American Airlines First to Take Delivery of New Boeing 777-300ER

American Airlines 777-300ER will feature mood lighting, archway
ceiling treatments and a walk-up bar offering snacks and drinks.
(images credit: American Airlines)

I always compare the introduction of a new wide-body passenger jet into service to the opening of a new house or condo. Especially on long-haul flights, and I'm talking about the ones that have flying times of eight to ten hours, the plane is your home away from home albeit up in the sky.

After experiencing all three cabins of service over the years to London, I have to admit it was definitely worth it to squander so many miles two years ago for a Flagship Suite on a round-trip flight between Los Angeles International and London Heathrow. I'm earning and saving my miles again to repeat the experience.

Last month American Airlines announced it will be the first air carrier to take delivery of the new Boeing 777-300ER beginning in 2012 and will continue throughout 2013. Customers in Dallas/Fort Worth, London Heathrow, New York's John F. Kennedy and Sao Paulo will be among the first passengers to experience the new aircraft. Additional markets are being planned.

Among the jet's new features are unique mood lighting and ceilings with archways to create a spacious feeling and, the first for any U.S. carrier, a walk-up bar in the premium cabin stocked with snacks and refreshments. Entertainment options will offer up to 120 movies, over 150 TV programs and 350 audio selections. Each seat will feature international Wi-Fi capability, a universal AC power outlet and a USB jack.

According to American Airlines these are the features of each cabin on their 700-300ER:

Updated First Class Flagship Suite

• Swivel seats that transform into a fully lie-flat 80-inch bed.
• Drop down armrests that allow for easier access and more sleeping space.
• Aisle access from every seat
• Privacy dividers
• Two universal AC power outlets
• One USB outlet
• Two large tray tables
• Water bottle holder and headset stowage
• Boise Quiet Comfort 15 Acoustic Noise Canceling headset
• 17-inch TV screen and touchscreen video handset that also serves as remote

Business Class Cabin

• Fully-lie flat seats
• Aisle access from every seat
• Large tray table in addition to a work surface
• Water bottle holder and headset stowage
• Boise Quiet Comfort 15 Acoustic Noise Canceling headset
• 14.5-inch touch screen monitor

Economy Class Cabin

• American is expecting to designate some economy rows with extra legroom (part of new seating product announcement)
• Seats will have a higher recline pivot providing increased knee room
• Seat bottom articulates producing a cradling motion increasing the recline angle of the setback while protection personal space for passengers seated in the row behind
• 9-inch touchscreen monitor

New Airfare Advertising Rules and You: Fees Become More Transparent

(image credit: Brian Cohen)

New passenger protection rules began taking effect on January 26, 2012 starting with a law requiring airlines to include mandatory government taxes and fees in advertised fares. Here's what you should know about these new Department of Transportation rules.

• Travel booking sites and online travel agencies, in addition to airlines, must also include mandatory flight taxes and fees when advertising fares.
• There's nothing new for fare aggregator websites such as Kayak which were already displaying fares with the full taxes and fees.
• The rules also require vacation packages to show such fees and taxes if it includes airfare.
• Passengers will have a choice to cancel or change a reservation within 24 hours of initial booking as long as the ticket was purchased at least a week before departure.
• Airlines cannot increase the price of a ticket after it is sold.
• Airlines must inform passengers if a flight will be more than 30 minutes late.
• Costs for baggage fees must be displayed on the "first screen containing a fare quotation for a specific itinerary."
• Baggage fees must also be displayed on electronic ticket confirmations.

NIght Unfurls Its Splendor at a Matinee: 'The Phantom of the Opera' Celebrates 10,000 Performances

The Limited Edition Commemorative Playbill.
Click HERE to purchase from Playbill.com.

When 'The Phantom of the Opera' opened in January 1988, few would have predicted that Andrew Lloyd Webber's lavish musical would be celebrating 10,000 performances and on the road to reaching a full quarter century on Broadway. On February 11, 2011 at the 2pm matinee the show just did the former and is guaranteed to do the latter in 2013.

