''Stephen Ward'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

with a book and lyrics by Don Black and

Christopher Hampton Sir Christopher James Hampton (born 26 January 1946) is a British playwright, screenwriter, translator and film director. He is best known for his play Les Liaisons Dangereuses (play), ''Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' based on the Les Liaisons da ...

, with music by

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948) is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End theatre, West End and on Broadway theatre, Broad ...

. The musical is based on the 1963

Profumo affair The Profumo affair was a major scandal in British politics during the early 1960s. John Profumo, the 46-year-old Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative government, had an extramarital affair with the 19-year-old model ...

involving the War Minister

John Profumo John Dennis Profumo ( ; 30 January 1915 – 9 March 2006) was a British politician whose career ended in 1963 after a sexual relationship with the 19-year-old model Christine Keeler in 1961. The scandal, which became known as the Profumo affai ...

and the socialite

Stephen Ward Stephen Thomas Ward (19 October 1912 – 3 August 1963) was an English osteopath and artist who was one of the central figures in the 1963 Profumo affair, a British political scandal which brought about the resignation of John Profumo, the Sec ...

who introduced Profumo to his mistress

Christine Keeler Christine Margaret Keeler (22 February 1942 – 4 December 2017) was an English model and showgirl. Her meeting at a dance club with society osteopath Stephen Ward drew her into fashionable circles. At the Cold War (1953–1962), height of the ...

, who was also involved with a Russian spy. The musical's world premiere was in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

's West End at the

Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...

in 2013.

Background

In February 2012, Webber first revealed in an interview with the British broadcaster Chris Evans that he was considering working on a show based on the

. A first reading of the musical was held in

in early 2013, with its first public staging in March, with

Miloš Karadaglić Miloš Karadaglić (Serbian Cyrillic: Милош Карадаглић, born 23 April 1983), sometimes known mononymously as Miloš, is a Montenegrin classical guitarist and Sony Classical recording artist. He was born in Montenegro and currently ...

performing the title song from the show on an

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

special ''Andrew Lloyd Webber: 40 Musical Years''. The track was later released as a digital download. Officially confirmed on 28 June 2013, producers announced that the initial production would be staged at the

, with tickets going on sale immediately. The show, budgeted at £2.5 million had a book with lyrics by Don Black and

and is directed by

Richard Eyre Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre (born 28 March 1943) is an English film, theatre, television and opera director. Eyre has received numerous accolades including three Laurence Olivier Awards as well as nominations for six BAFTA Awards and two ...

, with choreography by

Stephen Mear Stephen Leonard Mear (born 1964) is an English dancer, choreographer and director best known for his award-winning work in musical theatre. In the 1990s, Mear taught dance at the London Studio Centre. In 2005 he and co-choreographer Sir Matthe ...

, set design by Rob Howell, lighting design by Peter Mumford and sound by

Paul Groothuis Paul Groothuis is a Dutch sound designer who has had a long career working on the London stage. Groothuis was born in the Netherlands and moved to the UK in 1979 to study Stage Management at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He joined the N ...

. In 2014, the full libretto of the musical was published by Faber and Faber in book form.

Production history

West End (2013)

''Stephen Ward'' began previews on 3 December 2013, at the Aldwych Theatre, London, before holding its official opening night on 19 December, booking until 1 March. On 6 September 2013, full casting was announced with Alexander Hanson playing the title role of

, Charlotte Spencer as

Joanna Riding Joanna Riding (born Joanne Riding; 9 November 1967) is an English actress. For her work in West End musicals, she has won two Laurence Olivier Awards, and has been nominated for three others. Early life Riding was born in Preston, Lancashire ...

Valerie Hobson Babette Louisa Valerie Hobson (14 April 1917 – 13 November 1998) was a British actress whose film career spanned the 1930s to the early 1950s. Her second husband was John Profumo, a British government minister who became the subject of the Pro ...

, Charlotte Blackledge as

Mandy Rice Davies Marilyn Foreman (21 October 1944 – 18 December 2014), better known as Mandy Rice-Davies, was a Welsh model and showgirl best known for her association with Christine Keeler and her role in the Profumo affair, which discredited the Conservativ ...

Anthony Calf Anthony Calf (born 4 May 1959) is an English actor. He studied acting at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). He had recurring roles in the television medical drama ''Holby City'', as Michael Beauchamp, and ''New Tricks'' as D ...

as Lord Astor, Daniel Flynn as

, Ian Conningham as Ivanov, Christopher Howell as Percival Murray, Ricardo Coke Thomas as

Lucky Gordon Aloysius "Lucky" Gordon (5 July 1931 – 15 March 2017) was a British-based Jamaican jazz singer who came to public attention during the Profumo affair. He arrived in Scotland from Jamaica in 1948, and moved to London after a few days. Early y ...

and Wayne Robinson as

Johnny Edgecombe John Arthur Alexander Edgecombe (22 October 1932 – 26 September 2010) was a British jazz promoter, whose involvement with Christine Keeler inadvertently alerted authorities to the Profumo affair. Early life Edgecombe was born on 22 October 19 ...

. The West End production of ''Stephen Ward'' received mixed reviews from critics. The official opening night was overshadowed by an incident at the Apollo Theatre: during a performance of ''The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time'', part of the theatre's ceiling fell onto the audience. Members of the West End theatre circuit, managers and producers, who were attending the premiere of ''Stephen Ward'' were told of the incident during the interval; many left the theatre to attend to the incident at the Apollo Theatre. Media who were attending ''Stephen Ward'' were diverted by news-desks to cover the incident at the Apollo Theatre. The planned after-show press room was cancelled, once the scale of the incident at the Apollo Theatre became clear and that audience members had been hurt. Despite initially announcing the production would extend to 31 May, the show closed on 29 March 2014, the same day as Lloyd Webber's former lyricist collaborator Tim Rice's show ''

From Here to Eternity ''From Here to Eternity'' is a 1953 American romantic Drama (film and television)#War drama, war drama film directed by Fred Zinnemann and written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 From Here to Eternity (novel), novel of the same name by J ...

