''Beautiful and Damned'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

with a book by Kit Hesketh Harvey and music and lyrics by Les Reed and Roger Cook. Drawing its title from

F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...

's second novel, it focuses on the turbulent relationship he shared with his wife Zelda during the Jazz Age. Young, stylish, and successful, they are the envy of

high society High society, sometimes simply society, is the behavior and lifestyle of people with the highest levels of wealth and social status. It includes their related affiliations, social events and practices. Upscale social clubs were open to men based ...

friends who are unaware that behind their glamorous façade are two individuals doomed to

tragedy Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...

Productions

The musical premiered in

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

at the

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre is a theatre located in Guildford, Surrey, England. Named after the actress Yvonne Arnaud, it presents a series of locally produced and national touring productions, including opera, ballet and pantomime. The theatre ...

in June 2003, with

John Barrowman John Scot Barrowman (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his role as Captain Jack Harkness in '' Doctor Who'' and ''Torchwood'', and as Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrow ...

and Helen Anker. The West End production opened on 28 April 2004 (previews) at the Lyric Theatre, where it ran until 14 August. Directed and

choreographed Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

Craig Revel Horwood Craig Revel Horwood (born 4 January 1965) is an Australian-British author, dancer, choreographer, conductor, theatre director, and former drag queen in the United Kingdom. He is also a patron of the Royal Osteoporosis Society. Horwood is best ...

, the cast included

Michael Praed Michael Praed ( ; born 1 April 1960), birth name Michael David Prince, is a British actor and narrator, probably best remembered for his role as Robin of Loxley in the British television series ''Robin of Sherwood'', which attained cult status ...

(Scott), Helen Anker (Zelda),

Jo Gibb JoAnn Gibb is a Scottish theatre actress best known for her role of Rumpleteazer in the 1998 film of Andrew Lloyd Webber's '' Cats'', and as the replacement Pearl the Observation Car in the original production of ''Starlight Express''. She al ...

, Susannah Fellows, and

David Burt David Burt (1953) is a British actor, known primarily for his many and wide-ranging West End performances. David Burt is the son of Pip Hinton, better known for her role in '' Crackerjack'' alongside Eamonn Andrews and later Leslie Crowther. ...

. A new production, helmed by Baltimore-based designer Sammy Robert Jungwirth, will be produced under the new title, “Zelda” in Maryland in 2023 through special arrangement with the show’s global rights owner www.Lucky4music.com. ''Beautiful and Damned''
guidetomusicaltheatre.com, accessed 31 January 2016Bennett, Ray
"Theatre Review. ‘Beautiful and Damned’ musical"
thecliffedge.com, 15 June 2004

Song list

*I'm Dancing *I'll Meet You at the Ball Tonight *Beautiful Magnolia *I Refuse to Be a Girl *Little Miz Alabama *Tomorrow Won't Happen 'til Tomorrow *Casey's Grill/Shooter's Shoes *The Letters *The Beautiful and the Damned *So Long New York to Europe *Living Well's the Only Way *The Old World Shines Again *Trouble *She's Over the Top - He's Under the Table *Golden Days *Princess of the Western World *Oh How Tender is the Night *Save Me the Waltz *Being a Woman *Even Now

References

https://www.broadwayworld.com/baltimore/article/Zelda-Fitzgerald-Musical-ZELDA-To-Be-Produced-In-Maryland-20220217

External links

Official website
2004 musicals West End musicals Musicals set in the Roaring Twenties British musicals {{Musical-theat-stub