Playbill.com revealed the extent of the celebrations at this milestone performance. But Patrick Healy of the New York Times put the event into perspective:

• The production cost $8 million and has grossed over $845 million just on Broadway.
• The musical has come to define modern Broadway by proving the purchasing power of women and tourists, the durability of repeat business and the lure of the spectacle.
• Thanks to persistent marketing, strict quality control and flexibility in ticket pricing, 'Phantom' has thrived where shows with bigger stars and better reviews brought down the curtains.
• In December 2011, the show earned more in a single week, $1,579,428, than in any of the 1,256 weeks since the musical reached New York.
• One pair of investors decided to put $500,000 into 'Phantom' in 1987 and have gone on to earn about $12 million through Broadway and national tours.
• More than 40 percent of 'Phantom' patrons have seen it at least once before, and a majority of the 'Phantom' audiences in 2011 saw no other Broadway show that year; about 68 percent were women, and nearly 60 percent were tourists.
• On Broadway only 30 percent of shows ever turn a profit.
• The show's weekly operating cost have been tightened over the years to about $600,000, modest for any musical and low for one with such elaborate sets and costumes.
• The show turned a profit almost every week in 2011.
• The musical benefited considerably from the multimillion advertising budget for the 2004 film adaptation.
• 'Phantom' did its best yearly business in 2011, grossing $44.8 million.

Click HERE to read the complete article on nytimes.com. For me this show will always be one that propelled my interest in the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and live theatre. Though I had to make do at first with purchasing the vinyl two-record set and a copy of a libretto, it would be at least a couple of years before I actually experienced a live production of the show in Los Angeles in 1990. But I have seen the musical at least a dozen times more since and I see no reason why I shouldn't see it again.

"Les Miserables" Movie Casting News

Advertisement from 1991 that appeared in entertainment trade papers
such as Variety announcing the movie version of 'Les Miserables'.
Alan Parker, who went on to direct the movie version of "Evita" was set
to direct until Bruce Beresford ("Driving Miss Daisy") replaced him.
The movie project was stuck in development and eventually abandoned.

The final main roles in the big screen adaption of the hit musical 'Les Miserables' have fallen into place with the final piece being the casting of the coveted role of Eponine. Samantha Banks who played the role in London's West End and in the 25th Anniversary Concert is reported to have beat out high-profile names including Scarlett Johansson, Lea Michele, Evan Rachel Wood and Taylor Swift. It appears with this bit of casting few are arguing the choices for the film's cast as we all finally look forward to this screen adaptation after more than 25 years since the stage musical premiered in London in 1985.

Previously confirmed in the cast:
Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean
Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert
Anne Hathaway as Fantine
Amanda Seyfried ("Mamma Mia") as Cosette
Eddie Redmayne ("My Week With Marilyn", 'Red' Broadway play) as Marius
Aaron Tveit ("Gossip Girl", 'Catch Me If You Can' Broadway musical) as Enjolras
Sacha Baron Cohen as Monsier Thenardier
Helena Bonham Caarter as Madame Thenardier

The cast will also include Colm Wilkinson, the original stage Valjean, as the Bishop of Digne and Frances Rufelle, the original stage Eponine, who will play a prostitute. Other London stage actors to appear in the film include Kerry Ellis, Linzi Hately, Bertie Carvel and Alistair Brammer.

Click HERE to for the Daily Mail article about the surprising onstage announcement of Banks wining the role of Eponine.

