An Officer and a Gentleman (musical)

An Officer and a Gentleman, The Musical is a stage musical based on the 1982 film of the same name, written by Douglas Day Stewart. It had its world premiere May 18, 2012 at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia. The musical closed six weeks later on July 1.[1]

An Officer and a Gentleman
The Musical
UK artwork
MusicVarious
LyricsVarious
BookDouglas Day Stewart
Sharleen Cooper Cohen
Basis1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman
PremiereMay 18, 2012: Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia
Productions2012 Sydney
2016 Silkeborg
2018 UK tour

It was co-produced by John Frost and Sharleen Cooper Cohen. The book was written by Douglas Day Stewart and Sharleen Cooper Cohen and the score was written by Ken Hirsch and Robin Lerner. It was directed by Simon Phillips. It starred Ben Mingay as Zack Mayo and Amanda Harrison as Paula Pokrifki.[2]

A new version of the musical made its premiere at Curve in Leicester, England in April 2018 before touring the UK. It was directed by Nikolai Foster and used songs from the film's soundtrack such as "Up Where We Belong", "Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Toy Soldiers", "Alone", "Don't Cry Outloud" and "Material Girl", opposed to the musical's original score by Hirsch and Lerner.[3]

Reception

The Sydney production received mixed reviews.[4] In response to a highly negative review in The Australian, calling the show a "bloodless facsimile" of the film, author Stewart published a rebuttal defending the production and attacking the critics for their "eclectic, overly intellectual point of view".[5] When the show's closing was announced, producer John Frost told a reporter that an American tour was still a possibility, after revisions were made to the show.[6]

The show was nominated for five Helpmann Awards including "Best Musical 2012". Bert LaBonte won for "Best Supporting Actor".

Cast and characters
Character Original Australia Cast Original UK Tour Cast
Zack Mayo Ben Mingay Jonny Fines
Paula Pokrifki Amanda Harrison Emma Williams
Sid Worley Alex Rathgeber Ian McIntosh
Lynette Pomeroy Kate Kendall Jessica Daley
Sgt. Emil Foley Bert LaBonté Ray Shell
Byron Mayo Bartholomew John Darren Bennett
Esther Pokrifki Tara Morice Rachel Stanley
Ramon Guiterrez Josh Piterman
Taniya Seegar Zahra Newman
Charlie Redding Josef Brown
Amy Cantrowitz Sheridan Harbridge
Young Zack Mayo Michael Kilbane

Oliver Wright

Otis Pavlovic

George Cartwright

Recordings

A promotional disc of five songs was released including "Up Where We Belong", performed by Ben Mingay, Amanda Harrison, Kate Kendall and Alex Rathgeber, and "If You Believe In Love", sung by Amanda Harrison.[7]

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominee Result
2012 Helpmann Awards[8]Best MusicalSharleen Cooper Cohen, John FrostNominated
Best Direction of a MusicalSimon PhillipsNominated
Best Choreography in a MusicalAndrew HallsworthNominated
Best Female Actor in a MusicalAmanda HarrisonNominated
Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a MusicalBert LaBonteWon
Theatre People Pro Choice [9] Best Actress Amanda Harrison Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Bert LaBonte Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Alex Rathgeber Nominated
Best Director Simon Phillips Nominated
New Musical Sharleen Cooper Cohen, John Frost Nominated
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References
  1. Adam Fulton, "Show won't go on: musical fails to deliver on world premiere fanfare", The Australian, June 12, 2016.
  2. "An Officer and A Gentleman Musical Cast Announced". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  3. "Exclusive: New musical adaptation of An Officer and a Gentleman to open in Leicester". WhatsOnStage.com. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
  4. "Review Roundup: An Officer and a Gentleman in Sydney", BroadwayWorld.com, May 20, 2012 (summary and links to other reviews).
  5. David Ng, "'An Officer and a Gentleman' writer hits back at critic", Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2012.
  6. "Bid to save sinking musical An Officer And A Gentleman". The Daily Telegraph. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  7. "An Officer and a Gentleman The Musical: Songs for Download". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  8. "Helpmann Award Nominees 2012". live Performance Australia. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
  9. Simon Parris (28 November 2012). "Theatre People Pro Choice 2012 Winners Announced!". Theatre People. Retrieved 28 January 2013.


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