Miss Nightingale

Last updated

Miss Nightingale
The Musical
Miss Nightingale promo art west end premiere.png
Promotional art for 2018 production
MusicMatthew Bugg
LyricsMatthew Bugg
Book Matthew Bugg
SettingLondon, 1942
PremiereJanuary 20, 2011: The Lowry, Salford, Greater Manchester, UK
Productions2011 Salford, UK
2011 London
2013 UK Tour
2014 UK Tour
2015 UK Tour
2016 UK Tour
2017 London revival
2018 London, West End

Miss Nightingale - The Musical is a musical written by writer and composer Matthew Bugg and produced by his own production company, Mister Bugg Presents. The musical is set in London 1942 and tells the story of nurse turned singer, Maggie Brown, her transformation into the eponymous 'Miss Nightingale' and relationship with the three men in her life and their relationships with one another.

Contents

Plot

The story takes place in London, 1942. Maggie Brown is a northern working class nurse with dreams of becoming a singer. She lives in an East End bedsit with her best friend George Nowodny, a songwriter and Jewish refugee from Nazi-occupied Berlin. The two were introduced by Maggie's brother Bill (who is now dead.) However, what Maggie doesn't know is that George is gay and was her brother's lover. As a refugee and foreigner George struggles to find gainful employment and starts doing rent on the streets to make ends meet. Maggie's boyfriend, Tom, is a Black Market wide boy who fixes himself up as Maggie and George's agent. He manages to get them an audition at a new night club owned by Sir Frank Worthington-Blythe, a wealthy socialite who was invalided out of the RAF after being awarded for bravery. Sir Frank is also deeply closeted. The audition goes well and Sir Frank is impressed by Maggie's voice and George's satirical and saucy song writing talents. A successful new partnership begin and Maggie is transformed into the sexy, saucy and sassy ‘Miss Nightingale’ becoming London's brightest West End star. Sir Frank and George begin a secret love affair. As Miss Nightingale's success grows, the three decide they no longer need Tom. In his anger, and having discovered Sir Frank and George's secret, Tom soon turns to blackmail to get his revenge. At a time when homosexuality was illegal, Sir Frank will do almost anything to avoid discovery. [1]

Productions

A chamber version of the musical premiered at the Lowry Studio in Salford, Greater Manchester in January 2011 before transferring to the King's Head Theatre in London for 4 weeks. [2] [3] [4] A full-scale re-worked version of the musical was staged in 2013 and toured the UK for three months. The musical mounted subsequent productions for UK tours in 2014, 2015 and 2016. In 2017, a London season was mounted at The Vaults, Waterloo. The musical transferred to The Hippodrome Casino for its West End premiere in March 2018. [2]

Reception

Reviews for the King's Head Theatre production in 2011 were critical of the musical's dialogue while generally positive about the songs. Charles Spencer, writing in the Daily Telegraph of the 2011 performance, was critical of the script and called it a "deeply flawed production" [3] While Michale Billington in the Guardian gave it two out of five stars, saying that "Bugg's songs are better than his book." [5] Paul Vale, writing for The Stage, wrote that "Bugg’s music and lyrics are strong but his direction lacks perspective" [6]

Reviews for the subsequent re-worked full-scale versions of the musical have been far more positive. West End Wilma gave the show five out of five stars, describing it as “a brilliantly well written show, with a hilarious script and wonderful songs. The serious subject matter is perfectly balanced with hilarious comedy.” [7] Libby Purves, writing in Theatre Cat, gave the production four out of five stars, describing Bugg's songs as "wonderful". [8] Writing for Psychologies Magazine, Danielle Woodward, described Miss Nightingale as "an entertaining night out at the theatre" saying "the show holds your interest and attention from beginning to end, there are laughs and tears, great choreography and costumes." [9] Chris Selman, writing in Gay Times, gave the show four out of five stars calling it “a really great night out" with "wonderful performances, brilliant songs and a wickedly funny sense of humour." [10]

A poll in 2016 organised by BritishTheatre.com to find The 100 Greatest Musicals of All Time saw Miss Nightingale - the musical voted in at number 80 by members of the public. BritishTheatre.com Editor-in-chief Douglas Mayo said, "One of the great things that happen when you open a vote like this to the public is that you find out about a musical like Miss Nightingale. Written by composer Matthew Bugg, and has toured the UK receiving critical acclaim and raves from audiences." [11] The show was also included in the Guardian Readers' favourite stage shows of 2016] for the performances at Theatre Royal, Margate. It was nominated by Guardian reader Philip Bray who described it as, "A touching tale, beautifully and originally told. Being a musical not based on a book or a film, or a film of a book, made it even more captivating." [12]

Related Research Articles

<i>Annie Get Your Gun</i> (musical) 1946 musical by Irving Berlin

Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music by Irving Berlin and a book by Dorothy Fields and her brother Herbert Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley (1860–1926), a sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West, and her romance with sharpshooter Frank E. Butler (1847–1926).

