Le monde des musicals

Version 1

Barnardo (1980-05-Royalty Theatre-London)

Type de série: Original
Théâtre: Peacock Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
Flop
Durée :
Nombre : 43 représentations
Première Preview : Inconnu
Première : Wednesday 21 May 1980
Dernière : Inconnu
Mise en scène : Ernest Maxim •
Chorégraphie : Alain de Hay •
Producteur :
Avec : James Smillie (Dr Barnardo), Fiona Fullerton (Syrie Elmslie), and a cast including 20 Children
Commentaires : This was one of the great disasters of musical theatre. It contained embarrassing moments like Mrs Barnardo thrusting her dead baby into the arms of her husband for him to sing about “My Son”, a dreadful duet for two poor urchins singing a song called “Cor”, and reviews which said things like “This is a case for the NSPCC” . The show was in financial trouble very early on, with a receiver called in, and the receiver quarrelling with the show’s publicists - they refused to place any more adverts or posters unless they were paid - and then furiously criticising the reviewers for their bad notices, claiming this was a show which the audiences loved.
Presse : "Written, composed and directed by Ernest Maxin (to whom we raise our hatchets), Barnardo at the Royalty is everything one expects a British musical to be: a collection of familiar-sounding tunes and empty lyrics tethered to a book deprived of wit or logic. Songbook, A Night in the Ukraine and Talent were recent shining exceptions to the rule, but here we are back with the showbiz musical that tells us less about Dr Barnardo in three hours than a programme note in 1,500 words." The Guardian - 23 may 1980

Version 2

Bernadette (1990-06-Dominion Theatre-London)

Type de série: Original
Théâtre: Dominion Theatre (Londres - Angleterre)
FLOP MONUMENTAL
Durée : 3 semaines
Nombre : 28 représentations
Première Preview : Inconnu
Première : Thursday 21 June 1990
Dernière : Saturday 14 July 1990
Mise en scène : Ernest Maxim •
Chorégraphie : Pat Dennison •
Producteur :
Avec : Natalie Wright (Bernadette Soubrious), Nikki Ankara (Louise Soubrious), Meredith Braun (Camille), Terry Mitchell (Philippe), William Pool, Chris van Cleve, Robin Samson, Drew Millar.
(One of the children in the show was Martine McCutcheon)
Commentaires : The husband and wife team who wrote this show were supported by the Daily Mirror, who urged their readers to become “angels” and invest in this, the “peoples’ musical”. Hundreds of readers contributed small sums, and a former chauffeur put up £500,000 of his life’s savings, thus raising the £1.25 million needed. The opening night was cheered to the rafters by a house packed with hundreds of investors, but the critics were damning (“three thousand angels and not a prayer”, “Pass the loaves and fishes, they need a miracle”). Despite a blessing from the Pope for the cast and authors, and the investors coming up with more money, the show came off after 3 weeks, losing all its investment.