Le monde des musicals

Did you know that?
• Vivian Ellis wrote 'Spread a Little Happiness' when he was in bed with a temperature of 103 degrees
• 'Spread a Little Happiness' was originally written for a show called The Flower Princess. The show didn't materialise
• When Denis Lawson left the London revival of 1983, his place as Mr Cinders was taken first by Lonnie Donnegan and then by Lionel Blair
• Vivian Ellis said ' Only twice in my career have I read the book of a musical and been certain of its ultimate success. The first occasion was Mr Cinders and the last was Bless the Bride.'
• Mr Cinders was the only British score to which the composer Richard Myers contributed

After a tryout in Blackpool in September 1928 and three-month provincial tour, the musical opened in London at the Adelphi Theatre on 11 February 1929 and moved to the London Hippodrome on 15 July 1929. It ran for 528 performances. It starred Bobby Howes and Binnie Hale, and became a signature piece especially for Howes. The musical had immediate international success in continental Europe and elsewhere. A revival took place at the Streatham Hill Theatre in April 1930, and the show was adapted for film in 1934.

The show was revived at the Fortune Theatre in April, 1983 with Denis Lawson in the title role and ran for 527 performances. When Lawson left the show Lonnie Donegan took over the part, quickly followed by Lionel Blair, but without Lawson the show soon folded.

Goodspeed Opera House revived the piece in 1988. It was also revived in 1996 by the Shaw Festival, and again in 2009 by the theatre group of Emerson Jr./Sr. High School in Emerson, NJ.

The musical numbers in the 1929 version were:
• True to Two – Lumley
• I'm a One Man Girl – Jill, Jim
• On with the Dance – Minerva (Lumley's girlfriend)
• "Spread a Little Happiness" – Jim
• Buda-Pest –
• She's My Lovely – Kemp
• Ev'ry Little Moment – Minerva, Lumley
• I've Got You, You've Got Me – Jill, Jim
• I'm On a See-Saw –
• The Swan – (instrumental)

The numbers in the 1983 revival were:
• Tennis - Lady Lancaster, Guy, Lumley & Ensemble
• Blue Blood - Lady Lancaster, Guy, Lumley & Ensemble
• True To Two - Lumley, Enid, & Cynthia
• I Want The World To Know - Guy & Phyllis
• One-Man Girl - Jim & Jill
• On With the Dance - Minerva, Lumley, Guy & Ensemble
• Dying Swan - Instrumental
• At The Ball - Jim, Guy, Lumley
• Spread A Little Happiness - Jim
• Spread A Little Happiness (Reprise) - Jill
• The 18th Century Drag - Minerva
• On The Amazon - Jim
• 18th Century Drag (Reprise) - Jim, Sir George & Ensemble
• Please, Mr. Cinders - Jill
• She's My Lovely - Henry
• Every Little Moment - Minerva & Lumley
• I've Got You - Jim & Jill
• Honeymoon For Four - Guy, Phyllis, Lumley & Minerva
• Spread a Little Happiness (Finale) - Full Cast (minus Lady Lancaster)

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Mr Cinders