Main’s renditions of It Might As Well Be Spring and Next Time It Happens are simply ravishing.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“Laura Main is sympathetic as Margy, suitably frail and dreamy.” Michael Darvell, Classical Source

“Laura Main is a beautifully yearning Margy Frake.” Lucy Powell, Time Out

“Laura Main, pure and simple as the truth never is, fresh-faced and smiling.” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate

“Laura Main and Siôn Lloyd as the love-smitten Frake siblings, and Sarah Waddell and David Botham as the objects of their desire, perform with great elan.” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Laura Main is outstanding as Margy Frake.” Robert Shore, Metro

“Robert Rees and Martin McCarthy were particularly engaging.” Johnny Fox, Londonist.com

“There’s particularly eye-catching work from ensemble member Martin McCarthy, who brings a free-wheeling virtuosity to every movement, but particularly a stand-out tap routine.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“Played engagingly by Gareth Nash.” Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide

“Philip Rham and Susan Travers, as Ma and Pa, hold the show together with optimism and serenity.” Rhoda Koening, The Independent

“Superbly delivered by Phillip Rham.” Lucy Powell, Time Out

“Philip Rham’s Abel is the evening’s comic mainstay.” Robert Shore, Metro

“Anthony Wise contributes some nice cameos.” Michael Darvell, Classical Source

“Anthony Wise, as the curmudgeon in the apple barrel, provides a touch of tartness.” Rhoda Koening, The Independent

“Thom Southerland has not only mounted a heartfelt, touching revival, he has done so on the handkerchief-size playing area of the Finborough, where he stages a mini-hoedown that raises the roof.” Rhoda Koening, The Independent

“Choreographer Sally Brooks works wonders to ensure that the company execute nifty steps.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“Some nifty footwork from choreographer Sally Brooks.” Michael Darvell, Classical Source

“Sally Brooks achieves choreographic miracles on a tiny stage, and Magnus Gilljam, as musical director and pianist, allows us to savour the texture of the songs.” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Sally Brooks performs miracles with group choreography.” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate

“This is the fringe at its best - talent and commitment replace budget, yet nothing feels stinted in Wai Yin Kwok’s clever design, or Magnus Gilljam’s strong musical direction.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“Musical director Gilljam gets some terrific sounds from the cast and - corny though it may be to say it - it's a grand night for singing!” Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide

Version 1

State Fair (Scène) (1969-06-The Muny-St Louis)

Type de série: Workshop
Théâtre: The Muny (St Louis - Etats-Unis)
Durée : 1 semaine
Nombre :
Première Preview : lundi 02 juin 1969
Première : lundi 02 juin 1969
Dernière : dimanche 15 juin 1969
Mise en scène : James Hammerstein •
Chorégraphie : Tommy Tune •
Producteur :
Avec : Ron Husmann, Jerry Lanning, Bonnie Schon, Carol Richards, Tom Pedi, Tommy Tune and Lawrence Leritz (stage debut) in the children's chorus

Version 2

State Fair (Scène) (1996-03-Music Box Theatre-Broadway)

Type de série: Original
Théâtre: Music Box Theatre (Broadway - Etats-Unis)
Durée : 3 mois
Nombre : 8 previews - 110 représentations
Première Preview : mercredi 20 mars 1996
Première : mercredi 27 mars 1996
Dernière : dimanche 30 juin 1996
Mise en scène : Randy Skinner • James Hammerstein •
Chorégraphie : Randy Skinner •
Producteur :
Avec : Melissa Frake ... Kathryn Crosby / Abel Frake ... John Davidson / Margy Frake ... Andrea McArdle / Emily Arden ... Donna McKechnie / Pat Gilbert ... Scott Wise / Wayne Frake ... Ben Wright / Violet ... Jackie Angelescu / Jeanne ... Leslie Bell / Harry ... Peter Benson / The Hoop-La Barker ... Tim Fauvell

Version 3

State Fair (Scène) (2009-08-Finborough Theatre-London)

