Andrew Lloyd Webber "JEEVES" David Hemmings / Alan Ayckbourn 1975 London Program

Description

This is a rare souvenir program from the
Original West End production of the ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER and ALAN AYCKBOURN musical comedy "JEEVES" which played Her Majesty's Theatre in London. (The production opened April 22nd, 1975 and closed after only 38 performances.) ..... The musical starred DAVID HEMMINGS and MICHAEL ALDRIDGE and featured JOHN TURNER, BILL WALLIS, DAVID WOOD, CHRISTOPHER GOOD, GABRIELLE DRAKE, DEBBIE BOWEN, ANGELA EASTERLING and GORDON CLYDE ..... Side Note:
Jeeves
is regarded as
Andrew Lloyd Webber
's
only real flop.
Tim Rice
conceived the idea of turning
P. G. Wodehouse
's
Jeeves
stories into a musical. Originally, he was to work with his then-partner,
Andrew Lloyd Webber
,
but Rice backed out of the project. Eventually Lloyd Webber teamed up with famed British playwright
Alan Ayckbourn
,
and the two of them began work with the personal blessing of Wodehouse. Ayckbourn utilized characters and plot lines from several Jeeves and Wooster stories, notably-
The Code of the Woosters
. Unfortunately, the loyalty to the Wodehouse material made for an epic length, (four and three-quarter hours at the Bristol tryouts) and reducing the duration made for creative tensions. Regardless of book-trouble, Lloyd Webber had provided a strong period score that eschewed all traces of the pop-inflections of his "
Jesus Christ Superstar
".
The Original London Cast album (MCA Cat. No. MCF 2726) was recorded and released, but is extremely hard to find today. Lloyd Webber, reportedly acting on the advice of American Theatre Director
Harold Prince
,
withdrew the recording in order to be able to reuse some of the musical material in subsequent shows. (Wikipedia)
..... CREDITS: Music by ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER ("Jesus Christ Superstar", "Evita", "Cats", "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat", "Song and Dance", "Starlight Express", "The Phantom of the Opera", "Aspects of Love", "By Jeeves"); Book and Lyrics by ALAN AYCKBOURN based on the Jeeves stories by P. G. WODEHOUSE; Orchestrations by DON WALKER and ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER; Sets and Costumes designed by VOYTEK; Choreographed by CHRISTOPHER BRUCE; Directed by ERIC THOMPSON; Produced by ROBERT STIGWOOD in association with MICHAEL WHITE
..... DETAILS: The oversized 24 page program measures 8 3/8" X 11 1/4" inches and includes full production credits, bios of each member of the creative team, extensive historical and promotional text and several pages of both black and white and full  color production photos ..... CONDITION: This rare program is in excellent condition and will make a wonderful addition to the collection of any musical theatre aficionado or historian. This item will be carefully packaged in a protective sleeve and backed by stiff cardboard.
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