Producer Cameron Mackintosh surprises Samantha Banks on the 'Oliver'
UK Tour to announce that Banks has won the role of Eponine in the
'Les Miserables' film. (image: BBC/Daily Mail)

Samantha Banks and Frances Rufelle, original stage Eponine, at the
25th Anniversary 'Les Miserables' concert.
(image: Alan Davidson/Daily Mail)

New Phantom Mask Logo for 'The Phantom of the Opera' on Broadway

Left: New Phantom logo debuts in Times Square at the corner of 7th and 47th;
Right photos: The new marquee at the Majestic Theatre.
(image: Dewynters)

(image credit: Peter James Zielinski/BroadwayWorld) 

The marquee of the Majestic Theatre in New York City got a makeover late in December. For 'The Phantom of the Opera's' 25th year on the Great White Way, the new Phantom logo which advertising company Dewynters refreshed for London has now been adopted for the show's Broadway home.

The former version was the white mask on a black background. The newer logo is much brighter with the mask enlarged on a blue-colored background. For more photos, visit BroadwayWorld.com. For info about the advertising company for 'Phantom', visit Dewynters.com.

Dewynters is responsible for some of the most iconic advertising artwork for theatre in New York and London which includes the waif for 'Les Misereables', the brush-stroked helicopter for 'Miss Saigon', the girl in the wedding dress for 'Mamma Mia' and the feline's eyes for 'Cats'. Below right is the old version of the 'Phantom' logo.

Barnes & Noble Exclusive: The Phantom of the Opera at the Albert Hall on DVD and Blu-ray

Barnes & Noble exclusive release of the DVD includes bonus
souvenir program. (photos: TheHopefulTraveler)

Much like how Walmart or Target distribute exclusive versions of compact discs and DVDs, Barnes & Noble has done the same. The exclusive versions sold by these retailers mainly include additional material that is not included in the versions sold elsewhere.

The latest Barnes & Noble exclusive is the DVD/Blu-ray release of "The Phantom of the Opera at the Albert Hall in Celebration of 25 Years". Unlike their exclusive CD releases of the 2008 'South Pacific' and 2009 'West Side Story' New Broadway Cast Recordings, the Phantom 25th DVD/Blu-ray discs themselves do not include any additional material and includes all the same material sold at other stores and online.

The B&N exclusive is a bonus 24-page mini-reproduction of the celebration's souvenir program. The program does not includes only highlight pages from the original program sold at the show.. But what makes this mini program a collectible is the credit for Wendy Ferguon who played Carlotta at the event. Due to an illness, the scheduled actress, Keira Duffy, could not perform. However Duffy's name and photo had already been included in the printing of the original full-sized programs.

Click HERE to purchase the DVD or HERE for the Blu-ray from barnesandnoble.com. Be sure the product description online says "Barnes & Noble Exclusive". The version I purchased at my local B&N store had no sticker or anything on the cover to indicate it as such. But the sales associate assured me the program was included and indeed it was once I opened the packaging.

Above and below: Pages from the souvenir program in the DVD package.
The program includes a credit for Wendy Ferguson (above center) which
was in the original program sold at the event.

COMMENTS ON EXCLUSIVE RELEASES
Now I have mixed feelings regarding these exclusives. First of all the exclusive versions are not widely publicized so you may have already purchased the item elsewhere not knowing there was an exclusive and being a collector you may have to pay for another copy to obtain the additional material.

Secondly these exclusives can get out of hand if you are looking for a definitive version. For example Sony Masterworks released three versions of the 2009 'West Side Story' New Broadway Cast Recording. There was the standard version sold in most stores that included 16 tracks. Then there was the iTunes release which included 18 tracks. The two additional songs was "A Boy LIke That/I Have a Love" sung in English (in the show the song is performed in Spanish) and "Jump" instrumental track.

However the Barnes & Noble release of the recording included 19 tracks. The three additional tracks were different from the bonus tracks on the iTunes release: "I Feel Pretty" sung in English (this song also performed in Spanish in the show) and two instrumental tracks of "Somewhere" and "Tonight".

Thirdly these exclusives are limited releases so once they're gone, they're gone. Luckily the iTunes version of this 'West Side Story' is still available but if you already own the CD, you would have to purchase the entire recording on iTunes. The bonus tracks are not available for individual sale.

