All the Fun of the Fair
Promotional Poster
MusicVarious Artists
LyricsVarious Artists
BookJon Conway
BasisDavid Essex jukebox musical
Productions2008 UK Tour
2010 West End

All the Fun of the Fair is a 2008 jukebox musical with a book by Jon Conway, based on the songs of David Essex.[1] The title of the musical is taken from David Essex's 1975 album All the Fun of the Fair.

The show had an initial provincial run in the UK in 2008. The show transferred to the Garrick Theatre in the West End in April 2010 for a limited season which concluded in September 2010.[2][3] It toured again in late 2011.

Synopsis

The show follows Levi Lee, a recently widowed father with a rebellious teenage son, Jack. Levi owns a fairground, and struggles to make ends meet. One of the fairground's residents, a Romani fortune teller, named Rosa, is in love with Levi and tells him there is danger and mysticism in his future. Jack, meanwhile, falls in love with Alice, the daughter of Harvey, an unscrupulous businessman.[4] Harvey sends a group of thugs to run the fair out of town.[5]

Productions

2008 Tour

The 2008 tour, which ran from September 2008 until May 2009, visited Cardiff, Nottingham, Wimbledon, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, Norwich, Belfast, Birmingham, Hull, Sunderland, Southampton, Liverpool, High Wycombe, Swansea, Northampton, Llandudno and Bristol.[6]

2011 UK national tour

The show is directed by Nikolai Foster, set and costumes by Ian Westbrook, lighting by Ben Cracknell, sound by Steve Jonas, musical staging/assistant director Drew McOnie, musical arranger/studio production Ian Wherry, musical supervisor Olly Ashmore, and magical creative consultants The Twins. The cast consisted of David Essex (Levi), Louise English (Rosa), David Burrows (Harvey), Rob Compton (Jack), Tim Newman (Jonny), Susan Hallam Wright (Mary), Tanya Robb (Alice), Barry Bloxham (Druid), Susan Hall (Sally), James Hill (Spiv), Gareth Leighton (Chris), Louise Lenihan (Rita), Luke Baker (Chris), and Edie Campbell (Laura).[7]

Musical numbers

[8]

Reception

The show received criticism for its book, as critics felt the plot was convoluted in order to shoehorn in Essex's songs.[4]

References

  1. ^ Shenton, Mark (4 August 2008). "David Essex to Star in New Musical All the Fun of the Fair, Featuring His Pop Hits". Playbill. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  2. ^ Shenton, Mark (28 April 2010). "David Essex Tuner, All the Fun of the Fair, Opens at West End's Garrick Theatre April 28". Playbill. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  3. ^ "David Essex Brings All the Fun of the Fair to London's West End". Broadway.com. 6 January 2010. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  4. ^ a b Gardner, Lyn (2010-05-04). "All the Fun of the Fair". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  5. ^ "All the Fun of the Fair". MTI Europe. 2016-03-28. Retrieved 2023-02-03.
  6. ^ Shenton, Mark (4 August 2008). "David Essex to Star in New Musical All the Fun of the Fair, Featuring His Pop Hits". Playbill. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Cast/Creative Team/Producers". allthefunofthefairmusical.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  8. ^ "All The Fun Of The Fair » UK Tour Cast". CastAlbumCollector.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2009.

External links

David Essex
Categories