''Forever Dusty'' is a stage

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 ...

based on the life of British pop star

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop music, p ...

. The musical numbers are all songs performed by Springfield during her career. The book of the musical was written by Kirsten Holly Smith, who also plays the lead role of Dusty Springfield in the originating production, and

Jonathan Vankin Jonathan Vankin is an American author, journalist and comic book writer/editor. Biography Vankin is best known for his books '' Conspiracies, Cover-Ups and Crimes'' and, with co-writer John Whalen, the '' Greatest Conspiracies'' series, beginning ...

. ''Forever Dusty'' opened on 18 November 2012 at

New World Stages New World Stages is a five-theater, Off-Broadway performing arts complex in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It is between 49th and 50th Streets beneath the plaza of the Worldwide Plaza complex at Eighth Avenue. ...

, an

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

venue in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The UK Premiere opened on 3 May 2017 at

Brookside Theatre The Brookside Theatre is a 194-seat studio theatre situated in the centre of Romford in the London Borough of Havering, Greater London. The theatre was established in 2012 and plays host to many full scale theatre productions; musicals and pla ...

, a London Fringe theatre as the start of a UK theatre tour.

History

Smith originated the project at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...

in 2006, where she performed a workshop version of the piece as a one-woman show after receiving a Spectrum Arts Grant from USC. Smith has said that her interest in Springfield's story was sparked by listening to the singer's ''

Dusty in Memphis ''Dusty in Memphis'' is the fifth studio album by English singer Dusty Springfield. Initial sessions were recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis, while Springfield's final vocals and the album's orchestral parts were recorded at Atlantic R ...

'' album. "That soulful, sultry, passionate yet vulnerable voice. I immediately identified with her and knew that I needed to explore the roots of Dusty’s voice. I felt like I knew exactly what she was feeling when she sang her songs, that maybe it was the same feeling I had when I sang," Smith said. The one-woman musical moved in 2008 to the Renberg Theatre in West Hollywood, California. The theatre is part of the Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center at the

Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center The Los Angeles LGBT Center (previously known as the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center) is a provider of programs and services for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The organization's work spans four categories, including health, soc ...

. The L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center co-produced the show, then entitled ''Stay Forever: The Life and Music of Dusty Springfield'', with actress

Jorja Fox Jorja-An Fox ( ) is an American actress and producer. She first came to prominence with a recurring role in the NBC medical drama '' ER'' as Dr. Maggie Doyle from 1996 to 1999. This was followed by another critical success in the recurring ro ...

(best known for her work on the TV series, ''

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', also referred to as ''CSI'' and ''CSI: Las Vegas'', is an American procedural forensics crime drama television series that ran on CBS from October 6, 2000, to September 27, 2015, spanning 15 seasons. This wa ...

''), Leslie Brockett and Jon Imparato as producers. Brockett was a producer of the USC workshop version as well. The Off Broadway production of ''Forever Dusty'' is greatly expanded from the one-woman ''Stay Forever''. The show became a full-scale book musical with the addition of co-writer Vankin. The cast now consists of five actors, each portraying multiple characters (with the exception of Smith, who plays Dusty Springfield only). The director of the production at New World Stages is Randal Myler, whose notable previous work includes the bio-musicals ''

Love, Janis ''Love, Janis'' is a 2001 collection of Janis Joplin's performances interspersed with readings of her personal letters to her family throughout her career. It is a companion to the Love, Janis (musical), Off-Broadway musical of the same title (co ...

'' (about Janis Joplin) and '' Hank Williams: Lost Highway '' as well as the Tony and Drama Desk Award-nominated Broadway production '' It Ain’t Nothin' But The Blues''. Fox and Brockett stayed on as producers, joined by Jane Gullong and Sandalphon Productions. Helga Olafsson and Lawrence D. Poster came on as associate producers. Eva Price of Maximum Entertainment became the production's executive producer. Michael Thomas Murray served as musical director as well as associate producer. On 13 February 2013, ''Forever Dusty'' played its 100th performance. The show marked the occasion with a "Sing Along Night," in which audience members were encouraged to sing along with the performers with lyrics being projected on the back wall of the set. The United States west coast premiere of ''Forever Dusty'' was produced by Triangle Productions in Portland, Oregon, and ran from 2 February 2017, to 25 February 2017, at The Sanctuary at Sandy Plaza. On 3 May 2017, ''Forever Dusty'' had its UK premiere at the

, Romford, produced in conjunction with Strictly Theatre Entertainments Ltd. The run was the start of a UK theatre tour. The cast includes Katherine Ferguson in the role of

Show Description

''Forever Dusty'' runs approximately 90 minutes without an intermission and contains 20 songs. An "Author’s Note" included in the Playbill program of the New World Stages production states that the story of Springfield's life as told in ''Forever Dusty'' is true, but presented in "fictional form" for dramatic purposes, including composite characters and some alterations in "the time sequence of events." The central plot line of the musical focuses on Dusty's relationship with "Claire," an African-American music journalist who becomes the singer's love interest. Events depicted in ''Forever Dusty'' include the origins of Springfield's career with her brother's group,

The Springfields The Springfields were a British folk-pop vocal trio who had success in the early 1960s in the UK, US and Ireland. They included singer Dusty Springfield and her brother, songwriter Tom Springfield, along with Tim Feild, who was later replace ...

; her controversial arrest in and expulsion from

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

for her refusal to perform to segregated audiences; her sponsorship of the first

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

revue in the United Kingdom; her troubled recording sessions for ''Dusty in Memphis''; her public "coming out" as a lesbian; her comeback with The Pet Shop Boys; and her battle against breast cancer.

