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A Slice of Saturday Night is a musical with book, lyrics and music by The Heather Brothers: Lea, Neil, Charles and John. The songs are a nostalgic pastiche of 1960s music, and the story tells a tale of teenage dreams and young love "set around 1964 in a nightclub called the Club-a-Go-Go".
The Heather Brothers were born in London and grew up in Zimbabwe, [1] where they started the rock group The Chequers, touring Zimbabwe and South Africa. When they returned to England they were signed, along with Tammy Jones, by Mrs Wallich of Delyse Records to form a folk group, The Three People, and released a number of singles through EMI. After touring Germany they split up and the brothers formed the progressive rock band The Quiet World, recruiting arranger Philip Henderson and guitarist Steve Hackett (who went on to join Genesis). After releasing a number of singles for PYE and The Road album on PYE's progressive label, Dawn, they broke up the band and moved into contemporary music. Along with Henderson they formed a new orchestra using final year students from the Royal College and Royal Academy of Music, recording the orchestral album, Etheral Conception and the choral works 'Rebirth' and 'Seascape' for Starday King. They were then signed by Elvis Presley's publisher, Freddy Bienstock as contract songwriters to his publishing house Carlin Music. Soon after the brothers began writing musicals. A Slice of Saturday Night is their most successful musical and was followed by Lust , which played at the Haymarket Theatre. Other musicals include Big Sin City, The Comeback, Love Bites, Sin $ Salvation and Camp Horror, the thrillers Blood Money and Seriously Twisted and the comedy Oz And The Pom. 'Bobby Dallas After Party' they co-wrote with Mark Nassar and Brooke Lundy. The Heather Brothers have also written and directed two films, The Big Finish and Seriously Twisted. [2] [3]
A Slice of Saturday Night was first produced in April 1989 by the Brighton Actors Theatre at the Nightingale pub in Brighton with Simon Lovat, Billy Lomas, Roy Smiles, Grania Smith, Sarah Clarke, Jannette Eddisford, Mitch Johnston and Binky Baker. It was performed at the King's Head Theatre, Islington in August 1989 and then made its West End début at London's Arts Theatre on September 27, 1989. The musical was directed by Marc Urquhart and starred Binky Baker as Eric, David Easter as Gary and Terry, Lisa Hollander as Bridget, Mitch Munroe as Sharon, Georgia Mitchell as Sue, James Powell as Rick, Roy Smiles as Eddie and Debi Thomson as Penny and Shirl.
Following national and foreign tours, the musical returned to the West End at the Strand Theatre in the autumn of 1993 for a twelve-week run, starring pop star Sonia as Sue and Dennis Waterman as Eric. The musical has enjoyed more than 300 productions worldwide since then, including an off-Broadway production under the name Café a Go Go and has been translated into nine languages. A new shortened version of A Slice Of Saturday Night has been chosen by Cunard as their signature show on the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship. [4] With a cast of 29 it will be the largest production Cunard has ever staged.
A London Revival was staged at Upstairs at the Gatehouse between 16 December 2010 and 30 January 2011 and produced by in-house company Ovation.
This has become a popular show to be performed in schools and colleges - often as part of a BTEC programme. When performed in schools, some songs are omitted due to the lyrical content, which may be felt somewhat unsuitable for under 16s to perform.
Seven teenagers dance and eye each other and flirt on a Saturday night at popular Club A Go Go in a town in the British provinces. Sue is going out with Gary, but he flirts with Penny and the other girls at every opportunity. Sharon and Rick like each other but are too shy to tell each other. Eddie is challenged by the boys to persuade "frigid" Bridget to "touch his whatsit" by closing time, over the course of the night he tries everything, with very little success. The owner of the club, ageing rocker Eric "Rubber-legs" De Vene, watches and lends an ear to the young people as they navigate the rituals of teenage fashion, music, sexual mores and relationships.
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Petula Clark, CBE is a British singer, actress, and composer.
A Mighty Wind is a 2003 American mockumentary comedy film about a folk music reunion concert in which three folk bands reunite for a television performance for the first time in decades. The film was co-written, directed, and composed by Christopher Guest. The film is widely acknowledged to reference folk music producer Harold Leventhal as the inspiration for the character of Irving Steinbloom. More broadly, the film is a parody of the American folk music revival of the early 1960s and its personalities.
Heather Headley is a Trinidadian-American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. She won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the titular role of Aida. She also won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album for her album Audience of One. In 2018, she recurred as Gwen Garrett on the NBC medical drama television series Chicago Med.
The Royal Court Theatre is a theatre located at 1 Roe Street in Liverpool, England. The current Royal Court Theatre was opened on 17 October 1938, after fire destroyed its predecessor. It was rebuilt in Art Deco style and soon became Liverpool's premier theatre. The interior of the building has a nautical theme, in line with Liverpool's seafaring traditions. The design of the basement lounge is based on the Cunard liner Queen Mary. There are three viewing levels within the main auditorium: the Stalls, the Grand Circle and the Balcony.