If you do get these exclusives and know that they are such, you will probably feel you got something extra rare once the original stock is sold out.

I am happy I was aware of these and other exclusives sold at these stores as I was able to purchase them before they were no longer available. However I know I would be disappointed if I was a fan of these productions and lost out on getting one of the exclusives.

Loose Change Forgotten at TSA Checkpoints

(image credit: The Dallas Morning News)

According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), $409,085.56 in loose change was forgotten or intentionally left at airport checkpoints. As reported by the Gannett Washington Bureau, this is how it breaks down: $376,480.39 in dollar coins, quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies, plus foreign currency worth $32,605.17.

Those who leave loose coins at the airport are likely rushing for a flight or foreign travelers returning home who may feel they no longer have any use for U.S. change. The Gannett report adds that it may be because coins are no longer appealing in an increasingly cashless society and it weighs down pockets and purses.

By airport here is where passengers left the most change in 2010:

• John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York)   $46,918.06
• Los Angeles International   $19,110.83
• Hartsfield Atlanta International   $16,523.83
• San Francisco International   $15,908.02
• Miami International   $15,844.83

It's like those plastic bowls at security checkpoints have become TSA tip jars. But a TSA spokesperson indicated they should make every effort to reunite passengers with items left at checkpoints. Money that cannot be returned is used to finance the agency's operations. Republican Representative Jeff Miller of Florida is proposing the money go the United Service Organizations to help operate their welcome centers for U.S. military personnel around the world.

Internet Broadway Data Base (ibdb.com)

Similar to the way movies and actors are documented on imdb.com (Internet Movie Data Base), there is now a counterpart for Broadway productions. Called ibdb.com (Internet Broadway Data Base), this website is a treasure trove of the the plays, musicals and theatrical events that have played a Broadway theatre.

Most searches people will make will be by show title or people. The show title search will list every production (original and revivals) of a show that have played Broadway. For example, search for 'A Streetcar Named Desire' and the search results in nine productions of the classic play written by Tennessee Williams. Click on any one of the productions listed and find out the opening and closing dates, number of previews and performances, theatre and opening night credits. Additional links will list Tony and Drama Desk awards and nominations. For musicals, an extra link is included that will list the songs in the production.

Search by performer and find out which Broadway production the actor first appeared which may have been in the ensemble before landing their first starring role. Also find out the awards and nominations the performer received and, where available, their date of birth. A search for actress Kristin Chenoweth reveals she was born on July 24, 1968 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Before she starred in 'Wicked' as Glinda, she already had three Broadway productions under her belt including a Tony Award winning role as Sally in the revival of the musical 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.' Despite two additional starring roles, Chenoweth has not received a Tony Award nomination since 'Wicked'.

But the search I love best of all is by 'theatre'. Presently there are only 40 official Broadway houses, click the venue name under the 'theatre' tab and the results show every show that have played the theatre and various name changes throughout its history. For example, the Foxwoods Theatre which currently houses 'Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark' was first named the Ford Center for the Performing Arts in 1998 then the name changed to the Hilton Theatre in 2005 which remained until its current name in 2010.

Attending Broadway productions since 1995, this website has offered me the chance to remind myself of productions that I have long since forgotten seeing or to learn of productions I have missed or have become of interest.

Only the search by Broadway grosses lacks the detail that can be found elsewhere on the internet (such as on BroadwayWorld.com and Playbill.com).

The website is presented by the The Broadway League. Click HERE for the IBDB app for iPad and iPhones.

Airfare Comparison Tools Part 3: MileWise.com

This is the third and last part of a series of posts covering websites to comparison shop for airfares. The first post covered Kayak.com and the second post covered Superfly.com.

MILEWISE
Very similar to Superfly, MileWise.com allows users to find the best value for flights using cash, miles or points. MileWise tracks all your rewards in one place by telling you how much they're worth, warns you if they are about to expire and supports over 500 reward programs. Their search will figure out how many miles you will earn and factor in your elite level in your reward program.