List of musical numbers

Wishin' and Hopin' "Wishin' and Hopin" is a song, written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach, which was a US Top 10 hit for Dusty Springfield in 1964. History The song was first recorded by Dionne Warwick in the fall of 1962, and was the B-side of Warwick's singl ...

(Burt Bacharach/Hal David) * Seven Little Girls Sitting In the Back Seat (Bill Hilliard/Lee Pockriss) * Island of Dreams (Tom Springfield) * Tell Him (Bert Berns) *

I Only Want to Be With You "I Only Want to Be with You" is a song written by Mike Hawker and Ivor Raymonde. The debut solo single released by British singer Dusty Springfield under her long-time producer Johnny Franz, "I Only Want to Be with You" peaked at number 4 on th ...

(Michael Edwin Hawker/Ivor Raymonde) * The Look of Love (Burt Bacharch/Hal David) *

Just a Little Lovin' ''Just a Little Lovin is the tenth studio album by Shelby Lynne, released in the United States and Canada on January 29, 2008. The album is a tribute to British singer Dusty Springfield, and features covers of nine songs popularized by her, in ...

(Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil) *

Love Power Love Power may refer to: * "Love Power" (Dionne Warwick song), 1987 * "Love Power" (Will to Power album), 1996 * "Love Power" (Praga Khan song), 2003 * "Love Power" (The Boss song), 2011 * "Love Power" (The KMG's song), Belgian entry in the 20 ...

(Teddy Vann) *

People Get Ready "People Get Ready" is a 1965 single by the Impressions, and the title track from the ''People Get Ready'' album. The single is the group's best-known hit, reaching number-three on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart and number 14 on the ''Billboard'' ...

(Curtis Mayfield) * Willie and Laura Mae Jones (Tony Joe White) *

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" (originally a 1965 Italian song, '"Io che non vivo (senza te)", by Pino Donaggio and Vito Pallavicini) is a 1966 hit recorded by English singer Dusty Springfield that proved to be her most successful single, re ...

(Pino Donaggio/Vito Pallavicini /English lyrics by Vicki Wickham/Simon Napier-Bell) *

Son of a Preacher Man "Son of a Preacher Man" is a song written and composed by American songwriters John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins and recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield in September 1968 for the album ''Dusty in Memphis.'' Springfield's version was produc ...

(John Hurley/Ronnie Wilkins) * Little by Little (Buddy Kaye/Bea Verdi) * Crumbs Off the Table (Ronald Dunbar/Edith Wayne/Sherrie Payne) * I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself (Burt Bacharach / Hal David) * What Have I Done To Deserve This? (

Allee Willis Alta Sherral "Allee" Willis (November 10, 1947 – December 24, 2019) was an American songwriter, multi-media artist, collector, and art director. Willis co-wrote hit songs including "September" and "Boogie Wonderland" by Earth, Wind & Fire. She ...

/Neil Tennant/Christopher Lowe) *Brand New Me (Thom Bell/Jerry Butler/Kenny Gamble) * Quiet Please There's a Lady On Stage (Peter Allen/Carole Bayer Sager) * I Found My Way (Gil Slavin/Mike Soles) * Don't Forget About Me (Gerry Goffin/Carole King)

Cast

In order of appearance, for the Off Broadway production: * Kirsten Holly Smith – Dusty Springfield *Benim Foster – Jerry Wexler/Bob Thackeray/Assorted characters *Christina Sajous – Claire/Assorted characters *

Coleen Sexton Coleen Sexton (born in Westfield, New Jersey) is an American stage actress who made her Broadway debut at age 20 in Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse's ''Jekyll & Hyde'' in 2000. She portrayed the starring role of Lucy Harris in the Broadway pro ...

– Becky Brixton/Gini/Understudy for Dusty Springfield *Sean Patrick Hopkins – Tom Springfield/Record Label Executive *Ashley Betton – Understudy for Becky Brixton/Gini/Assorted characters *Jonathan C. Kaplan – Understudy for Jerry Wexler/Bob Thackeray/Tom Springfield/Record Label Executive Original UK Cast – London Fringe production: *Katherine Ferguson – Dusty Springfield *Jai Sepple – Jerry Wexler/Assorted characters *Tash Thomas – Claire/Assorted characters *Laura Hyde – Becky Brixton/Gini/Assorted characters *Ben Ian Gordon – Tom Springfield/Record Label Executive/Bob Thackeray/Assorted Characters *Isabel Gamble – Swing

"Baby, It’s Cold Outside"

Though the song does not appear in the play itself, on 18 December 2012, ''Forever Dusty'' released a holiday video of Smith and Sajous performing the song "

Baby, It's Cold Outside "Baby, It's Cold Outside" is a popular song written by Frank Loesser in 1944 and popularized in the 1949 film '' Neptune's Daughter''. While the lyrics make no mention of a holiday, it is commonly regarded as a Christmas song owing to its winter ...

". The video was inspired by a 1978 television performance of the song by Springfield with

Rod McKuen Rodney Marvin McKuen (; April 29, 1933 – January 29, 2015) was an American poet, singer-songwriter, and actor. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide range ...

External links

Official SiteKirsten Holly Smith on Portraying ‘Soulful, Sultry’ Dusty Springfield in ''Forever Dusty''
* ttp://www.galomagazine.com/artculture/a-dusty-road-to-springfield/ A Dusty Road to Springfield, GALO Magazinebr>Sixties Icon Dusty Springfield Subject of New Stage Musical, Reuters UK"Baby, It’s Cold Outside" video on Playbill.com

References

{{reflist 2012 musicals Off-Broadway musicals