''. A typical London performance ran 2hrs 20mins, including one interval. Michael Billington wrote that Lloyd Webber's "great gift is for writing music about either fulfilled or unrequited romantic passion". On ''Stephen Ward'', he wondered why Lloyd Webber "ever felt it was the right subject for his particular talents and why the producers thought a show about a flagrant miscarriage of justice half a century ago had much resonance for a modern audience." An admirer of Lloyd Webber, Billington believed such a project had demanded the "satirical bite" which Kander and Ebb displayed in the musicals ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

'' and ''

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

''.

Music

Musical numbers

; Act I 1. The Chamber of Horrors * "Human Sacrifice" – Stephen Ward 2.

Murray's Club Murray's Cabaret Club was a cabaret club in Beak Street in Soho, central London, England. History The club was first opened in 1913, on the site of the old Blanchards restaurant at 1-7 Beak Street, by an American, Jack Mays, and an Englishman, ...

* "Super Duper Hula Hooper" – Crooner, The Hula girls * "When You Get To Know Me" – Stephen Ward, Christine Keeler 3. Wraysbery * "You're So Very Clever To Have Found This" – Stephen Ward, Christine Keeler 4. The Cottage at Cliveden * "This Side Of The Sky" – Stephen Ward, Christine Keeler 5. Murray's Club * "Super Duper Hula Hooper (Reprise)" – Crooner, The Hula girls° * "Manipulation" – Stephen Ward, Yevgeny Ivanov, Mandy Rice-Davies, Christine Keeler 6.

Wimpole Mews Wimpole Mews is a mews street in Marylebone, London W1, England. It is known for being a key location in the Profumo affair in the early 1960s. The street runs north–south, with Weymouth Street to the north and New Cavendish Street to the sou ...

* "He Sees Something In Me" – Christine Keeler, Mandy Rice-Davies 7. A Party in

Hyde Park Square Hyde Park Square is a residential, tree-planted, garden square one block north of Hyde Park, London, Hyde Park fronted by classical buildings, many of which are listed building, listed and marks a crossover of Lancaster Gate and Connaught Village ...

* "You've Never Had It So Good" – Company 8.The El Rio Cafe in

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a wikt:cosmopolitan, cosmopolitan and multiculturalism, multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting ...

* "Black-Hearted Woman" – Lucky Gordon 9. Astor's House in Cliveden * "Mother Russia, While We Can" – Yevgeny Ivanov, Stephen Ward, Christine Keeler 10. Wimpole Mews * "Love Nest" – John Profumo, Christine Keeler * "Freedom Means The World To Me" – Stephen Ward, Christine Keeler & Mandy Rice-Davies ° * "1963" – Christine Keeler, Mandy Rice-Davies ; Act II 1. Wimpole Mews * "Human Sacrifice (Reprise)" – Stephen Ward, Christine Keeler, Mandy Rice-Davies ° 2. An Office at the

News of the World The ''News of the World'' was a weekly national "Tabloid journalism#Red tops, red top" Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published every Sunday in the United Kingdom from 1843 to 2011. It was at one time the world's highest-selling ...

* "Give Us Something Juicy" – Christine Keeler, Journalists 3.

The Dorchester The Dorchester is a five-star hotel located on Park Lane and Deanery Street in London, to the east of Hyde Park. It is one of the world's most prestigious hotels. The Dorchester opened on 18 April 1931, and it still retains its 1930s furnis ...

Hotel 4. The Profumo's House in Chester Terrace * "Profumo's House" – Valerie Hobson, John Profumo, Martin Redmayne, Sir Peter Rawlinson, Sir John Hobson 5.

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

6. The Home Secretary's Quarters in the

Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...

* "Manipulation (Reprise)" – Henry Brooke, Roger Hollis, Sir John Simpson 7.

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

Police Station * "Police Interview" – Christine Keeler, Mandy Rice-Davies, Lucky Gordon, CI Samuel Herbert, D/Sgt Diggs, Vickie Barrett, Ronna Ricardo 8. The

Hotel Cipriani The Hotel Cipriani is a deluxe hotel on the island of Giudecca in Venice, northern Italy. It is reached by hotel launch from Piazza San Marco, St Mark's Square, a five-minute journey across the lagoon. Long considered one of the leading luxury ho ...

, Venice * "I'm Hopeless When It Comes To You" – Valerie Hobson 9. The Arrest * "The Arrest" – Company 10. Court No.1 at the

Old Bailey The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, commonly referred to as the Old Bailey after the street on which it stands, is a criminal court building in central London, one of several that house the Crown Court of England and Wales. The s ...

* "The Trial" – Stephen Ward, James Burge, Mervyn Griffith-Jones, Judge 11. Wimpole Mews * "Too Close To The Flame" – Stephen Ward 12. The Chamber of Horrors,

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of Blackpool ...

*Final Scene – Stephen Ward° °Not released on the original cast recording of the musical

Recordings

A West End original cast album was released on 30 December 2013, featuring nineteen songs. The album released by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...

was originally slated for a March 2014 release, but was brought forward due to demand.

Principal roles and cast members

References

;Further reading *

External links

* {{Authority control 2013 musicals West End musicals Musicals based on real people Musicals set in the 1960s Musicals inspired by real-life events Musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals by Don Black (lyricist) Musicals by Christopher Hampton British musicals Cultural depictions of John Profumo Cultural depictions of Christine Keeler Musicals set in London