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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2017 10:25:46 GMT
I'm curious after reading this. Did Only He turn into Only You for a while? If so, was it a duet version (the same as the Michael Crawford/Frances Ruffelle version on Crawford's album)? Or something different? Or just the short duet that follows Only He on the OLC? Love the Frances version, and nice that it's someone from the original cast. I'm not sure if that was the version in the show though. I like this version: I saw the first UK Tour twice in Manchester (one was a first date), and to begin with they were using Next Time You Fall In Love before moving to Only He/You the second time I saw it. I did not like Jane Horn as Pearl. So originally it was as per the OLC with Only He sang by Pearl followed by a brief reprise as Only You which was a duet. Then changed sometime between 1984 and 1987 when I first saw it to the duet Only You (similar to the Ruffelle/Crawford version). That was then standard for all the international versions. The 'new' Starlight Express in 1992 had Next Time You Fall In Love (which in previews had different lyrics and was called something like They're Out To Get You or Alone In The Light Of The Stars). UK tour started previews with Next Time, then was changed in first stop in Manchester to a new version of Only He (a duet; verses, chorus and bridges moved around but basically same melody; amended lyrics by Yazbek). I preferred this version, pretty much everyone else didn't. Somewhere on You Tube you can hear Gemma Atkinson singing this. Then the most recent tour had I Do, written by ALWs son to whom he'd dedicated the 'new' 1992 version to. Interesting, I was also in the minority liking Jane Horn - what was it about her performance out of interest!? |
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Post by d'James on Sept 2, 2017 10:29:18 GMT
Love the Frances version, and nice that it's someone from the original cast. I'm not sure if that was the version in the show though. I like this version: I saw the first UK Tour twice in Manchester (one was a first date), and to begin with they were using Next Time You Fall In Love before moving to Only He/You the second time I saw it. I did not like Jane Horn as Pearl. So originally it was as per the OLC with Only He sang by Pearl followed by a brief reprise as Only You which was a duet. Then changed sometime between 1984 and 1987 when I first saw it to the duet Only You (similar to the Ruffelle/Crawford version). That was then standard for all the international versions. The 'new' Starlight Express in 1992 had Next Time You Fall In Love (which in previews had different lyrics and was called something like They're Out To Get You or Alone In The Light Of The Stars). UK tour started previews with Next Time, then was changed in first stop in Manchester to a new version of Only He (a duet; verses, chorus and bridges moved around but basically same melody; amended lyrics by Yazbek). I preferred this version, pretty much everyone else didn't. Somewhere on You Tube you can hear Gemma Atkinson singing this. Then the most recent tour had I Do, written by ALWs son to whom he'd dedicated the 'new' 1992 version to. Interesting, I was also in the minority liking Jane Horn - what was it about her performance out of interest!? I found her Pearl very unsympathetic. I know she's not a very sympathetic character anyway but if played correctly you can feel a bit for her. Also I just didn't like Jane Horn's singing. |
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Post by daniel on Sept 2, 2017 12:24:27 GMT
Thanks for the clarification @thematthew and @theatremonkey - it was before my time, so I wasn't sure!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2017 12:52:58 GMT
Here's the article about the cast member I was talking about No, not the story I was thinking of. This was tied in with her alcoholism, so could have simply been her sad decline. Found this on Wikipedia, referenced to an article on Playbill: "Her last role in the West End was as Grizabella in Cats in 1998. She was forced to leave the show after falling down a staircase, receiving critical injuries." Very sad, I hadn't known she'd suffered from alcoholism. Never saw her live, but love her on the Starlight OLC. |
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Post by d'James on Sept 2, 2017 12:59:35 GMT
No, not the story I was thinking of. This was tied in with her alcoholism, so could have simply been her sad decline. Found this on Wikipedia, referenced to an article on Playbill: "Her last role in the West End was as Grizabella in Cats in 1998. She was forced to leave the show after falling down a staircase, receiving critical injuries." Very sad, I hadn't known she'd suffered from alcoholism. Never saw her live, but love her on the Starlight OLC. She had such a lovely voice. She's great on one of the Blood Brothers soundtracks too. |
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Post by SamB (was badoerfan) on Sept 2, 2017 13:19:51 GMT
