ALW's THE BEAUTIFUL GAME

[Theatre Fan3]

Posted: 11/13/20 at 10:34pm

Lately I've been listening to some of my cd's of shows that I hadn't listened to in quite some time and came across the one for ALW's THE BEAUTIFUL GAME which I was fortunate enough to see with the original cast in London when it first opened.  I had forgotten just how powerful the show was and how much I had enjoyed it.  I'm not positive but I don't think that it every made a transfer to Broadway which is a real shame.  I loved the entire score from the first time hearing it and fell in love with Hannah Waddingham who went on to star in SPAMALOT and ALW's THE WIZARD OF OZ and also in GAME OF THRONES.  Check out the official music video for OUR KIND OF LOVE ... one of the songs she sang in the show

Did anybody else see the original London production?

Updated On: 11/14/20 at 10:34 PM

[jo]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 1:38am

I did! It was the saddest musical I have ever seen, given the storyline and characterizations.

My favorite song is God's Own Country - a song that belongs to anyone who has to leave one's homeland!

Here's an instrumental version of this lovely and evocative melody -- from the cello sounds of Julian Lloyd Webber :

 

Updated On: 11/14/20 at 01:38 AM

[blaxx]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 1:57am

I think I remember that a revamped version was scheduled to open in Canada a few years ago, and that was cancelled.

I believe the new title was "The Boys in the Picture"?

[jo]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 2:09am

The Boys In the Photograph.

[jo]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 2:29am

Montage from the Really Useful Group --

 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 8:14am

There are a few good songs. I adore “Our Kind of Love.” I think the melody is better served here than in Love Never Dies. I’m not sure there was anything wrong with the show, it just never felt like a commercial vehicle destined for the kind of success achieved by Cats and Phantom.

[Owen22]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 9:38am

I think it a really kick-ass score, one of later Lloyd-Webber's best, if not THE best.  Hannah singing "Our Kind of Love" is still one of my greatest theatrical memories.  I'm sure it's one of the reasons I hate "Love Never Dies"....

BUT the book was a mess. Not the story, the story, especially to an America who really couldn't yet grasp what had happened in Ireland, was fascinating and educational and so very sad.  And there are very interesting ideas about terrorism that I had never heard voiced before.

The writing was more than sound  but the structure was all f'd up.  "God's Own Country", for instance.  It's begun by the female Catholic lead, Mary.  She gets her own verse and then another girl (a more compelling singer and actress) continues with her non-Catholic verse about the beauties of Ireland. We had established the beginnings of Mary's story so I just assume we will now follow this new girl who got half of Mary's song.  Oh no. We never see that girl again.  She is simply known in the program as "Protestant Girl".  Even giving the secondary female lead (the aforementioned Hannah) the best song in the show throws off the basic structure.  But Ben Elton directed his own book. If better directed I'm not sure the show would have had a longer life, but it would have at least become a succes d'estime.

[Theatre Fan3]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 9:55am

Here's a clip of Hannah singing OUR KIND OF LOVE in the show.  It still gives me goosebumps listening to it.  So powerful ... emotional ... beautiful!!

Updated On: 11/14/20 at 09:55 AM

[Theatre Fan3]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 10:26am

Here is David Shannon and Josie Walker singing ALL THE LOVE I HAVE from the original London cast recording.

Updated On: 11/14/20 at 10:26 AM

[BeNice]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 11:39am

Wow thank you for all this. Loved watching/learning!

[Theatre Fan3]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 1:01pm

Here's another of my favorite ALW's shows which also never made it to Broadway.  Such a shame as everyone that I've talked to that saw the London production loved it.  Always hold out hope that one day it will get a chance at a new life with a revival.
 

 

Updated On: 11/14/20 at 01:01 PM

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 1:18pm

I wish Whistle Down the Wind had made it to Broadway just so we might have had a cast album with less distractingly awful southern accents.

[MichelleCraig]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 2:22pm

I saw THE BEAUTIFUL GAME in London twice with the original cast and I, as others have said, found it very powerful and moving. I was always surprised that it never made it to Broadway. 

When I returned from that London trip, I told people in my office how much I had enjoyed the show. Of course nobody I raved about it to had ever heard of it. A very short time later, six people from my company had to go over to London for business and I suggested they see THE BEAUTIFUL GAME. I remember getting a call on a Saturday afternoon while I was driving around Los Angeles. It was one of the women from my office that had gone to London. She said, "I'm going to kill you! That show was so good and I cried so hard that my face is a mess now! Everyone loved it and we're going for a drink now...after I fix my face!"