MileWise is attractive like Kayak and Superfly in its ease of use. From the home page enter your departure and arrival cities, dates of travel, class of service and if you want to shop by exact dates or by flexible dates.

The search results page will sort the airfares by price. The choices will also include flights that can be redeemed with only points or miles. MileWise will translate the reward points/miles into dollars so you can compare if it is worth it to redeem them or pay for the ticket. MileWise also includes the miles/points/rewards you will earn if you belong to an airline rewards program. This is assuming at some point you will redeem the miles you earn.

Search results can be narrowed by ways to pay (cash, miles, points), airlines, cards (American Express, Starwood, Chase, Capital One, Citi), the number of stops and departure/arrival times. If you choose the 'flexible' option from the search page, MileWise will list results by day from which you can narrow search results. MileWise uses Orbitz for flight bookings.

MileWise does have one big shortcoming. It does not display flights for American Airlines nor show any rewards for the airline's Aadvantage frequent flier program. Like Superfly, Southwest Airlines flights do not show up in the search results either. Although I fly American, this website is useful to compare my other reward programs (credit cards American Express, Chase and Citi and Hawaiian Airlines Miles which I use for business travel)

MileWise launched last summer so it's possible further enhancements to their service will be forthcoming.

Airfare Comparison Tools Part 2: Superfly.com

This is the second part of a series of posts covering three websites to comparison shop for airfares. The previous post covered Kayak.com and the next post will cover MileWise.com.

SUPERFLY
Superfly.com unlike Kayak.com also allows you to manage your frequent flier miles, hotel, car and credit card rewards in one place. Similar to Kayak, I like that the search page for Superfly is clean to view and simple to use.

Step 1, select your status if you belong to a frequent flier reward program. Step 2, search for your flights by entering your departure and arrival cities, dates of travel, the number of persons traveling and class of service.

The search results page will list the available flights by 'Net Value' which Superfly indicates is the net of 'Price' less 'Rewards'.

Here is how Superfly defines each part of their formula.
Price - This is the amount you will be charged for the ticket with most taxes and fees included.

Rewards - This is the personal value of the rewards you will receive as a result of purchasing the ticket. Superfly multiplies the flight's distance by your personal base value of mile. They then add any bonus you may receive as a result of the class of your ticket, any multiplier you may have due to your elite status and any extra miles relevant due to airline minimum benchmarks per leg.

Net Value - This is the value specific to you. It combines the ticket's price and the value of your rewards. Superfly reminds you that the cheapest ticket doesn't necessarily offer the best value when you consider the miles earned or rewards you may or may not receive. This is the primary reason users like Superfly.

In other words, if you won't be earning any miles the cost the cost of the ticket is more to you in the long run. But this assumes that you will redeem the miles you earn at some point. Still puzzled about their math. They accept inquiries at math@superfly.com. Click HERE to view their frequently asked questions page.

Once you have chosen your flight, click the 'book' button and you will be directed to Expedia or the website for your airline of choice. So if you are part of American Airline's reward program and you choose an American flight, your browser will be directed to American's website. If you do not belong to an airline's reward program for which you choose to 'book' a flight, Superfly will direct you to Expedia.

Search results can be sorted by price or rewards. You can filter the search results by the number of stops, time of departure or arrival, cabin and preferred airlines. Click 'details' on the same page to find out the type of aircraft and duration of the flight.

If you register at Superfly, you will be able to manage all your rewards in one place, receive help to retrieve passwords for your reward accounts and show off your status on Facebook.

It should be noted that Superfly which launched in May 2010 and covers 65 reward programs does not include Southwest Airlines flights in their search results.

Airfare Comparison Tools Part 1: Kayak.com

Although my choice of air carrier is American Airlines, this does not mean I immediately purchase an airfare from the airline without still doing some price shopping. I still compare American's fare with other airlines and as long as American's fare is reasonably similar to other airlines, I feel secure about making the purchase knowing I have not overpaid for my ticket. If American's fare is much more expensive than other airlines, I will continue searching for other dates until the fare is similar. Depending how strict my travel dates are, my acceptable range between American's fares and other airlines does widen a bit.

