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London Calling With Champagne Charlie: The Lost Musicals
By: Charlie Salem Jun. 30, 2009
Each year audiences converge on Sadler's Wells for the annual offering from the Lost Musicals Company. Now in their 19th season, in 2009 they are presenting the UK première of Kurt Weill's Johnny Johnson.
Running each Sunday in June and finishing up on July 5th the cast includes Max Gold (Johnny Johnson), Lauren Ward (Minnie Belle), David Birrel (Dr McBray), Gay Soper (Aggie), Richard Stemp (Anguish), Myra Sands (Private Goldberger), Valerie Cutko (Nurse), Valda Aviks (Statue of Liberty), Christian Walker (Sniper).
The company is about reconstructing lesser-known shows by American's finest theatre writers, and producing them in part-stage part-concert form. They're often UK premieres and have led to further productions rolling out - a much copied idea through companies like Encores in New York, and of course the juggernaut revival of Chicago.
Johnny Johnson was originally produced in 1936 by The Group Theatre at Broadway's 44th Street Theatre where it ran for 68 performances, with a cast including Elia Kazan and Lee J Cobb, directed by Lee Strasberg.
I met Ian Marshall Fisher, the company founder and director, in a North London church hall busy rehearsing with the cast, who volunteer their time to be part of a true theatrical phenomena and potential hit machine.
Champagne Charlie: Why produce Johnny Johnson now?
Ian Marshall Fisher: Revivals were and are everywhere - My Fair Lady, Carousel and the rest. After discovering this piece and seeing how great it was I thought people would love to see this. And they have!
Champagne Charlie: What's this show about?Ian Marshall Fisher: Johnny Johnson is a mixture of satire, sentiment and surrealism. The anti-war fantasy, with 56 characters, has a rich and complex score including cowboy ballads, French music-hall, American vaudeville, and Weill's mordant and distinctive style. It combines broad comedy (a singing Statue of Liberty, a soldier who tries to bring peace by spraying the generals with laughing gas) and wit (a burlesque of psychoanalysis).
Champagne Charlie: How did the company and phenomenon start off?
Ian Marshall Fisher: Rodgers and Hammerstein's huge, huge commercial failure Allegro took up everything they had. After it closed it was never performed. But when I saw the score I knew people would love it so it just staged it. It was a great success!
Champagne Charlie: Where are they performed now?
Ian Marshall Fisher: The BBC broadcast them around the world and on the internet. Then we had other homes for my work. These have included London's Barbican Centre, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as well as Sadler's Wells.
The true stars of my work remain the writers themselves. Their work, through the authenticity of Lost Musicals, can be again recognised and celebrated by new generations of audiences.
Champagne Charlie: What was the journey from ‘page to stage' for you?
Ian Marshall Fisher: The productions are cast from a pool of 2,000 actors who work, unpaid, for love of the job - stretching themselves as performers and being seen in really good work. They also know top producers come and see these shows.
Champagne Charlie: Why did some of these shows initially ‘fail' when they first came out?
Ian Marshall Fisher: Every show has its own reason for failure. One show for example was a huge success and the film that was made of the show was so appalling that everybody thinks the show is the story. Remember, when staged West Side Story was a flop. Only the change into the film made it really work.
Champagne Charlie: You are famous for attracting talent who work for nothing just to be in one of your shows. Why do you think that is and who else is involved?
Ian Marshall Fisher: As I said they want to do good work. BBC TV film and comedy sensation James Corden is a big fan and contributor; so are West End stalwarts Daniel Massey and Sarah Kestelman.
Champagne Charlie: What is your next show?
Ian Marshall Fisher: I have been working on this incredible piece by Orson Welles and Cole Porter, Around The World. I would like to do this in America, possibly in Seattle Rep within the next year. Can you imagine a piece by Orson Welles and Cole? It's based on Jules Verne's Around The World In 80 Days and it was the biggest flop in Orson Welles's career. It put him in bankruptcy for the rest of his life. He had no money because ultimately he loved his show which he directed, produced, starred and wrote, and he was so excited about writing for Cole Porter, he took everything he had - he even went to film studios and said, "I will make films for you for nothing if you will lend us costumes and scenery for this show." and until he died was still pained by the failure of this show.
Champagne Charlie: Let's hope it goes the way of Chicago this time around!
Ian Marshall Fisher: [laughs] Yes! It will surprise people! But that [commercial success], you see, is of no interest to me and I don't want to do that. That's what Sir Cameron Mackintosh is for. Nevertheless, all our performances always sell out.
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