Gone with the Wind - The Musical
Possibly the most famous epic film of all time now transformed into a strong musical show playing at the New London Theatre Directed by Trevor Nunn with Darius Deanesh starring as Rhett Butler and Jill Paice as Scarlett O’Hara.
** Gone with the wind theatre breaks ** available until June 14th 2008 when the show closes prematurely.
Gone with The Wind set to close May 31, 2008
Posted by admin in : Gone With the Wind, New London Theatre, dates , 1 comment so farAlas the rumours are true and Gone with The Wind starring Darius Danesh and Jill Paice is set to close after June 14th, in just two weeks time. The bad news was supposedly broken to a devastated cast after Friday night’s evening performance at the New London Theatre.
Digitalspy has the scoop along with Playbill and Broadwayworld :
Showbiz - News - Darius Danesh’s West End run cut short - Digital Spy
Following low ticket sales and a poor response from critics, the production will now complete its run on June 15. Patrons who hold tickets for cancelled performances have been told that they will receive a refund.“From the beginning of our journey we have all worked hard to achieve the realisation of putting Margaret Mitchell’s classic novel, Gone with the Wind, on stage at the New London Theatre,” producer Aldo Scrofani explained in a statement. “Despite the critical response the Company have enjoyed much praise from audience members during our run and for that we are grateful, nevertheless we have made the difficult decision to close the production.
“Plans for a New York production are currently on hold but in the meantime we are pursuing various options that have been presented to us from interested parties worldwide.”
This is a great shame, because by all accounts the show was starting to shape up and given time may have developed into a long running classic musical. London Theatre Breaks commiserates with all involved.
Gone With the Wind - cuts and changes soon. May 5, 2008
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The running time of Gone with the Wind at the New London Theatre is being cut in because at three-and-a-half-hours is is felt to be too much for audiences.
Producer Aldo Scrofani, speaking to the Daily Mail, said:
Even the people who love the show have said it’s a bit long,” and added, “It is long - and it’s going to be cut.”
It seems likely that changes will have been made by the middle of May. No one is saying what will go but the Burning of Atlanta and Scarlett’s slightly strange walk amongst, or rather around, the wounded have been widely derided.
Scrofani also said the production would definitely continue through May and into June, and he hoped far beyond. He is quoted saying:
“We’ve never posted a closure notice, nor discussed it.”
What do you think they should cut?
The Darius Danesh interview April 30, 2008
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For fans of Darius Danesh, and all interested in Gone with the Wind the new musical, the “Official London Theatre Guide” have just published a Big Interview with the star:
The Official London Theatre Guide | Darius Danesh
The Big Interview: Darius DaneshDarius Danesh has had to take a break from his life in Los Angeles, where he lives with his Canadian model-turned-actress girlfriend Natasha Henstridge and hangs out with Hollywood pals like Robert Duvall, to come to London to star as Rhett Butler in Trevor Nunn’s musical stage adaptation of Gone With The Wind in the West End. It’s a hard life.
In the interview Danesh enthuses about the cameraderie between the caste and is full of praise for Trevor Nunn’s adaptation of the Margaret Mitchell novel. Well, he would be wouldn’t he you might say, but have a read anyway.
Gone With The Wind April 27, 2008
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Gone with the WInd at the New London Theatre, Drury Lane.
Gone With the Wind - The biggest flop? Not yet anyway! April 20, 2008
Posted by Linda in : Gone With the Wind, opinion , 3comments
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Well, according to the Guardian arts section, that’s what Gary Cooper said about the movie. I think it’s not really fair to judge the musical yet. It’s still on previews. Press night and the official opening night on April 22nd will give us a better idea.
At the moment it’s still a bit long, three and a half hours at last count but more cuts are promised. It’s billed as ‘a play with music’ rather than a musical as such. Still it will probably be the most expensive West End production of the year and a huge gamble in a year that’s seen the closing of that other vastly expensive behemoth, LOTR.
If you’ve ever read Margaret Mitchell’s 1,000-page novel about the American Civil War you’ll be slightly stunned by the thought of trying to fit it into such a short time. It’s more like a Wagernian epic than your average simple musical plot. Even so it’s not quite as long as LOTR and I can sort of see how the basic story might be made to work on stage. Trevor Nunn is no idiot. He has a great track record and lots of people thought Les Mis would be a disaster.