<i>Guys and Dolls</i> 1950 musical by Frank Loesser, Jo Swerling, and Abe Burrows

Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on "The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown" (1933) and "Blood Pressure", which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, such as "Pick the Winner".

<i>On the Town</i> (musical) 1945 musical by Leonard Bernstein, Betty Comden, and Adolph Green

On the Town is a musical with music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, based on Jerome Robbins' idea for his 1944 ballet Fancy Free, which he had set to Bernstein's music. The musical introduced several popular and classic songs, among them "New York, New York", "Lonely Town", "I Can Cook, Too", and "Some Other Time". The story concerns three American sailors on a 24-hour shore leave in New York City during World War II, 1944. Each of the three sailors meets and quickly connects with a woman.

<i>Spamalot</i> Musical comedy play by John Du Prez and Eric Idle

Spamalot is a stage musical with score by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, with lyrics and book by Idle. Based on the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the musical offers a highly irreverent parody of Arthurian legend.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hippodrome, London</span> Historic building and casino in London

The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few survivors. Hippodrome is an archaic word referring to places that host horse races and other forms of equestrian entertainment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Widow Twankey</span> Character in the pantomime Aladdin

Widow Twankey is a female character in the pantomime Aladdin. She is a pantomime dame, played by an older man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cicely Courtneidge</span> British actor (1893 - 1980)

Dame Esmerelda Cicely Courtneidge, was an Australian-born British actress, comedian and singer. The daughter of the producer and playwright Robert Courtneidge, she was appearing in his productions in the West End by the age of 16, and was quickly promoted from minor to major roles in his Edwardian musical comedies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Edward Theatre</span> West End theatre in Westminster, London

The Prince Edward Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Old Compton Street, just north of Leicester Square, in the City of Westminster, London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jenna Russell</span> British actress

Jenna Russell is an English actress and singer. She has appeared on the stage in London in both musicals and dramas, as well as appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company. She performed the role of Dot in Sunday in the Park with George in the West End and on Broadway, receiving the Tony Award nomination and the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role. She has also appeared in several television series, including Born and Bred and EastEnders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Hippodrome</span> Theatre in Bristol, England

The Bristol Hippodrome is a theatre located in The Centre, Bristol, England, United Kingdom with seating on three levels giving a capacity of 1,951. It frequently features shows from London's West End when they tour the UK, as well as regular visits by Welsh National Opera and an annual pantomime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julia McKenzie</span> English actress, presenter, director, writer

Julia Kathleen Nancy McKenzie is an English actress, singer, presenter, and theatre director. She has premièred leading roles written by both Alan Ayckbourn and Stephen Sondheim. On television, she is known for her BAFTA Award nominated role as Hester Fields in the sitcom Fresh Fields (1984–1986) and its sequel French Fields (1989–1991), and as Miss Marple in Agatha Christie's Marple (2009–2013).

<i>The Goodbye Girl</i> (musical)

The Goodbye Girl is a musical with a book by Neil Simon, lyrics by David Zippel, and music by Marvin Hamlisch, based on Simon's original screenplay for the 1977 film of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerry Ellis</span> English actress and singer (born 1979)

Kerry Jane Ellis is an English actress and singer who is best known for her work in musical theatre and subsequent crossover into music. Born and raised in Suffolk, Ellis began performing at an early age before training at Laine Theatre Arts from the age of 16.

<i>Blues in the Night</i> (musical)

Blues in the Night is a 1980s musical revue conceived by Sheldon Epps. It was produced by Mitchell Maxwell, Alan J. Schuster, Fred H. Krones and M Squared Entertainment, Inc., and Joshua Silver.

