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Articles
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Articles |
London Musical Theatre NowDateline: 9th September, 2001 Whistle Down the Wind, The Beautiful Game, Starlight Express, Song of Singapore, The King and I - all musicals which have closed or have announced closure recently. The King and I will now be closing even before the recently announced new booking period starts. It has to be admitted that no one (except, presumably, its producers) really expected much of Song - it came and went without rippling the surface very much at all - but the closure of The King and I after twenty months and of Starlight after almost as many years are a bit of a shock. And for two Lloyd Webber shows to start and finish in so short a time - and many believe that Game is the best thing he has done for many a year - really does make us wonder just what is happening. And what is on the musical horizon? Bombay Dreams, produced by ALW but not of his creation; South Pacific at the National; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as a possible replacement at the Palladium. Then there's Dubarry Was a Lady coming to Her Majesty's in November for seven days, Grease (Apollo Hammersmith) and Kiss Me, Kate (Victoria Palace) opening in October. Hardly cutting edge music theatre! The biggies are still there, of course: The Lion King, Cats, Phantom, Les Mis, Chicago, Mamma Mia! and Blood Brothers (which now, incidentally, has been running for almost ten years). Buddy is still around after nearly six years, but the rest are recent-comers and none have had a really major impact. Even The Witches of Eastwick has been more Martin Guerre than Les Mis! Are, as has so often been predicted, the days of the big musical finished? It's hard to say. In spite of all the gloom and doom of the pundits and the concern of people like Cameron Mackintosh over the dilapidation of the area, West End figures did not take a dive in the first half of the year. However, when major industry figures are pessimistic, others start to panic. Mackintosh's withdrawal from the big musical market and the (comparative) failure of Lloyd Webber's last two pieces will have made many producers nervous. What is a little worrying is the fact that two of the most popular recent musicals have been The Gondoliers and The Pirates of Penzance. Whilst no one can quarrel over the quality of Gilbert and Sullivan's work nor ignore its enduring popularity, the fact that it is doing better business than many modern shows must be a cause for concern. Is there anything being planned which might be the new Lion King or Les Mis? Ben Elton, who wrote the book for The Beautiful Game, is currently, we are told, close to finishing We Will Rock You, which, it appears, will be following in the footsteps of Mamma Mia!, taking already popular music (in this case, that of rock band Queen) and using it to, as it were, support a specially written story. According to a report in the "Sunday Mirror", Elton has already written the script of Rod: the Musical, a show built around the music of Rod Stewart, and is waiting for Stewart's approval. What else? We have only rumours, not hard facts, but for what they are worth:
These rumours aside (and a new Kander and Ebb could be a major event), it has to be said that the most exciting musical event currently being planned is a new in-the-round version of Bizet's Carmen at the Royal Albert Hall from 21st February to 3rd March 2002. Articles Indices: |
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