THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC…
MARION McMULLEN LOOKS AT SOME OF THE WEST END’S LONGEST-RUNNING
King Charles (then Prince of Wales) attended a charity preview of Disney’s The Lion King in 1999 at the Lyceum Theatre. The musical was based on the 1994 animated film by Disney, with music and lyrics by Sir Elton John
and Sir Tim Rice.
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Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers notched up more than 10,000 performances in the West End, between 1988 and 2012, running for 24 years. Starsky and Hutch star David Soul (left) made his West End debut in the musical in the 1990s.
Abba musical Mamma Mia is celebrating 25 years on the London stage. Since its 1999 premiere, more than 50 productions have been staged in more than 450 cities in 16 languages, including versions on Broadway and in Paris. Abba’s Bjorn Ulvaeus attended an anniversary performance at the Novello Theatre (left). 7
A roller-skating cast made Starlight Express a West End hit in 1988 and it ran for 17 years. Arlene Phillips (below) was the choreographer for Andrew Lloyd Webber’s production and the show will be back in June at the specially designed Starlight Auditorium at Troubadour Wembley
Park Theatre. 2
Les Misérables is the longest-running West End Musical. It opened in 1985 and is based on Victor Hugo’s novel. Colm Wilkinson played Valjean in the original production and Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe and Anne Hathaway appeared in the
2012 film version.
Wicked has been “defying gravity” in the West End since 2006 and is still going strong. The show tells the story of the Wizard Of Oz from the witches’ viewpoint. Its 1,000th curtain call came at the Apollo Victoria in 2009, with Dianne Pilkington as Glinda and Kerry Ellis as Elphaba, pictured. 3
Cockney Rebel’s late frontman Steve Harley (pictured) duetted with Sarah Brightman on the title track of The Phantom Of The Opera for the original 1986 run. The show was also Broadway’s longest-running musical – a fixture since 1988 – but had its final curtain call last year.
Chicago opened in London in 1997 and ran for 6,187 performances before closing in 2012. The tale of two women on death row for murder went on to be a movie hit in 2002 and won six Oscars including best supporting actress for Catherine Zeta-Jones (pictured). 4
Cats, with melodies courtesy of Andrew Lloyd Webber, once held the distinction of being the longest-running musical in London’s West End and on Broadway. Loosely based on TS Eliot’s collection of poems, it first opened in London in 1981. Bonnie Langford (pictured) was in the original cast. 10
Tim Minchin wrote Matilda for the Royal Shakespeare Company. It opened on the London stage in 2011 and went on to win seven Olivier Awards the following year. The musical was based on writer Roald Dahl’s 1988 children’s novel.