Anyone know anything about Me and My Girl? Margo, anyone?

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 5:48pm

Cast Album database lists the original london cast recording of Me and MY Girl as 1937, is this true? I really don't know anything about it other than it was the first show I saw at the Marquis.

Is the show really that old? Who wrote it? Does it have any contemporaries?

Thanks, any info is appreciated.

[neddyfrank2]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 5:49pm

http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=4419

[Dollypop]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 5:52pm

The original show really is that old. The "Lambeth Walk" was a hit during 1937. The more recent version that played at the Marquis was somewhat revised but still a lot of fun.

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 6:06pm

ME AND MY GIRL was a British musical comedy hit in 1937. Show introduced "The Lambeth Walk" which was a huge hit. A BBC radio broadcast of excerpts live from the theatre sent ticket sales sky-rocketing. (The braodcast was released on LP years ago and it's fun.)

A re-construction by Noel Gay's son, filling out the score with some of the songwriter's other hits, led to a hit London staging in 1985 and that production was brought to Broadway as the premiere attraction at the Marquise. Incredibly, it received a Tony nomination as "Best (new) musical of the season. It lost to LES MIZ. But the show had a successful 4-year run.

Both the London cast and Broadway cast were recorded...the Broadway cast (on MCA)is slicker and more polished sounding but the London cast (EMI) has its charms.

[Fenchurch]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 6:17pm

I have both the London and Broadway 80s DDs of the show and I enjoyed it when I saw it.

I would love to get my hands on a copy of that original broadcast LP, that must be incredible. I love historical recordings.

Is that broadcast able to seen anywhere? I imagine it's not at the museum of television and radio.

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 6:22pm

Great show! Wish it was done more often.

[skingdom]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 6:26pm

I LOVE this show.

It gets done a LOT regionally.

Skingdom out.

[MarkRascati]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 7:07pm

My highschool did it last year and it was awesome. Love it. And yes it's really that old, but it was revived in 1980

[gumbo2]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 7:13pm

Yeah my high school did it a couple of years before I went there but I saw it and it was wonderful. There's also a clip of Robert Lindsay and the cast at the Tonys singing Lambeth Walk...you know where. It's pretty cool.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 7:23pm

We did it in high school at the theatre school I went to and it became such a hit that many fo the same people (including me) were asked to do it again 5 years later for a semi pro company. I expected not to have fun with it when I first tried out--it's not really my kinda show--but it's a lot of fun (and as a guy dancer I had a lot of good numbers) .

I've never been able to track down exactly what was from the original 30s production (which I believe even had a hard to find film version calleed Lambeth Walk ro something...) and what was new or taken from other shows but I think it basically should be seen as something liek Crazy for You (Mark why are you surprised it got a best musical Tony nod? So did Crazy for You...)--ie the ekelton of the piece is from an earlier show but the book has been so rewritten and tweaked, half the songs are from other shows, etc...

Stephen Fry (quite impressively) wrote the new script. Anyway it's a fun show with a lot of nice "hummable" (ha) tunes. I didn't realize it ran 1500 performances though--not bad.

It's a show that provides a very good star turn but it also has a lot of chorus and bit parts

E

[keen on kean]

Posted: 4/23/07 at 7:38pm

I didn't see Lindsay in the 1980's production, but I did see Jim Dale and believe me that was completely all right with me. He was so upbeat and energetic and funny and the music suited him to a T.
And now I will be humming the Lambeth Walk all night. Updated On: 4/23/07 at 07:38 PM

[sondheimboy2]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 12:16am

The original London cast has Emma Thompson performing quite charmingly. Though, she herself was not pleased with her singing and vowed never to do another musical.

There was a film version done in London in the 1930's with the original star, Lupino Lane, but the negatives were destroyed during the Blitz in WWII.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 12:35am

Hahah now I am curious to see exactly what songs were in the original and what were from other shows (I remember reading Sun has Got his Hat On wasn't in the original for instance)

Wasn't TIm Curry in one major production? He'd be quite fab!

E

[gumbo2]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 12:40am

Yes he was...there is a very short and badly filmed preview thing on YouTube (or at least there was) featuring Tim Curry. And the news anchor who was reporting about it said he much preferred Curry to Robert Lindsay.

[alterego]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 3:13am

The London revival (1985) started off at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith before moving to the Adelphi Theatre in the West End where it played for years. Caroline O'Connor ( CHICAGO) was in the chorus. The first production of this revival outside of Britain opened in Melbourne in January 1986 with the Broadway production opening 1987. The first National Tour starring Tim Curry opened in 1988. After about a year this tour went non equity. There was a revival tour in Britain earlier this year.

Interesting that you mention CRAZY FOR YOU as this was directed by Mike Ockrent after his success with M&MG.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 3:53am

RIGHT! I always forget that but it's an obvious connection (Susan Stroman is the big name people usually think of behind Crazy for You--Mike's wife of course and I guess I was too)

[mrs felciano]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 8:11am

Aw. This was the show I did my first year of highschool!

[Jon]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 9:13am

The marvelous James Brennan replaced Tim Curry on tour. Brennan later headlined the Crazy for You tour opposite Karen Ziemba, and they both eventually moved to the Broadway cast.

Jim Dale also starred in the Broadway cast for a while. By the way, it was the first show ANYONE saw at the Marquis - the theatre was brand new.

The London revival also featured Frank Thornton - best known as Captain Peacock on "Are You Being Served?"

[Unknown User]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 9:28am

What happened to Robert Lindsay?- he was terrific in Me and My Girl!

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 9:52am

Robert Lindsay won the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical that year, beating out both male leads in the OBC of "Les Miz" (Colm Wilkinson and Terrance Mann).

Lindsay is a regular on the hit BBC-TV comedy "My Family" also starring Zoe Wanamaker. In 2002 he was nominated for a BAFTA for his performance on that show. It runs regularly on BBC America for those who are interested.

By the way, I saw Carrie Fisher's understudy as the title role in "Agnes of God" (with Geraline Page and Elizabeth Ashley). She was fantastic as Agnes! Her name was Maryann Plunkett, and she went on to win the Tony for Best Actress in Me and My Girl.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 9:54am

Carrie Fisher did Angus of God? I know MaryAnne replaced Amanda Plummer in the original Bway run.

I saw MaryAnne play Dot, after Bernadette left Sunday...she was charming.

[best12bars]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 9:57am

Actually Carrie replaced Amanda Plummer. Carrie's understudy was Maryann Plunkett. Maryann went on quite a lot for Carrie, who was always "sick" and left her run in the show early, and then Marryann took over the part of Agnes. This was during Carrie's druggy days, and just after her final stint as Princess Leia in Return of the Jedi. She was a big draw, but she didn't go on a lot.

Updated On: 4/24/07 at 09:57 AM

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 4/24/07 at 10:03am

I dont remember that at all...I do remember Diahann Carroll taking over for Ashley.

Robert and Zoe are great in My Family...check it out, everyone!

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 7:04am

Robert Lindsay is currently starring in 'The Entertainer' at the Old Vic in London

[Princeton78]

Posted: 4/25/07 at 10:10am

Me and My Girl has one of the best overtures out there as well.
Some of the songs sound much better in their instrumental versions, than when they are sung.