Gay's the Word
Encyclopedia
Gay's the Word is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello
David Ivor Davies , better known as Ivor Novello, was a Welsh composer, singer and actor who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. Born into a musical family, his first successes were as a songwriter...

 and lyrics by Alan Melville
Alan Melville
Alan Melville was a South African cricketer who played in 11 Tests from 1938 to 1949. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year ....

. The musical is a backstage comedy that parodies Novello's own swashbuckling Ruritanian romance plots. The story centres around Gay Daventry, a bankrupt operetta producer and stage star who opens attempts to bring a musical to London. Sadly, the musical is not a success, so Linda lends Gay some inherited money, and they open up a drama school at Gay's country house. This turns out to be a phenomenal success.

The musical premiered at the Palace Theatre, Manchester
Palace Theatre, Manchester
The Palace Theatre, Manchester, is one of the main theatres in Manchester, England. It is situated on Oxford Street, on the north-east corner of the intersection with Whitworth Street. The Palace and its 'sister' theatre the Manchester Opera House on Quay Street are operated by the same parent...

, England, on 17 October 1950. It transferred to the Saville Theatre
Saville Theatre
The Saville Theatre is a former West End theatre at 135 Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. The theatre opened in 1931, and became a music venue during the 1960s, finally being converted to a cinema in 1970.-Theatre years:...

 in London, opening there on 16 February 1951, where it ran for 504 performances and starred Cicely Courtneidge
Cicely Courtneidge
Dame Esmerelda Cicely Courtneidge DBE was an English actress and comedienne. The daughter of the producer Robert Courtneidge, she was appearing in his productions in the West End, by the age of 16, and was quickly promoted from minor to major roles in his Edwardian musical comedies.After the...

, Lizbeth Webb
Lizbeth Webb
Elizabeth Holton , better known by her stage name, Lizbeth Webb, is a retired English soprano and stage actress. After entertaining British troops during World War II, Webb pursued a career in West End musicals, playing such roles as Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls.-Early life and career:Webb was...

 and Thorley Walters
Thorley Walters
Thorley Walters was an English character actor.He is probably best remembered for his comedy film roles such as in Two-Way Stretch and Carlton-Browne of the FO...

. The musical is scheduled to be revived in February 2012 at the Finborough Theatre
Finborough Theatre
The Finborough Theatre is a fifty seat theatre in the Earls Court area of London, United Kingdom , which presents new British writing, UK and premieres of new plays, primarily from the English speaking world including North America, Canada, Scotland and Ireland, music theatre, and rarely seen...

, London, with a book revised by Richard Stirling, and directed and choreographed by Stewart Nicholls.

This was Ivor Novello's last musical, and it embraced the new style of musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...

from America, but it did contain traditional British humour for Courtneidge and the glamorous soprano solos written for Webb.

External links

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