<i>Lets Face It!</i> 1941 Cole Porter musical

Let's Face It! is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The book by Herbert and Dorothy Fields is based on the 1925 play The Cradle Snatchers by Russell Medcraft and Norma Mitchell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bertha Belmore</span> British actress (1882–1953)

Bertha Belmore was an English stage and film actress. Part of the Belmore family of British actors through her marriage to actor Herbert Belmore, she began her career as a child actress in British pantomimes and music hall variety acts. As a young adult she was one of the Belmore Sisters in variety entertainment before beginning a more serious acting career performing in classic plays by William Shakespeare with Ben Greet's Pastoral Players in a 1911 tour of the United States. She made her Broadway debut as Portia in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in 1912. She returned to Broadway numerous times in mainly comedic character roles over the next 40 years, notably creating parts in the original Broadway productions of Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers's By Jupiter (1942) and Anita Loos's Gigi (1951). She worked in several productions mounted by Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., including appearing in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1925 with W.C. Fields and Will Rogers, and starring as Parthy Ann Hawks in the 1929 Australian tour and 1932 Broadway revival of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II's Show Boat.

<i>Matilda the Musical</i> 2011 musical by Tim Minchin, Dennis Kelly

Roald Dahl's Matilda, also known as Matilda or Matilda the Musical, is a stage musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly, based on the 1988 novel Matilda by Roald Dahl. The musical's narrative centres on Matilda Wormwood, a precocious 5-year-old girl with the gift of telekinesis, who loves reading, overcomes obstacles caused by her family and school, and helps her teacher to reclaim her life. After a twelve-week trial run staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) at Stratford-upon-Avon from November 2010 to January 2011, it received its West End premiere on 24 November 2011 at the Cambridge Theatre and its Broadway premiere on 11 April 2013 at the Shubert Theatre.

<i>The Wizard of Oz</i> (2011 musical) 2011 musical based on the 1939 film

The Wizard of Oz is a 2011 musical based on the 1939 film of the same name in turn based on L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, with a book adapted by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jeremy Sams. The musical uses the Harold Arlen and E. Y. Harburg songs from the film and includes some new songs and additional music by Lloyd Webber and additional lyrics by Tim Rice. It is the third stage musical adaptation of the film following the 1945 version for the St. Louis Municipal Opera and the 1987 version for the Royal Shakespeare Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Gaumond</span> Canadian/British actor

Alex Gaumond is a Canadian actor, singer, songwriter and filmmaker best known for his involvement in West End theatre. He plays series regular gendarme Caron, the chief of police in Sainte Victoire, in the Channel 5 television series The Madame Blanc Mysteries, starring Sally Lindsay.

<i>Top Hat</i> (musical)

Top Hat the Musical is a 2011 stage musical based on the 1935 film of the same name, featuring music and lyrics by Irving Berlin with additional orchestration by Chris Walker. The show opened on 16 August 2011 at the Milton Keynes Theatre, touring the United Kingdom before transferring to the Aldwych Theatre in London's West End. Top Hat won multiple 2013 Laurence Olivier Awards after receiving seven nominations. The musical closed in London on 26 October 2013, with a UK and Ireland tour commencing in August 2014.

References

  1. ↑ "About Miss Nightingale - Miss Nightingale". Miss Nightingale. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  2. 1 2 "West End Premiere Of MISS NIGHTINGALE Opens At The Theatre At The Hippodrome Casino". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  3. 1 2 Spencer, Charles. "Miss Nightingale, King's Head, London, review". Telegraph. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  4. ↑ "About – Miss Nightingale". missnightingale.co.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  5. ↑ 17.15 EST (1 January 1970). "Miss Nightingale – review | Stage". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  6. ↑ Vale, Paul (6 April 2017). "Miss Nightingale review at the Vaults, London". Thestage.co.uk. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  7. ↑ "West End Wilma – REVIEW: MISS NIGHTINGALE (Hippodrome Casino) ★★★★★". www.westendwilma.com. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  8. ↑ "MISS NIGHTINGALE Hippodrome, Leicester Square WC2". theatreCat. 24 March 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  9. ↑ danielle.woodward (29 March 2018). "Theatre review: Miss Nightingale". Psychologies. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  10. ↑ "Miss Nightingale a great night out full of brilliant songs - review". Gay Times. 29 March 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  11. ↑ Mayo, Douglas. "editor-in-chief". BritishTheatre.com.
  12. ↑ Gardner, Lyn (16 December 2016). "Readers' favourite stage shows of 2016". the Guardian.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.