Robert and Elizabeth
| Robert and Elizabeth | |
|---|---|
Rudolph Besier | |
| Productions | 1964 West End |
Robert and Elizabeth is a
Rudolph Besier. It is an operetta-style musical which tells the story of the romance and elopement of poets Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett. The original 1964 London production was a success, starring John Clements as Barrett, June Bronhill as Elizabeth and Keith Michell
as Robert. Several revivals have followed.
Songs
- The Corner of Wimpole Street
- "The Family Moulton-Barrett"
- "Frustration"
- "The Girls That Boys Dream About"
- "Hate Me, Please"
- "I Know Now"
- "I Said Love"
- "I'm the Master Here"
- "In A Simple Way"
- "Love and Duty"
- "The Moon in My Pocket"
- "Pass the Eau-de-Cologne"
- "The Real Thing"
- "Soliloquy"
- "Under a Spell"
- "Want to Be Well"
- "Escape Me Never" (lyric adapted from Browning)
- "What the World Calls Love"
- "What's Natural"
- "Woman And Man"
- "The World Outside"
- "You Only To Love Me"
Productions
The original
Lyric Theatre in London on 20 October 1964 and ran for 948 performances.[1]
The cast was as follows:
- John Clements – Edward Moulton-Barrett
- June Bronhill – Elizabeth Barrett
- Keith Michell – Robert Browning
- Angela Richards – Henrietta
The original Australian production, in which June Bronhill reprised her London role, opened at the
Princess Theatre, Melbourne on 21 May 1966. The cast also starred English actor Denis Quilley as Robert, Frank Thring as Edward, and included Madeleine Orr in a smaller role. The show ran for six months in Melbourne before moving to Sydney, where it ran for four weeks.[2]
The musical was produced at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, England, starring Jeremy Brett and Sally Ann Howes from 22 December 1976 to 29 January 1977. Another production ran at the Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn, New Jersey, from November through December 1982, with Marc Jacoby as Robert and Leigh Beery as Elizabeth.[3]
It was staged in the 1987
Chichester Festival, featuring Mark Wynter. A recording of the production was released by First Night Records (ASIN: B000024TK6).[4] The musical then played at the Forum Theater in Chicago, Illinois in November 1974, with Steven Arlen as Robert.[5]
The show was prevented from being produced on Broadway due to a copyright disagreement with the estate of
Rudolph Besier, author of The Barretts of Wimpole Street, on which the story was partly based.[1]
References
- ^ a b "'Robert and Elizabeth' production and song list" guidetomusicaltheatre.com, Retrieved 17 May 2010
- ^ Thomson, John. Article at australianmusicals.com, Retrieved 17 May 2010
- ^ Gussow, Mel. "Musical: The Brownings". The New York Times, 18 November 1982
- ^ "'Robert and Elizabeth' listing". Amazon.com, 17 May 2010
- ^ Anderson, George. "Local Angles". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 19 November 1974