Margaret Martin, who wrote the stage play and music has no stage or music experience. She’s a doctor! I’d love to know how she managed to convince people to back her. No, really 
The Guardian seems to think Darius Danesh, as Rhett Butler, and Jill Paice as Scarlett O’Hara, might have trouble competing with Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh in the 1939 movie. Personally I doubt it. OK they loom large in my imagination, (“It’s me age y’know!“) but the younger West End going audience have probably never even seen more than a few clips from the movie much less read the book.
Our readers are so far divided with Michael hating it:
My Goodness! What a pity I didn’t read this article before I just wasted three hours & forty minutes watching ‘Gones with the wind’ (the most boring show I have ever had the misfortune to see on the Wesr End Stage.) I have just returned from seeing a preview performance at the Duchess Theatre & simply couldn’t wait for it to end.
Unfortunately, as much as I wanted to leave.there were too many people in the row that I would have disturbed.
Simply dreadful adaptation by Trever Nunn of Margaret Martin’s lyrics & music. ( Music? is that what they call it?.
very good effort from the principal performers with such poor songs with very little melody whatever.
The applause from a practically ‘full house’ was barely audible at times & many patrons failed to reappear after the first Interval (90 Minutes.
If this show runs 90 days I’ll eat my hat.( It’s made from Candy anyway!) I had especially booked this musical production for my Mothers 84th Birthday & havin seen “Buddy” the night before she couldn’t comprehend how two west end musicals could be so wildly different.
I simply can’t wait to see what the London Theatre critics have to say after it opens officially on 22nd April.
Londoners BEWARE
And Pam off to see it for the third time:
I went on the first preview night and what an honour seing the whole uncut show…..
I did feel that things would need to be changed.
To me the second half was fast moving, good/great songs and excellent acting.
But it was the first preview and you should expect it not to be the finished product.I returned last night….many changes
The show now feels like a musical rather than a drama with music.Also went this afternoon and loved the audiences reaction at the end, they loved it.
There are going to be people who don’t like it but I think the majority will….I’m sure it will be a HUGE sucess.
I’ve been lucky enough to get tickets for press night….can’t wait!
So although the production has had more than it’s fair share of problems in this preview season I think we should really reserve judgement until after the official opening on Tuesday.
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Gone With the Wind - the costumes April 16, 2008
Posted by Linda in : Gone With the Wind, Musicals, Shows , 3commentsIn this extract from the behind the scenes documentary we get a first look at some of those fabulous frocks the Southern Belles wear. Not that the men get left out. Darious looks very dashing in his wig and hat and all those uniforms! Be still my heart, no wonder those girls needed fans!
The designer explains that the dresses change during the show from huge crinolines at the start to bustles later on to reflect the changing fashions over time.
I didn’t spot the curtains outfit. Did you?
Cheap London breaks to see Gone With The Wind April 13, 2008
Posted by admin in : Gone With the Wind, Special Offers , add a commentAnnouncement: Gone with the Wind is unfortunately closing early on June 14th so there are no more cheap packages left for this show. But if you’ve set your sights on a summer theatre break in London there are plenty of other great musicals on in the West End.
Show and Stay® the theatre breaks people have an amazing summer offer for cheap London breaks to see Gone With the Wind the musical weekdays, Monday to Thursday. Consider this deal:
From now until June 14th you can go and see Monday to Thursday evening performances of Gone With the Wind with one night’s hotel from just £84.50 per person as a special offer cheap London breaks package.
Make the booking now, see the show before it closes on June 14th
You can check your dates for your Gone With the Wind theatre break right here on London Theatre. Just scroll down to the booking form. The offer is available for Gone With Wind theatre beaks booked now for performances until the 14th June and represents a discount of £26 per person.
You stay at the London Travelodge Kings Cross. It’s a good quality 3 star hotel and it’s ideal for trips to the West End.
Rail Fares up to 40% Off!
You can even get a great deal on your rail fare with up to 40% off standard fares.
Offer Details
Right so here’s a quick recap on the conditions of the offer:
- Offer runs for evening performances Monday to Thursday
- Offer can be booked up to the 30th June 2008
- Offer is for performances from July 1st to the 27th September
- Offer price is based on you staying at the Travelodge Kings Cross
Book cheap london breaks now
Book your Gone With the Wind theatre break here:
Remember you must choose the Travelodge Kings Cross to get the special price, double or twin
You can also use the form below to choose any show and check availability.