Love the Frances version, and nice that it's someone from the original cast. I'm not sure if that was the version in the show though. I like this version: I saw the first UK Tour twice in Manchester (one was a first date), and to begin with they were using Next Time You Fall In Love before moving to Only He/You the second time I saw it. I did not like Jane Horn as Pearl. So originally it was as per the OLC with Only He sang by Pearl followed by a brief reprise as Only You which was a duet. Then changed sometime between 1984 and 1987 when I first saw it to the duet Only You (similar to the Ruffelle/Crawford version). That was then standard for all the international versions. The 'new' Starlight Express in 1992 had Next Time You Fall In Love (which in previews had different lyrics and was called something like They're Out To Get You or Alone In The Light Of The Stars). UK tour started previews with Next Time, then was changed in first stop in Manchester to a new version of Only He (a duet; verses, chorus and bridges moved around but basically same melody; amended lyrics by Yazbek). I preferred this version, pretty much everyone else didn't. Somewhere on You Tube you can hear Gemma Atkinson singing this. Then the most recent tour had I Do, written by ALWs son to whom he'd dedicated the 'new' 1992 version to. Interesting, I was also in the minority liking Jane Horn - what was it about her performance out of interest!? Thanks for this summary, very comprehensive! I far prefer Only He/You to Next Time You Fall In Love - the latter is a perfectly decent song, but has very little to do with the show. Some of the lyrics feel like they're written by someone who'd never seen the rest of the show. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2017 14:20:15 GMT
No, not the story I was thinking of. This was tied in with her alcoholism, so could have simply been her sad decline. Found this on Wikipedia, referenced to an article on Playbill: "Her last role in the West End was as Grizabella in Cats in 1998. She was forced to leave the show after falling down a staircase, receiving critical injuries." Very sad, I hadn't known she'd suffered from alcoholism. I was at that performance. She collapsed part way up the steps from the tyre to the rear of the set so they had to halt the show. It was a tricky position to get stuck in as the tyre was in its raised position and unreachable from below and it couldn't be lowered because it was supporting and steadying the bottom of the steps that she was lying on. One of the cast took the initiative, went round behind the backdrop and came down from the top of the steps to help get her off them, as she was clearly unable to continue climbing them on her own. It wasn't exactly unexpected as her time in the show was interspersed with various bangs and crashes from behind the set as she walked into things. In retrospect I'm surprised she was allowed to continue working for as long as she did, because it shouldn't take an on-stage collapse and refund of the audience's money to highlight a problem. It seems to have been treated as a joke until suddenly it wasn't funny. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2017 14:26:31 GMT
So originally it was as per the OLC with Only He sang by Pearl followed by a brief reprise as Only You which was a duet. Then changed sometime between 1984 and 1987 when I first saw it to the duet Only You (similar to the Ruffelle/Crawford version). That was then standard for all the international versions. The 'new' Starlight Express in 1992 had Next Time You Fall In Love (which in previews had different lyrics and was called something like They're Out To Get You or Alone In The Light Of The Stars). UK tour started previews with Next Time, then was changed in first stop in Manchester to a new version of Only He (a duet; verses, chorus and bridges moved around but basically same melody; amended lyrics by Yazbek). I preferred this version, pretty much everyone else didn't. Somewhere on You Tube you can hear Gemma Atkinson singing this. Then the most recent tour had I Do, written by ALWs son to whom he'd dedicated the 'new' 1992 version to. Interesting, I was also in the minority liking Jane Horn - what was it about her performance out of interest!? Thanks for this summary, very comprehensive! I far prefer Only He/You to Next Time You Fall In Love - the latter is a perfectly decent song, but has very little to do with the show. Some of the lyrics feel like they're written by someone who'd never seen the rest of the show. Spot on there - nice enough stand alone song but didn't work in the show. Sure ALW was just going for some chart success on the back of Jason Donovan taking Any Dream Will Do to (I think?) Number 2. I bought it on CD single from my local Woolworths lol. (It didn't chart). |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2017 14:30:34 GMT
