
001 - 'OUT OF THE BLUE' (Shaftesbury Theatre 1994) Feat. Shun Tokura, David Gilmore, Greg Ellis, Meredith Braun, Paulette Ivory
12/10/14 • 60 min
Stage Door's podcast in which we take an in depth look behind the scenes at the West End musicals we've released on CD. For our first edition the spotlight falls on ‘Out Of The Blue’ an ambitious sung through musical drama set against the dramatic back drop of post-war Japan. The musical centred on the characters John Marhsall an American POW and his Japanese wife Hideko in the aftermath of the atomic bomb dropping on Nagasaki in August 1945.
With music by leading Japanese composer Shun Ichi Tokura and libretto by Paul Sand, the show opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on November 23rd and closed on December 10th 1994 after just 20 performances and largely negative reviews. However the show boasted one of most illustrious casts assembled on a West End stage at that time and included such leading performers as Meredith Braun, Greg Ellis, Simon Burke, Michael McCarthy, David Burt, Paulette Ivory, James Graeme and Anna Jane Casey. Seeing as it’s exactly 20 years since the show opened and closed in London, what better excuse to celebrate the work than by delving a bit deeper into its development and speaking with the creatives that were involved in bringing the production to the London stage.
To reflect on the show and explore the journey the production underwent from its original concept to staging, we're joined by 'Out Of The Blue' composer Shun Tokura, director David Gilmore and performers Meredith Braun, Paulette Ivory and Greg Ellis. The programme also features excerpts from the London cast album, including a never before heard cut song; 'Shock to the System', taken from the 'Out Of The Blue' workshop.
Produced and presented by Tim Hutton for Stage Door Records
For more information about the 'Out Of The Blue' London Cast Album Visit: http://www.stagedoorrecords.com/stage9025.html
Stage Door's podcast in which we take an in depth look behind the scenes at the West End musicals we've released on CD. For our first edition the spotlight falls on ‘Out Of The Blue’ an ambitious sung through musical drama set against the dramatic back drop of post-war Japan. The musical centred on the characters John Marhsall an American POW and his Japanese wife Hideko in the aftermath of the atomic bomb dropping on Nagasaki in August 1945.
With music by leading Japanese composer Shun Ichi Tokura and libretto by Paul Sand, the show opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on November 23rd and closed on December 10th 1994 after just 20 performances and largely negative reviews. However the show boasted one of most illustrious casts assembled on a West End stage at that time and included such leading performers as Meredith Braun, Greg Ellis, Simon Burke, Michael McCarthy, David Burt, Paulette Ivory, James Graeme and Anna Jane Casey. Seeing as it’s exactly 20 years since the show opened and closed in London, what better excuse to celebrate the work than by delving a bit deeper into its development and speaking with the creatives that were involved in bringing the production to the London stage.
To reflect on the show and explore the journey the production underwent from its original concept to staging, we're joined by 'Out Of The Blue' composer Shun Tokura, director David Gilmore and performers Meredith Braun, Paulette Ivory and Greg Ellis. The programme also features excerpts from the London cast album, including a never before heard cut song; 'Shock to the System', taken from the 'Out Of The Blue' workshop.
Produced and presented by Tim Hutton for Stage Door Records
For more information about the 'Out Of The Blue' London Cast Album Visit: http://www.stagedoorrecords.com/stage9025.html
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002 - 'TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES' (Savoy Theatre 1999) - Featuring Stephen Edwards, Justin Fleming, Karen Hebden, Poppy Tierney, Philippa Healey
Stage Door's podcast in which we take an in depth look behind the scenes at the West End musicals we've released on CD. In this episode the spotlight falls on ‘Tess Of The D'Urbervilles’, the 1999 West End musical adaptation of Thomas Hardy's classic novel. Featuring music by Stephen Edwards and a libretto by Justin Fleming, 'Tess' opened at the Sheffield Lyceum on September 6th 1999 and was declared a "landmark in musical theatre" receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews from the critics. Following a brief UK tour, the production transferred to the West End opening at The Savoy on November 10th, 1999 and was universally damned by the critics, one reviewer sighting the show as "the last great musical flop of the Millennium".
'Tess' closed on January 15th 2000 after just 77 performances. 15 years after 'Tess' closed we look back at the ambitious through-sung drama and explore the journey the production underwent during its development. To reflect on the production we're joined by the composer Stephen Edwards, lyricist Justin Fleming, director and adapter Karen Louise Hebden and both actresses who would alternate the role of Tess; Poppy Tierney and Philippa Healey. The programme also features excerpts from the previously unheard live recording of the production recorded on the press night at the Savoy Theatre and featuring Poppy Tierney as Tess.Podcast produced and presented by Tim Hutton for Stage Door Records'TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES' - ORIGINAL CAST RECORDINGNow available on Stage Door Records. For more information visit:http://www.stagedoorrecords.com/stage9036.html
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