[M George]

from Andrewlloydwebber.com

Interesting story about the Lloyd Webber/Ben Elton musical 'The Beautiful Game'

[M George]

what a stupid title!

Why?

[mjr]

I think its a good name actually, i oprefer it to the Beautiful game.

Is the show being re-produced for the west end?? I know a drama group did something with it in Liverpool??, are we going to see a uk tour??, I feel that the london productio was shorlied due to 9/11

[Matthew Winn]

I feel that the london productio was shorlied due to 9/11

The London production closed ten days before 9/11.

[mjr]

The London production closed ten days before 9/11.

Oh right, sorry, that was my mistake



What show closed because of 9/11??

i am getting confused

[mjr]

The show is to play canada in 2009

See PLaybill link for more details

http://www.playbill.com/news/article/114730.html

[canmark]

I was reading about this in the Toronto Star this morning:
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/299025

In an interview from London, Elton estimates 15 per cent of the actual material will be changed, but he claims that "the show will be 50 per cent different in terms of atmosphere and impact."

"Andrew and I were very proud of The Beautiful Game," Elton says, "but it wound up being a very dark and grim show.

"When we opened, there were still acts of terrorism taking place between England and Northern Ireland, and that influenced us,'' Elton says. "We chose, I think mistakenly, to leave our hero not only unredeemed at the end of the story but morally destroyed as well, and that's not the kind of message Andrew and I like to leave with an audience."
* * *
The Beautiful Game was Pelé's description of soccer and it led to an atmosphere in which, as Elton recalls it, "people thought they were coming to see Andrew Lloyd Webber's soccer musical and it's no more about soccer than My Fair Lady is about flower sellers.
* * *
Both Elton and Lloyd Webber hope Winnipeg and Toronto won't be the only two stops for The Boys in the Photograph.

"The dream," says Elton, "is that the Canadian world premiere will prove hugely attractive to North America in general and who knows where it will go after that?"

[Matthew Winn]

"Andrew and I were very proud of The Beautiful Game," Elton says, "but it wound up being a very dark and grim show.

That's one of the things I liked about it. It wasn't the light-weight show I'd been expecting. I'd anticipated a typical Andrew Lloyd Webber show that skirts all the significant issues and delivers an undemanding evening that lets my mind wander. Lyrics aside, I got a show with power instead.

"When we opened, there were still acts of terrorism taking place between England and Northern Ireland, and that influenced us,'' Elton says. "We chose, I think mistakenly, to leave our hero not only unredeemed at the end of the story but morally destroyed as well, and that's not the kind of message Andrew and I like to leave with an audience."

The only message Ben Elton's work has ever left me with is "It'll be a cold day in hell before I ever see anything else by Ben Elton".

[M George]

That's one of the things I liked about it. It wasn't the light-weight show I'd been expecting. I'd anticipated a typical Andrew Lloyd Webber show that skirts all the significant issues and delivers an undemanding evening that lets my mind wander. Lyrics aside, I got a show with power instead.

Yes, I agree. It was a huge departure from the usual Lloyd Webber and I thought it didn't deserve to be known as the 'football musical' and it definately deserved a longer run.