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 music by Peter Tranchell and book and lyrics by James Ferman. The musical is based on the 1911 novel, ''
Zuleika Dobson
''Zuleika Dobson'', full title ''Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story'', is the only novel by English essayist Max Beerbohm, a satire of undergraduate life at Oxford published in 1911. It includes the famous line "Death cancels all engageme ...
'', by
Max Beerbohm
Sir Henry Maximilian Beerbohm (24 August 1872 – 20 May 1956) was an English essayist, Parody, parodist and Caricature, caricaturist under the signature Max. He first became known in the 1890s as a dandy and a humorist. He was the theatre crit ...
.
History
The show was first staged at an undergraduate club at
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...
in 1954, two years before Beerbohm's death."Zuleika Dobson as a Musical", ''The Times'', 15 February 1957, p. 3 The impresario
Donald Albery
Sir Donald Arthur Rolleston Albery (19 June 1914 – 14 September 1988) was an English theatre impresario who did much to translate the adventurous spirit of London in the 1960s onto the stage.
Biography
He was born into a theatrical family ...
acquired the rights to stage it in the West End, and engaged
Osbert Lancaster
Sir Osbert Lancaster (4 August 1908 – 27 July 1986) was an English cartoonist, architectural historian, stage designer and author. He was known for his cartoons in the British press, and for his lifelong work to inform the general publi ...
as designer and Alfred Rodrigues as director. The production opened at the
Saville Theatre
The Saville Theatre building is a former West End theatre and cinema at 135 Shaftesbury Avenue in the London Borough of Camden. The theatre opened in 1931, and became a music venue during the 1960s. In 1970, it became a cinema, most recently a ...
on 11 April 1957. Beerbohm had died the year before, but his widow, Elisabeth interested herself in the production, and attended the first night.
The plot of the novel was generally followed, except for the conclusion, which was changed to provide a happy ending."Saville Theatre – Zuleika", ''The Times'', 12 April 1957, p. 3 Beerbohm had insisted that the name of the heroine should be pronounced "Zuleeka", but for the musical the pronunciation was changed to "Zul''i''ka", which was thought easier to sing.
The actress originally cast as Zuleika, Diane Cilento, won excellent critical comment when the show previewed in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...
, but was taken ill before the show opened in London. She was unable to appear, and the part was taken by Mildred Mayne, a performer best known at the time as a model, appearing on posters in the London Underground advertising underwear. A 2011 newspaper obituary for Cilento alleged that her withdrawal from the production was due to a suicide attempt.
Cast
*Katie Batch – Patricia Stark
*Noaks – Peter Woodthorpe
*Lord Sayes –
Roderick Cook
Roderick Cook (9 February 1932 – 17 August 1990) was an English playwright, writer, theatre director and actor of stage, television and film. Cook is known for creating, directing and starring in the musical review '' Oh, Coward!'' and portr ...
*The Hon Charles Trent-Garby –
Clive Exton
Clive Exton (11 April 1930 – 16 August 2007) was a British television and film screenwriter who wrote scripts for the series '' Poirot'', ''Jeeves and Wooster'' and '' Rosemary & Thyme''.Philip Bond
*Oover – Michael O'Connor
*The Duke of Dorset – David Morton
*The Macquern – John Gower
*The Warden of Judas – Daniel Thorndyke
*Zuleika – Mildred Mayne
*Melisande – Hermione Harvey
*Aunt Mabel --
Patricia Routledge
Dame Katherine Patricia Routledge ( ; born 17 February 1929) is an English actress and singer, best known for her comedy role as Hyacinth Bucket in the popular BBC sitcom ''Keeping Up Appearances'' (1990–1995), for which she was nominated for ...
Music
Here is a list of numbers:
* Eights Week
* City of Repose
* Zuleika
* Zuleika's Travels
* Lovely Time
* It's My Doorstep Too!
* All Over Again
* Nellie O'Mora (lyric by Harry Porter)
* Anything Can Happen
* The Last Dance of the Evening
* What Has She Got?
* Always Be Wary of Women
* I Want A Man To Say No
* Someday
* Follow the Fashion
* Seventeen Years From Now
Critical reception
''
The Times
''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...
'', having called the show "a most pleasing imitation of
Edwardian musical comedy
Edwardian musical comedy is a genre of British musical theatre that thrived from 1892 into the 1920s, extending beyond the reign of King Edward VII in both directions. It began to dominate the English musical stage, and even the American musical ...
", added "Miss Mildred Mayne, taking the part of Zuleika at short notice, is not, perhaps, all that Beerbohm painted her, but she is always engaging and she sings easily and well." In ''
The Manchester Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', Philip Hope-Wallace was unconvinced by the new Zuleika: "What the incomparable Max would have thought of Mildred Mayne, the new leading lady, one fails to imagine."Hope-Wallace, Philip, "A New Zuleika", ''The Manchester Guardian'', 12 April 1957. p. 9 In ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.
In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...
'',
Kenneth Tynan
Kenneth Peacock Tynan (2 April 1927 – 26 July 1980) was an English theatre critic and writer. Initially making his mark as a critic at ''The Observer'', he praised John Osborne's ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956) and encouraged the emerging wave ...
called the show "the best British musical since '' The Boy Friend''", but thought Mayne "competent in a role for which competence is not enough"."
Rupert Hart-Davis
Sir Rupert Charles Hart-Davis (28 August 1907 – 8 December 1999) was an English publisher and editor. He founded the publishing company Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd. As a biographer, he is remembered for his ''Hugh Walpole'' (1952), as an editor, ...
, who accompanied Elisabeth Beerbohm to the first night, was privately less tactful: he called the show "delightfully gay and charming," but added, "the leading lady is quite without looks, charm or talent. With someone like …
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...
it would run for ever."
The show ran for 124 performances, closing on 27 July 1957.''The Times'', 27 July 1957, p. 2