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The History of the Show
Snow. January 1991, Clapham Junction and trains to Brighton
are all subject to delays. Not only do I not know who the Blues
Brothers are but I am wondering why I am making this trek to see
a Blues Brothers gig in the Hare and Hounds pub on the South
Coast.
Con O'Neill is an actor I've known for years. A couple of nights
before this snowbound trip we were in a bar and he has persuaded
me to make this journey. Con had just won the Olivier award for
his performance in Blood Brothers, and we were still celebrating
his success.
Con had been persuaded in the early hours of one morning to go to
Brighton and perform a couple of numbers with the Funk Skunks, a
band fronted by Tony McCormick, the saxophonist from the West End
Blood Brothers production - Con had decided he was going to do
some Blues Brothers numbers, and I was too polite to ask who they
were. By 9pm, the Hare and Hounds is buzzing and 400 people of all
ages are singing and dancing while wearing black hats and sunglasses
- and it's still snowing outside. I might not know who the Blues
Brothers are, but I know this music and its great music. So I returned
to London, watched the Saturday Night Live videos and read everything
possible about this phenomenen, but most of all I know that I want
to produce a new musical celebrating the Blues Brothers in the West
End as soon as possible.
Raining. April and Hampstead Theatre Club, a very prestigious theatre
in North London. They're not know for their musicals, but Jenny
Topper has been persuaded to give us rehearsal facilities, help and
advice in return for a workshop production of A Tribute to the
Blues Brothers, with the theatre getting all the proceeds. Full
house - a triumph! George Biggs runs 7 West End theatres, and offers
us a choice of 2 of them - we're off to the West End!
Sunshine. August 8th, 9am. Previews are going well, and tonight its
the Benefit performance in aid of the Friends of John McCarthy,
himself a Blues Brothers fan. I arrive at the office and standing
outside is a news crew from CNN - "early reports show that
John McCarthy has been released within the last hour" so by
the encore at the Whitehall Theatre, he will be back on British
soil.
8pm at the Whitehall Theatre. Searchlights donated by a well
wisher light the skies. 18 films crews push into the auditorium,
and film an emotional speech from one of John's closest friends
- the song EVERYBODY is heard in 46 countries, celebrating
John's release.
More Sunshine. August 12th 1991. The show opens at the Whitehall
Theatre with Con O'Neill as Jake and Warwick Evans as Elwood. The
six week season becomes 46 weeks ...!
The show is a celebration of not only this wonderful music
but of the great John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd who inspired us
to bring you an evening of great fun and a lot of sunshine.
David Pugh (Producer)
1997/98 Tour Programme
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