Of course most people do flight comparison shopping as the primary way to find the lowest fare. Regardless if you are finding the best fare within a single airline or among several airlines there are three websites that you should be using. This post is about Kayak. Part two will cover Superfly and part three will cover MileWise.

KAYAK

Kayak.com does not sell airline tickets or hotel stays like Orbitz or Expedia. It is a price comparison tool. But besides comparing fares ranked from the lowest to highest between airlines, the website allows the user to also compare fares on Priceline, Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire and ChaepOair. New browser windows open if you ask Kayak to includes these other websites in your search.

After entering your departure and arrival city and planned flying dates, your search will result in a list of airfares. Users can refine the search by nonstop flights, take-off or landing times, airports, cabin and airlines.

If you find a particular fare of interest, move your mouse over the select button and three buttons appear: details, pin and share. Click the 'details' button to list the flight numbers, type of jet, flight time and estimated number of seats remaining on the flight.

Should you find a great fare to share with others or planning a group trip, click the 'share' button and send emails (or use Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn) that will include the flight information. If you are doing multiple searches or scrolling through several pages of flights, use the 'pin' button to save the flight info at the top of the search results page so you can compare your selected fares side by side.

By clicking the 'select' button, Kayak will open a new window and direct you to the airline's website to purchase the ticket.

Persons using this website should be warned that airfares are constantly changing so do not be surprised if the actual airfare on the airline's website is not the same. Kayak does include a disclaimer that "we make every attempt to get accurate prices, however, prices are not guaranteed."

The upper left corner of the search results page will list additional tools to set price alerts, calculate the cost of including checked-bags and list airline fees and fare charts. The 'fare charts' track the history of fares for your particular search over the past 90 days.

If you see a 'Hacker Fare', this search looks for better round-trip deals by combining tickets issued by two different airlines for each direction of travel.

The website also helps to manage trip plans by allowing the user to store their searches, set alerts for price changes on specific flights or at certain hotels over a period of time as well as help to track reward points. A window prompts users to enter an email address to create a price alert for travel between certain dates.

Click HERE to get the Kayak mobile app for iPhone and iPad.

Spread The Word: New 'The Book of Mormon' Musical Shirt Designs

Show your support for God's Favorite Musical by wearing
God's Favorite T-shirt. The gold tee features 'The Book
of Mormon' logo on the back. (note: online exclusive)

Call them shirts, t-shirts or tees, the marketing masters behind the musical 'The Book of Mormon' is still on roll. A new set of shirts were introduced and most are available only online at the Book of Mormon Broadway Store. Only the "Turn It Off" shirt and previously available shirt designs are available at the Eugene O'Neill theatre on Broadway and online.

Again the designers have taken references from the musical and plastered it on the front of these shirts. For fans of the show, which is still selling out a year later and commanding a premium ticket price of $477, such a variety of souvenir shirts may be hard to resist. All shirts range in price from $30 to $35 (shipping additional).

Click HERE to see the previous post about the other shirts available for 'The Book of Mormon'. Click HERE to purchase these shirts and other souvenirs from the Book of Mormon Broadway Store.

Do you love Orlando? Then you and Elder Price have something
in common. Show your love for not only Orlando, but also 'The
Book of Mormon,' in the Planet Orlando Tee! The black tee features
a gold foil planet outline on the front and Book of Mormon logo
on the back. (note: online exclusive)

Feeling something you shouldn't? Turn it off! Wear this 'Book of
Mormon' Turn It Off Tee as a reminder that you can simply turn
off any feelings that you shouldn't be feeling. 

Become one with the land in Africa. Wear the tee to prove it.
(note: online exclusive).