Type de série: Original London
Théâtre: Finborough Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Durée : 1 mois 1 semaine
Nombre :
Première Preview : mardi 04 août 2009
Première : mardi 04 août 2009
Dernière : samedi 12 septembre 2009
Mise en scène : Thom Southerland •
Chorégraphie : Sally Brooks •
Producteur :
Avec : Philip Rham (Abel), Susan Travers (Melissa), Laura Main (Margy), Gareth Nash (Harry), Sion Lloyd (Wayne), Kellie Shirley (Emily), David Botham (Pat), Sarah Waddell, Anthony Wise, Robert Rees
Commentaires : “State Fair” was Rodgers and Hammerstein’s only film musical, first made in 1945 and then re-made in 1962 with Pat Boone and Ann-Margret. It was first adapted into a stage musical in 1969, and premiered in St Louis, but it was not very well received. Twenty-three years later a completely new stage version was created, using a different combination of songs, and was staged at the 1995 Iowa State Fair. This version opened on Broadway in March 1996, the last show to be produced by the legendary David Merrick. It ran for just 110 performances, and was generally regarded as a piece of old-fashioned nostalgia . This fringe-theatre version was its European premiere and opened to generally positive reviews. Due to popular demand its original closing date of 22 August was extended three weeks to September 12th.
Commentaires longs: Les chansons:
(From the film versions): It Might as Well be Spring, Our State Fair, That’s For Me, Isn’t it Kinda Fun?, All I Owe Iowa, It’s a Grand Night For Singing, More Than Just a Friend.
(Re-cycled or cut from other shows ): So Far, Driving by Night (Allegro ), The Man I Used to Be, Next Time it Happens (Pipe Dream ), You Never Had it So Good (Me & Juliet ), When I Go Out Walking with my Baby, Boys and Girls Like You and Me (Oklahoma)
Presse : “This is nothing short of a miniature musical miracle.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“The Finborough is a wonderfully resourceful fringe theatre and somehow creates the feel of what a rather tautological lyric calls “the best state fair in our state”. A dozen cast members even manage to dance energetically in a space designed for a dozen Iowan piglets.” Benedict Nightingale, The Times

“The triumph of Thom Southerland’s production is to telescope this panoramic portrait of a rural family leaving the farm behind for a few days to visit the Iowa State Fair into the smallest, tightest...theatrical space imaginable, yet filling it with teaming life and bursting with irrepressible choreography and lovely, lilting songs, that are...beautifully rendered.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“Thom Southerland's bouncy and ebullient production, which marks the work's European premiere, it turns out to be akin to a lightweight but equally tuneful Oklahoma!.” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Anyone wanting the breadth of repertory a national theatre might be expected to provide should travel the West London axis between Richmond and its Orange Tree theatre and the Finborough near Earl’s Court. Both mix eclectic new plays with neglected British and foreign works. And neither lets its miniscule stage space limit ambition.” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate

“There's a plentiful supply of memorable tunes.” Theo Bosanquet, WhatsOnStage

“Whilst State Fair doesn't have a You'll Never Walk Alone or a Shall we Dance, it does have Academy Award-winning It Might As Well Be Spring and more besides, most particularly It's a Grand Night for Singing and All I Owe Ioway which joyously bookend the interval.” Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide

“Some super tunes. So Far and It’s a Grand Night for Singing are among those that wouldn’t disgrace Oklahoma!.” Benedict Nightingale, The Times

“On the minuscule Finborough stage, with an eye wateringly large cast, the musical’s charms are proudly displayed like the back teeth of a prize hog.” Lucy Powell, Time Out

“Musically it’s meltingly good: comic barbershop numbers, wildly catchy show tunes and ballads that soar.” Lucy Powell, Time Out

“Much heart warming, toe-tapping fun is on offer.” Lucy Powell, Time Out

“In its melodic paean to middle America, I found this infinitely more enjoyable than some of Rodgers and Hammerstein's later, tendentious excursions into east-west politics.” Michael Billington, The Guardian
“As often happens in musicals, pleasure increases in inverse proportion to the size of the space.” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Director, choreographer, pianist and cast ensure that…this State Fair is far more than a village fete.” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate

