''Robert and Elizabeth'' 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 music by

Ron Grainer Ronald Erle Grainer (11 August 1922 – 21 February 1981) was an Australian composer who worked for most of his professional career in the United Kingdom. He is mostly remembered for his television and film score music, especially the theme mus ...

and book and lyrics by

Ronald Millar Sir Ronald Graeme Millar (12 November 1919 – 16 April 1998) was an English actor, scriptwriter, and dramatist. Life and career After attending Charterhouse School, Millar studied at King's College, Cambridge for a year before joining th ...

. The story is based on an unproduced musical titled ''The Third Kiss'' by Judge Fred G. Moritt, which in turn was adapted from the play ''

The Barretts of Wimpole Street ''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' is a 1930 play by the Dutch/English dramatist Rudolf Besier, based on the romance between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, and her father's unwillingness to allow them to marry. The play gave actress Ka ...

'' by

Rudolph Besier Rudolf Wilhelm Besier (2 July 1878 – 16 June 1942) was a Dutch/English dramatist and translator best known for his play ''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' (1930). He worked with H. G. Wells, Hugh Walpole and May Edginton on dramatisations. Ear ...

. It is an operetta-style musical which tells the story of the romance and elopement of poets Robert Browning and

Elizabeth Barrett Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime. Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabe ...

. The original 1964 London production was a success, starring John Clements as Barrett,

June Bronhill June Mary Bronhill (26 June 192924 January 2005), also known as June Gough, was an Australian coloratura soprano opera singer, performer and actress, She was well known for light opera, operetta and musical theatre in London West End theatr ...

as Elizabeth and

Keith Michell Keith Joseph Michell (1 December 1926 – 20 November 2015) was an Australian actor who worked primarily in the United Kingdom, and was best known for his television and film portrayals of King Henry VIII. He appeared extensively in Shakespeare ...

as Robert. Several revivals have followed.

Songs

*''The Corner of Wimpole Street'' *"The Family Moulton-Barrett" *"Frustration" *"The Girls That Boys Dream About" *"Hate Me, Please" *"I Know Now" *"I Said Love" *"I'm the Master Here" *"In A Simple Way" *"Love and Duty" *"The Moon in My Pocket" *"Pass the Eau-de-Cologne" *"The Real Thing" *"Soliloquy" *"Under a Spell" *"Want to Be Well" *"Escape Me Never" (lyric adapted from Browning) *"What the World Calls Love" *"What's Natural" *"Woman And Man" *"The World Outside" *"You Only To Love Me"

Productions

The original West End production opened at the Lyric Theatre in London on 20 October 1964 and ran for 948 performances."'Robert and Elizabeth' production and song list"
guidetomusicaltheatre.com, Retrieved 17 May 2010 The cast was as follows: * John Clements – Edward Moulton-Barrett *

– Elizabeth Barrett *

– Robert Browning * Angela Richards – Henrietta The original Australian production, in which June Bronhill reprised her London role, opened at the

Princess Theatre, Melbourne The Princess Theatre, originally Princess's Theatre, is a 1452-seat theatre in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Established in 1854 and rebuilt in 1886 to a design by noted Melbourne architect William Pitt, it is the oldest surviving entertain ...

on 21 May 1966. The cast also starred English actor

Denis Quilley Denis Clifford Quilley, OBE (26 December 1927 – 5 October 2003) was an English actor and singer. From a family with no theatrical connections, Quilley was determined from an early age to become an actor. He was taken on by the Birmingham Re ...

as Robert,

Frank Thring Francis William Thring (11 May 1926 – 29 December 1994) was an Australian character actor in radio, stage, television and film; as well as a theatre director. His early career started in London in theatre productions, before he starred in Ho ...

as Edward, and included Madeleine Orr in a smaller role. The show ran for six months in Melbourne before moving to Sydney, where it ran for four weeks. The musical was produced at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre 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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, starring Jeremy Brett and

Sally Ann Howes Sally Ann Howes (20 July 1930 – 19 December 2021) was an English actress and singer. Her career on screen, stage and television spanned six decades. She is best known for the role of Truly Scrumptious in the 1968 musical film ''Chitty Chitty ...

from 22 December 1976 to 29 January 1977. Another production ran at the

Paper Mill Playhouse Paper Mill Playhouse is a regional theater with approximately 1200 seats, located in Millburn, New Jersey on the Rahway River. Due to its relatively close location to Manhattan, it draws from the pool of actors (and audience members) who live i ...

Millburn, New Jersey Millburn is a suburban township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 20,149, reflecting an increase of 384 (+1.9%) from the 19,765 counted in the 2000 Census, which had ...

, from November through December 1982, with Marc Jacoby as Robert and Leigh Beery as Elizabeth. It was staged in the 1987

Chichester Festival Chichester Festival Theatre is a theatre and Grade II* listed building situated in Oaklands Park in the city of Chichester, West Sussex, England. Designed by Philip Powell and Hidalgo Moya, it was opened by its founder Leslie Evershed-Martin ...

, featuring

Mark Wynter Mark Wynter (born Terence Sidney Lewis; 29 January 1943) is an English singer and actor, who had four Top 20 singles in the 1960s, including "Venus in Blue Jeans" and " Go Away Little Girl". He enjoyed a lengthy career from 1960 to 1968 as a p ...

. A recording of the production was released by First Night Records (ASIN: B000024TK6). The musical then played at the Forum Theater in Chicago, Illinois in November 1974, with Steven Arlen as Robert.Anderson, George
"Local Angles"
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', 19 November 1974 The show was prevented from being produced on Broadway due to a copyright disagreement with the estate of

, author of ''

'', on which the story was partly based.

References

External links

Listing at broadwayworld.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robert And Elizabeth West End musicals 1964 musicals Musicals based on plays Musicals inspired by real-life events British musicals