Concert version in Eastwood
Music and Lyrics by Glyn Bailey
Book by Glyn Bailey, Keith Thomas and Theasa Tuohy
Book by Glyn Bailey, Keith Thomas and Theasa Tuohy
It was whilst performing on a cruise ship that Glyn Bailey first had the idea of writing a musical about one of England’s greatest novelists!
Bailey, like D.H. Lawrence, was born in Nottingham, England and, also like Lawrence, has spent much of his life travelling, working and living in other parts of the world.
It was Lawrence’s mixed feelings towards the town and country of his birth that first inspired Bailey to embark on this project.
The work, originally entitled Country of My Heart, was first staged in 2000 as a dramatised concert version with music and lyrics by Glyn Bailey, narrative by Carol Lehan, direction by Keith Thomas and musical direction by Ricki Holmes.
It was performed in Lawrence’s hometown of Eastwood - with a professional cast which included West End and Broadway stars Garth Bardsley and Christiane Noll in the lead roles.
Although it received much critical acclaim in this format, it was clear that to make the show work as a full musical the story needed to be completely re-written in order to encompass the exciting twists and turns of Lawrence’s often wretched life.
Theasa Tuohy joined Bailey in developing the book. With Thomas directing, workshops were run in the USA and UK over a two-year period, each time prompting changes and re-writes.
Music and Lyrics by Glyn Bailey
Thomas then joined as co-bookwriter and after further developments and restructuring, the project eventually emerged as a full-blown musical.
In July 2006, GSA Conservatoire in Guildford, Surrey, England, produced a full stage production of the musical, by now re-named Phoenix.
The audience response was amazing. They loved the music and the story and proclaimed Phoenix "worthy of the West End".
Seeing the musical in performance gave the writers the chance to assess the value and impact of each scene on the audience and they also showed the script to various experts for comment. All of this resulted in final changes and improvements.
The mythical Phoenix had been adopted by Lawrence as his personal symbol and it aptly captured his rise from the ashes of rejection to his undisputed status as one of the 20th century’s greatest and most influential writers: all good reasons for calling the musical 'Phoenix'. However, after much debate it was finally decided in 2007 that Scandalous! is a more provocative title and better represents the musical's story and creative approach.
Scandalous! is not an intellectual treatment of Lawrence - but an entertainment about a remarkable man; his ambitions and inspirations; and the changing times of the 20th century.
GSA production
Scandalous! is ready and available for production. It has already attracted interest both in the UK and America. A fully staged production will take place in New Orleans in March 2009.
The writers are keen to discuss every opportunity.
Please contact Keith Thomas in the UK or Glyn Bailey in the USA.