“Beautifully handled by actors who are believably wholesome.” Rhoda Koening, The Independent

“The stand-outs being Siôn Lloyd as sheltered farmer's boy Wayne, Laura Main's equally-innocent Margy and Philip Rham as hog-serenading Abel.” Theo Bosanquet, WhatsOnStage

“There is particularly appealing work from the genial Siôn Lloyd and dulcet Laura Main.” Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard

“There’s also seriously good singing from principals that include Laura Main as Margy.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“Main’s renditions of It Might As Well Be Spring and Next Time It Happens are simply ravishing.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“Laura Main is sympathetic as Margy, suitably frail and dreamy.” Michael Darvell, Classical Source

“Laura Main is a beautifully yearning Margy Frake.” Lucy Powell, Time Out

“Laura Main, pure and simple as the truth never is, fresh-faced and smiling.” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate

“Laura Main and Siôn Lloyd as the love-smitten Frake siblings, and Sarah Waddell and David Botham as the objects of their desire, perform with great elan.” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Laura Main is outstanding as Margy Frake.” Robert Shore, Metro

“Robert Rees and Martin McCarthy were particularly engaging.” Johnny Fox, Londonist.com

“There’s particularly eye-catching work from ensemble member Martin McCarthy, who brings a free-wheeling virtuosity to every movement, but particularly a stand-out tap routine.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“Played engagingly by Gareth Nash.” Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide

“Philip Rham and Susan Travers, as Ma and Pa, hold the show together with optimism and serenity.” Rhoda Koening, The Independent

“Superbly delivered by Phillip Rham.” Lucy Powell, Time Out

“Philip Rham’s Abel is the evening’s comic mainstay.” Robert Shore, Metro

“Anthony Wise contributes some nice cameos.” Michael Darvell, Classical Source

“Anthony Wise, as the curmudgeon in the apple barrel, provides a touch of tartness.” Rhoda Koening, The Independent

“Thom Southerland has not only mounted a heartfelt, touching revival, he has done so on the handkerchief-size playing area of the Finborough, where he stages a mini-hoedown that raises the roof.” Rhoda Koening, The Independent

“Choreographer Sally Brooks works wonders to ensure that the company execute nifty steps.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“Some nifty footwork from choreographer Sally Brooks.” Michael Darvell, Classical Source

“Sally Brooks achieves choreographic miracles on a tiny stage, and Magnus Gilljam, as musical director and pianist, allows us to savour the texture of the songs.” Michael Billington, The Guardian

“Sally Brooks performs miracles with group choreography.” Timothy Ramsden, Reviewsgate

“This is the fringe at its best - talent and commitment replace budget, yet nothing feels stinted in Wai Yin Kwok’s clever design, or Magnus Gilljam’s strong musical direction.” Mark Shenton, The Stage

“Musical director Gilljam gets some terrific sounds from the cast and - corny though it may be to say it - it's a grand night for singing!” Sandra Giorgetti, British Theatre Guide

Version 4

State Fair (Scène) (2010-08-Trafalgar Studios 2-London)

Type de série: Revival
Théâtre: Trafalgar Studios (Londres - Angleterre)
Salle : Studio 2
Durée : 3 semaines
Nombre :
Première Preview : mardi 03 août 2010
Première : jeudi 05 août 2010
Dernière : samedi 28 août 2010
Mise en scène : Thom Southerland •
Chorégraphie : Sally Brooks •
Producteur :
Avec : Philip Rham (Abel), Susan Travers (Melissa), Laura Main (Margy), Gareth Nash (Harry), Karl Clarkson (Wayne), Jodie Jacobs (Emily), Stephen McGlynn (Pat), Gemma Boaden , Anthony Wise, Lewis Grant
Commentaires : This was the same production that had played the Finborough in 2009, though with several changes of cast, but again with piano-only accompaniment.