ONCE upon a time Declan Bennett and Zrinka Cvitešić lead the cast of the eight-time Tony award-winning musical Once, directed by John Tiffany and opening at the Phoenix Theatre on 9 April. Once has a book by award-winning Irish playwright and screenwriter Enda Walsh and is based on the 2007 motion picture written and directed by John Carney, with music and lyrics by Academy Award-winning Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. Scenic and costume designs are by Bob Crowley, with lighting by Natasha Katz, sound by Clive Goodwin, musical supervision and orchestrations by Martin Lowe and movement by Steven Hoggett. The New York production of Once, the fastest Broadway musical to recoup in 16 years, opened at the Bernard B Jacobs Theatre in March 2012. Bennett and Cvitešić will be joined by Valda Aviks, Ryan Fletcher, Aidan Kelly, Gareth O’Connor, Michael O’Connor, Miria Parvin, Jos Slovick, Flora Spencer-Longhurst, Jez Unwin and Gabriel Vick. Alternating the role of Girl’s young daughter Ivanka will be Poppy-Lily Baker, Mia-Jai Bryan, Pacha Anna Green and Nancy Ann Jeans. The producers of the West End production are Barbara Broccoli, John N Hart Jr, Patrick Milling Smith, Frederick Zollo, Brian Carmody, Michael G Wilson, Orin Wolf and Michael Rose Limited in association with New York Theatre Workshop. www.oncemusical.co.uk
Sondheim Prize Up for gRabs Musical theatre students from Britain’s top drama schools compete in London on 19 May for the seventh annual Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Competition. A shortlist of 12 finalists will perform before a panel including director Michael Grandage, actress Imelda Staunton, National Theatre head of music Matthew Scott, musical director Mike Haslam and Bert Fink of Rodgers & Hammerstein Theatricals Europe, with journalist and broadcaster Edward Seckerson chairing. Contestants will each perform a Sondheim piece and new songs written by members of Mercury Music Developments, the writerbased organisation dedicated to new musical theatre. The winner will be presented with a prize to the value of £1,000 by performer Julia McKenzie and a representative of the Bennett-Muir Musical Theatre Archive Trust. Writers George Stiles and Anthony Drewe will also present the sixth Stiles and Drewe Best Song Prize – again worth £1,000 – for the best new song. Joining the pair as judges are London Road composer Adam Cork and actor Reece Shearsmith. Actress Jenna Russell will present the event at the Garrick Theatre.
S & S legacy supports new writing
www.mercurymusicals.com
Pictured – left to right: Caroline Underwood, chair of MMD; Christine Denniston and Gwyneth Herbert, winners of the Special Commendation; the late Sylvia Brown, seated, and Warner Brown, award sponsors; and Denise Wright and Chris Burgess, winners.
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MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEW
Photo: MEL CHENEY
they also held a public industry showcase of their show at London’s Tristan Bates Theatre. An impressive 52 MMD members submitted material to the award last year (at least one member of the creative team must be a member of the organisation or the affiliate body BML – Book Music Lyrics), and it was lyricist/songwriter Charles Hart and musical director Nigel Lilley who were charged with the demanding task of choosing from a final shortlist. The decision was so tough that alongside Wright and Burgess’ Emerald, writers Christine Denniston and Gwyneth Herbert received a Special Commendation for their musical Before the Law (including a showcase of their own at the Grand Saloon, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane). All four writers received their awards from Michael Ball at MMD’s 20th Anniversary Gala and saw excerpts of their work performed. Brown’s current projects include the unusual piece Elsie De Wolfe Isn’t Dead (with Gwyneth Herbert), two shows with well-known American performer and composer Michael Feinstein (The Thomas Crown Affair/The Gold Room) and an opera with Joshua Schmidt (The Perfect Blonde). He is therefore well aware the difference The S & S Award can make to new writers. “I know my parents would be so proud, that their joint legacy will continue to support new work in musical theatre.” * The deadline for submitting material to The S & S Awards is 8 May. Following a shortlisting process, the judges’ final decision will be announced at the beginning of August. Details can be found via the MMD website.
ISSUE 1
Last year the inaugural Sidney Brown Memorial Award was created by librettist/lyricist Warner Brown and his mother Sylvia to nurture budding writers of original British musical theatre. Facilitated by Mercury Musical Developments, the prize proved an immediate success and the decision was made to continue the event on an annual basis. Sadly, it is in tribute to both of Warner’s parents that the prize has been retitled for 2013 as The S & S Award, for Sylvia died unexpectedly in January. The couple were popularly known as ‘S & S’ during their 60 years together. The winners of the inaugural Sidney Brown Memorial Award were Chris Burgess and Denise Wright for their musical Emerald. As part of their prize, the writers had the valuable opportunity to spend a week developing their material with a professional cast, director and MD without the pressure of staging a production at the end of the process – all supported by the Noel Coward Foundation. In addition,