"Our Kind of Love" and "All the Love I have" were the standout numbers for me. "God's Country" is good within the show, but the other two could stand on their own as cabaret standards with a tweak or two.

[jo]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 3:07pm

Theatre Fan3 said: "Here's another of my favorite ALW's shows which also never made it to Broadway. Such a shame as everyone that I've talked to that saw the London production loved it. Always hold out hope that one day it will get a chance at a new life with a revival.

Whistle Down The Wind - Promo Tape 1998"

RUG released another album prior to the original cast recording, featuring many popular singers.



 

 

[Tag]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 4:51pm

blaxx said: "I think I remember that a revamped version was scheduled to open in Canada a few years ago, and that was cancelled.

I believe the new title was "The Boys in the Picture"?"

The Boys in the Photograph did indeed have runs in both Winnipeg and Toronto.  They weren't cancelled.

[cliffordbradshaw2]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 6:11pm

But Ben Elton directed his own book. If better directed I'm not sure the show would have had a longer life, but it would have at least become a succes d'estime.

 

Actually, "The Beautiful Game" was directed by one of the world's major opera directors, Robert Carsen.

[Owen22]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 7:09pm

cliffordbradshaw2 said: "But Ben Elton directed his own book. If better directed I'm not sure the show would have had a longer life, but it would have at least become asucces d'estime.



Actually, "The Beautiful Game" was directed by one of the world's major opera directors, Robert Carsen."

Ooops. My bad. Elton directed the reworked version, The Boys in the Photograph. And did not improve the structure.

 

[tourboi]

Posted: 11/14/20 at 10:51pm

CATSNYrevival said: "I wish Whistle Down the Wind had made it to Broadway just so we might have had a cast album with less distractingly awful southern accents."

Agreed. The album is often unlistenable for me, which is a shame because I love much of the score. The only production (other than the original tryout in DC) to come stateside was the tour Bill Kenwright sent out that was.... not great as a production, and shuttered early. I wish we could get a better production here. I will say while the tour staging was awful the cast was FANTASTIC (Eric Kunze, is I remember right, starred) and I wish there had been a recording of them.

As for the cancellation of THE BEAUTIFUL GAME/BOYS IN THE PHOTOGRAM, as Tag said it wasn’t cancelled, and ran in Winnipeg and Toronto as a co-pro between Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre and Mirvish Productions. I liked it enough, but agree it’s perhaps one of ALW’s least-commercial ventures. A shame more regionals haven't picked it up for limited runs.

[SporkGoddess]

Posted: 11/15/20 at 11:12am

I really want to see a video of "I Don't Like You" because the characters' relationship changes very quickly throughout the course of the song and I want to see how that plays out onstage.

[Impossible2]

Posted: 11/15/20 at 12:23pm

The only truly great musical ALW ever made. It's a shame the rest of his dross crossed over and this didn't.

Whistle Down the Wind was also excellent x

[Theatre Fan3]

Posted: 11/15/20 at 1:57pm

Ah, the things you find out with Google ... I never realized that Josie Walker was in so many shows that I've seen over the years in London.  Besides THE BEAUTIFUL GAME, she was Mrs. Wormwood in the original cast of MATILDA and also the mother in EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE.  What a truly gifted and talented performer.  Her comedic performance in MATILDA such a contrast to her powerful and emotional performances in THE BEAUTIFUL GAME and EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT JAMIE.  For those who weren't fortunate enough to see her performance live here is her show-stopping number in JAMIE ...

 

 

Updated On: 8/18/21 at 01:57 PM

[Theatre Fan3]

Posted: 8/18/21 at 5:09pm

Just ran across this interesting documentary on the creation of the original West End production of THE BEAUTIFUL GAME.

 

[jo]

Posted: 8/18/21 at 10:40pm

Thank you for uploading that documentary.

It reinforces what I thought what the musical is all about and why it is emotionally resonant to many.

It is not about football, it is not really about the individual stories -- but the atmosphere in which their love for something or each other is affected. It resonates to everyone riven by political or religious or cultural conflict. Refugee, immigrant, activist, ordinary citizens in a divided or a united culture.  Most of all, for anyone seeking a better life! The documentary highlights why my favorite songs God's Own Country and The Beautiful Game dominate the musical!

Broadway's loss! Sadly.