Bridget Jones's Diary is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Sharon Maguire and written by Richard Curtis, Andrew Davies, and Helen Fielding. A co-production of the United Kingdom, United States and France, it is based on Fielding's 1996 novel of the same name, which is a reinterpretation of Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice. The adaptation stars Renée Zellweger as Bridget Jones, a 32-year-old English single woman, who writes a diary which focuses on the things she wishes to happen in her life. However, her life changes when two men vie for her affection, portrayed by Colin Firth and Hugh Grant. Jim Broadbent and Gemma Jones appear in supporting roles. Production began in August 2000 and ended in November 2000, and took place largely on location in London and the home counties.
The Arch is a nightclub in Brighton, England. The club became famous for its cultural, art and music events, particularly its dance and acid house nights held throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. It has been described as an "influential club which pulled together many of the underground strands of visual art, fashion, music, design, comedy, cabaret and theatre which were circling at the time".
Jorma Christopher Taccone is an American comedian, director, actor, and writer. He is one-third of the sketch comedy troupe The Lonely Island, with childhood friends Andy Samberg and Akiva Schaffer. In 2010 he co-wrote and directed the SNL spinoff film MacGruber, which was his directorial debut. He directed his second feature alongside Schaffer, the musical comedy Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, which he also co-wrote and co-starred in with Schaffer and Samberg.
Quiet World were an English pop rock band formed by The Heather Brothers John, Lee, and Neil Heather in 1969; to record their concept album The Road. The group consisted of John, Lea, and Neil (songwriting), as well as future Genesis member Steve Hackett and his brother John Hackett, Dick Driver (bass), Gill Gilbert, Phil Henderson (keyboards), Eddy Hines (flute), and Sean O'Mally (drums).
Ilkley Upstagers' Theatre Group, or simply Upstagers, is a well-known amateur theatre group based in Ilkley, West Yorkshire.
Nydia Eileen Westman was an American actress and singer of stage, screen, and television.
Signature Theatre is a Tony Award winning regional theater company based in Arlington, Virginia.
Sunny Side Up is a 1929 American pre-Code Fox Movietone musical film starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, with original songs, story, and dialogue by B. G. DeSylva, Lew Brown and Ray Henderson. The romantic comedy/musical premiered on October 3, 1929, at the Gaiety Theatre in New York City. The film was directed by David Butler, had (now-lost) Multicolor sequences, and a running time of 121 minutes.
Helena Blackman is a British musical theatre actress, best known for being the runner-up in the hit BBC1 Reality TV programme How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?.
Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story is a musical in two acts written by Alan Janes, and featuring the music of Buddy Holly. It opened at London's Victoria Palace Theatre on 12 October 1989. An early example of the jukebox musical, Buddy ran in London's West End for over 12 years, playing 5,140 performances. Janes took over the producing of the show himself in 2004, and Buddy has been on tour extensively in the UK since then, having played Broadway, five U.S. National Tours and numerous other productions around the world. The show was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Musical.
Dreamboats and Petticoats is a jukebox musical based on popular songs from the fifties and early sixties. The musical, featuring those songs of the rock 'n' roll era, is set around the years 1957 to 1963 and was written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran.
Brittany Susan Pierce is a fictional character from the Fox musical comedy-drama series Glee. The character is portrayed by actress Heather Morris, and first appeared in the show's second episode, "Showmance". Brittany was developed by Glee creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. In Glee, Brittany is a ditzy cheerleader, or "Cheerio", for the fictional William McKinley High School, and a member of the school's glee club led by Will Schuester. Morris was originally hired to teach Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" dance to the Glee cast. At that time, the series was looking for a third cheerleader, and Morris landed the role. Morris was upgraded to a series regular in the series' second season, in which Brittany is given a larger storyline, solos and dance routines to perform.
"Saturday Night Glee-ver" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the sixtieth overall. Written by Matthew Hodgson and directed by Bradley Buecker, the episode aired on Fox in the United States on April 17, 2012, and features a tribute to the 1970s movie Saturday Night Fever and its Bee Gees–infused soundtrack.
The Bodyguard is a 2012 stage musical with a book by Alexander Dinelaris, based on the 1992 film The Bodyguard, with the score featuring songs recorded by Whitney Houston including "One Moment in Time", "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" and her cover version of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You". The show began previews at the Adelphi Theatre in London's West End, on 6 November 2012, and officially opened on 5 December 2012.
"Makeover" is the third episode of the fourth season of the American musical television series Glee, and the sixty-ninth episode overall. Written by Ian Brennan and directed by Eric Stoltz, it aired on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2012. In the episode, Brittany and Blaine go head-to-head in a debate for student council president, while Kurt lands an internship at Vogue.com and Rachel decides to give herself a makeover. The episode features the introduction of special guest star Sarah Jessica Parker as Isabelle Wright of Vogue.com.
The Marlborough Pub and Theatre is a historic venue, situated at 4 Princes Street, Brighton. It has been associated, since the 1970s, with the LGBT community. The Marlborough's small theatre presents theatre, cabaret and music throughout the year, including during the Brighton Fringe Festival, LGBT History Month and Brighton Pride Arts Festival.