The show
Gone with the Wind is well known as an epic American film and has now been produced as a full blown West-End musical directed by Trevor Nunn with Darius Deanesh starring as Rhett Butler and Jill Paice as Scarlett O’Hara. The live performance is also an epic which will take up most of your evening so it is advised to have your theatre meal beforehand, if you see what I mean, with each additional half hour’s entertainment represents even more value for your swanky but cheap London breaks at the Theatre.
Gone With the Wind - previews April 6, 2008
Posted by admin in : Gone With the Wind, Musicals, New London Theatre, news , 1 comment so far
** Book Gone with the Wind musical theatre break tickets **
Almost as long as the war?
The first preview of Trevor Nunn’s production of Gone With the Wind at the New London Theatre was a marathon session for both cast and audience.
Supposed to be running at 3 hours and 45 minutes - the actual running time was 4 hours and 10 minutes including the interval. The curtain finally came down at 11.40pm! Not everyone in the audience made it, with some very early departures and over 100 empty seats by the end.
What to cut?
The first half could be trimmed. As it stands it is perhaps more of a play with music than a musical. There is at least 20 minutes of straight dialogue at one point. There’s also some 3rd person narration which slows things up and doesn’t add much. They seem to have fallen for the trap of telling the audience rather than showing. The music and lyrics in the first act also need tightening up. The second half is much stronger with less dialogue, better songs, and generally more impact.
Performances
Jill Paice was on stage for all of the first act and most of the second, she must have been exhausted! By all accounts her performance was brilliant. Darius Deanesh, with his imposing height and stage presence made a strong impact. Natasha Williams as Mammy had more to do than you might have anticipated, as does Jina Burrows as Prissy, with the black characters at times seeming stronger and more real than the ’stars’.
Madeline Worrell’s character Melanie seems to need more work. It must be hard to make the ‘boring’, ‘goody two shoes’ Melanie interesting especially as Scarlet get all the best songs and most of the best lines.
The Staging
The stage thrusts out into the audience with two moving sections which are pushed on and off by stage hands. Get an idea of what I mean by watching Gone with The Wind Making The Musical the video:
Conclusion?
It’s a preview There’s lots still to do and apparently Sir Trevor was seen frantically scribbling all through the first half. There will be cuts, scenes tightened, performances polished. I’d definitely wait until after press night on April 22nd before seeing Gone with the Wind.
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How to make a musical and why Gone with the Wind April 2, 2008
Posted by admin in : Gone With the Wind , add a commentHOW TO MAKE A MUSICAL | More Intelligent Life
Why on earth is Trevor Nunn remaking “Gone with the Wind”? Robert Butler thinks he knows. He learns the famed director’s recipe for a show-stopping, heart-thumping, edge-of-your-seat-musical …
From INTELLIGENT LIFE MAGAZINE, Spring 2008
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Gone With the Wind? Northwest Arkansas News isn’t thrilled! March 27, 2008
Posted by Linda in : Gone With the Wind, news , 2comments
Just found this gem of a reaction to the new production of Gone with the Wind that’s hitting the boards next month:
NWAnews.com :: Northwest Arkansas’ News Source
ATLANTA — Talk about holding a grudge.One day you toss the tyrannical mother country’s load of tea into Boston Harbor. The next — give or take some 235 years — she retaliates by turning your beloved Gone With the Wind into a musical.
A musical where Melanie sings a ditty called “Desperate Times” after Scarlett kills that nasty Yankee soldier who tried to get into her pantaloons. Fingers crossed there’ll also be tap-dancing !
Gone With the Wind: The Musical, is the brainchild of a novice playwright from Southern California who spent two years creating songs before she even approached author Margaret Mitchell’s estate for rights to the book. It stars American actress Jill Paice (Broadway’s Curtains ) as Scarlett O’Hara and Scotsman Darius Danesh as South Carolina Lowcountry native Rhett Butler.
Mostly though the NWAnews is not thrilled that they won’t get to see the behind the scenes documentary that’s being made of the rehearsals. It will screen here on April 20th on the satellite television channel Turner Classic Movies (Yeah, I never heard of them either…….) and again later in the year with added footage from the opening night.
Hmm, last musical that struck a deal like that was Lord of the Rings with National Geographic last year. I’m only saying
GWTW opens on April 22 at the New London Theatre. We wait with baited breath. Personally I’m not holding out much hope for them recreating the burning of Atlanta. Can’t help being a little concerned about how they’ll handle the total lack of political correctness of the original. Could be fun
Thanks for reading London Theatre articles about Gone With the Wind