Are you ready to man up? (note: this long sleeve
shirt is an online exclusive)

Do you believe? Show it with this tee with the
show logo on the back.
(note: online exclusive)

Three Actors, Three Posters, Three Marquees: Casting 'How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'

Daniel Radcliffe ended his run in the lead role of J. Pierrepont Finch earlier this month in the Broadway revival of 'How to Succed in Business Without Really Trying'. Though the show was short of a complete sell-out, Radliffe never missed a performance during his 10-month contract, helped to fill the theater to an average of 94% of capacity, and was instrumental in producers recouping their $9 million production cost by December 2011.

Radcliffe's replacement is Nick Jonas (of Jonas Brothers fame). Though he is contracted to star from January 24 to July 1, 2012, producers had the great idea in casting Darren Criss ("Glee") to fill the interim between Radcliffe's departure and the the arrival of Jonas.

With Criss starring only three weeks in the role and his fame cemented by his role of Blaine on the FOX television series and his cover of the Katy Perry song "Teenage Dream" from the show, the box office is currently on fire with grosses coming in at over $1.3 million each week.

With Jonas starring in the role for six months, predictions are that the box office will soften as audiences have a wider window to catch the actor/singer in the role. Other major changes in the cast includes Beau Bridges as J.B. Biggley (replacing Tony Award winner John Larroquette) and Michael Urie ("Ugly Betty") as Bud Frump (replacing Christopher J. Hanke).

Publicity for the show has remained similar with the three young actors gracing adverting, the marquee and playbill cover by wearing a similar grey suit. But it was rather cutesy that each actor would have a signature color bow tie: blue for Radcliffe, purple for Criss and green for Jonas. Souvenir ties in each color were sold at the show. Photos below of the 'How to Succeed' marquee from BroadwayWorld.com.

(images: BrodwayWorld)

Closing!!! 'Backbeat' Musical in London

Backbeat Marquee at the Duke of York's Theatre.
(image:British Beatles Fan Club)

Another musical adapted from a feature film fails. 'Backbeat' was an unusual choice. It may have had the Beatles as a subject matter but unfortunately the story takes place before they were famous and is actually about the bass guitarist who was not part of what were to become the fab four. Also the 1994 movie "Backbeat" is not a well known title compared to other recent film to stage adaptations. (It's U.S. box office gross was $2.4 million.)

"Backbeat" the film is a dramatization of the Hamburg, Germany phase of the Beatles in the search of luck while playing the seedy clubs of the city. The band at the time was made of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Pete Best, George Harrison and Stuart Sutcliffe. Sutcliffe falls in love with a German girl and he has to make a choice between a new life in Germany and rock and roll. The film spawned a Soundtrack CD and is available on DVD. (Sutcliffe died in April 1962 of a brain hemorrhage just before the Beatles made their first recordings that would launch their fame.)

The musical 'Backbeat' opened at the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End on October 10, 2011 (previews from September 24) and will close on February 18, 2012. The production directed by David Leveaux starred Nick Blood as Sutcliffe, Andrew Knott as Lennon, Daniel Healy as McCartney, William Payne as Harrison and Oliver Bennett as Best. Ruta Gedmintas plays Astrid Kircherr, the name of the girl that Sutcliffe falls for. The musical had its world premiere in 2010 at Glasgow's Citizens Theatre. Producers hope to transfer the show to Canada in summer 2012.

From Sam Marlowe's Time Out review: "This is no tacky jukebox musical. Instead, it's a striking absorbing play with music, written by Ian Softley and Stephen Jeffreys and based on Softley's 1994 film of the same name. It does, of course, exploit the mythology of the Beatlres; but it does so imaginatively, with neither wide-eyed adulation nor slavish adherence to historical fact. The results are dark, thrilling and startlingly moving."

Nick Blood as Stuart Sutcliffe

Oliver Bennett as Pete Best

Daniel Healy as Paul McCartney

Andrew Knott as John Lennon

Will Payne as George Harrison

(all production photos: Nobby Clark)