It’s not very often you get to review a cast recording of a show branded ‘The Last Great Flop of the Millennium’. Seriously. I love flops - I always have - because I think there’s something in every show worth saving. And some flops go on to have a cult following, and this can lead to a revival more successful than the original. Think Carrie.

So, I was pleased when Stage Door Records announced their next release would be the first complete recording of the 1999 West End musical Tess of the D’Urbervilles. I have the utmost respect for this label, and its commitment to preserve ‘lost' British theatre scores of the past 50 years. Evoking the physical passion and romantic landscape of the original Thomas Hardy novel, Stephen Edwards' musical adaptation of Tess of the D'Urbervilles was conceived for the stage with producers Karen Louise Hebden and Bruce Athol MacKinnon over a five-year period. After various work shops, the musical was cast in April 1999 with Philippa Healey and Poppy Tierney alternating the title role alongside Alasdair Harvey as Alec D'Urberville and Jonathan Monks as Angel Clare.

Between September and October 1999, Tess toured the United Kingdom, opening at the Sheffield Lyceum to sensational reviews. Critics declared the production "visually stunning" and a "landmark in musical theatre".

Tess transferred to the West End, opening at London's Savoy Theatre on 10 November 1999, where London critics were unanimous in their damning of the large-scale through-sung musical and audience numbers subsequently dropped. The show closed on 15 January 2000 after just 77 performances. So, nearly 15 years since the West End musical adaptation was last seen on stage, it’s great to finally see the first complete album representation of Stephen Edwards' score. Featuring tracks from the 1999 West End production alongside the previously unreleased 1998 studio cast recording, the album includes performances by Philippa Healey, Alasdair Harvey, Jonathan Monks, Cathy Sara, Martin Crewes, Mark Umbers, Heather Craney, Eliza Lumley and a supporting company of forty singers.

I say great. I will always support releases of cast albums, and the ones I’m not lucky to receive to review, I go out and buy. And I buy the CD where possible, not the download. We should be thankful that we have labels like Stage Door (and others) who are releasing both new and resurrected cast recordings in both physical and digital formats, for they all form part of a rich Musical Theatre history that matters so much to so many.  

The production here is great, and the overall package that Stage Door has put together is first rate. I can’t fault the singers either - there are some notable performances here, not least from Mark Umbers and Philippa Healey. There is a class and quality to this recording that rises above the ‘flop’ status that this show will undoubtedly be tarred with forever.

However, the material for me, is lacking, and is certainly not up there with the greats. Whilst a couple of numbers from the 1999 London Cast have glimmers of memorable songs and themes, the majority of the work is a random mess of melodies and harmonies that just don’t gel. The lyrics don’t scan, don’t resemble songs and just don’t work. I gave the recording a few listens, and for me, after the first few tracks, the recording was as unmemorable the final time as the first. It’s a shame, because everything else about this recording is top rate, including the performances, and also the orchestrations, which are full and lush.

In the interests of history and production values, this recording is certainly worth adding to any enthusiasts library. Whether it deserves a place for the quality of the writing is another story.

7

Ian Gude