Found this on Wikipedia, referenced to an article on Playbill: "Her last role in the West End was as Grizabella in Cats in 1998. She was forced to leave the show after falling down a staircase, receiving critical injuries." Very sad, I hadn't known she'd suffered from alcoholism. I was at that performance. She collapsed part way up the steps from the tyre to the rear of the set so they had to halt the show. It was a tricky position to get stuck in as the tyre was in its raised position and unreachable from below and it couldn't be lowered because it was supporting and steadying the bottom of the steps that she was lying on. One of the cast took the initiative, went round behind the backdrop and came down from the top of the steps to help get her off them, as she was clearly unable to continue climbing them on her own. It wasn't exactly unexpected as her time in the show was interspersed with various bangs and crashes from behind the set as she walked into things. In retrospect I'm surprised she was allowed to continue working for as long as she did, because it shouldn't take an on-stage collapse and refund of the audience's money to highlight a problem. It seems to have been treated as a joke until suddenly it wasn't funny. My God, that's terrifying, what a place to get stuck. Was also so high up that a fall down to the stage from there would have been catastrophic. Sad but true alcoholism can be a joke until it isn't funny - awful and highly destructive illness. But yes, agreed, performer should of course not be going on like that - for their sake and the paying public. The producers have a duty to both. Would like to think it wouldn't happen now as as a society we are much more open to talking about these things and the dangers of substance misuse are well documented. Out of interest, though clearly not steady on her feet, could she belt out Memory ok? |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2017 14:42:51 GMT
Out of interest, though clearly not steady on her feet, could she belt out Memory ok? From what I remember she was rather variable. Her performances haven't stuck in my memory the way the halting of the show has. |
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Post by horton on Sept 2, 2017 14:44:00 GMT
Stephanie was a unique talent, and her drinking only came on as a result of some very difficult times personally- she was no Oliver Reed!
And she did suffer ligament damage whilst in Starlight.
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Post by drowseychap on Sept 2, 2017 15:54:59 GMT
Was so so sad seeing Stephanie towards the end she was a major talent sadly with demons like many true stars I saw her top of her game in blood brothers many many times she blew everyone out of the water ... she would have been a great Norma
Sadly in the 90s tour of BB my friend was manager of one of the theatres andvthe understudy had to go on quite a few times ... one matinee she was drunk in the dressing room very sad x
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Post by d'James on Sept 5, 2017 23:25:54 GMT
Well . . . Christina Bennington as Pearl, Natalie McQueen as Dinah and Sabrina Aloueche as, wait for it . . . Belle!!!!!!
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Post by westendwendy on Sept 5, 2017 23:28:52 GMT
I am sure Belle will go into the UK Tour and German cast next year. I heard flickers of this from one of the producers last year. Exciting news!
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Post by d'James on Sept 5, 2017 23:31:40 GMT
Mica Paris is also rehearsing for it!
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Post by d'James on Sept 5, 2017 23:35:59 GMT
Voilà les tweets:
Using the late London logo, for info.
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Post by Phantom of London on Sept 5, 2017 23:55:47 GMT
No one believes they will ever succumb to alcoholism, but in truth we are all one drink away from that horrid condition, which I have seen first hand with family and colleagues.
Truly devestated to hear that the great Stephanie Lawrence life was cut short by the evil illness alcoholism.
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Post by viserys on Sept 6, 2017 6:08:24 GMT
Belle!!!!
Though that makes me wonder - they just changed Ashley into Duvay, the sleeping car, so will we have two sleeping cars then?
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Post by d'James on Sept 6, 2017 15:45:52 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2017 16:07:01 GMT
I get that they're trying to pull some emotion out of the title song, but it sounds a little too tardo for my liking.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2017 16:12:48 GMT
So Oliver Thompsett & Jamal Andreas in the cast too evidently |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2017 16:32:05 GMT
So Mica Paris apparently Momma (replacing Poppa)!
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Post by d'James on Sept 6, 2017 16:36:37 GMT
So Mica Paris apparently Momma (replacing Poppa)! Belle must be the new Ashley then. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 6, 2017 16:47:35 GMT
Having never been to one of these workshops before how staged are they? I thought it was just a concert presentation so i am surprised to see Arlene Phillips there.
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Post by d'James on Sept 6, 2017 17:13:10 GMT
Having never been to one of these workshops before how staged are they? I thought it was just a concert presentation so i am surprised to see Arlene Phillips there. I'm pleased Richard Stilgoe and the Lord are there. |
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