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 | |
| Music | Various |
| Lyrics | Various |
| Book | Douglas Day Stewart Sharleen Cooper Cohen |
| Basis | 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman |
| Premiere | May 18, 2012: Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia |
| Productions | 2012 Sydney 2016 Silkeborg 2018 UK tour 2021 US 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 Out Loud" 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 | Original US Tour Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zack Mayo | Ben Mingay | Jonny Fines | Wes Williams |
| Paula Pokrifki | Amanda Harrison | Emma Williams | Mia Massaro |
| Sid Worley | Alex Rathgeber | Ian McIntosh | Cameron Loyal |
| Lynette Pomeroy | Kate Kendall | Jessica Daley | Emily Louis Franklin |
| Sgt. Emil Foley | Bert LaBonté | Ray Shell | David Wayne Britton |
| Byron Mayo* | Bartholomew John | Darren Bennett | Shelly Verden |
| Esther Pokrifki | Tara Morice | Rachel Stanley | Roxy York |
| Ramon Guiterrez | Josh Piterman | ||
| Taniya Seegar* | Zahra Newman | Amaya White | |
| Charlie Redding | Josef Brown | ||
| Amy Cantrowitz | Sheridan Harbridge | ||
| Young Zack Mayo | Michael Kilbane
Oliver Wright Otis Pavlovic George Cartwright |
||
| Officer Candidates | Zare Anguay (Leung) William Warren Carver (Perryman) Christopher Robert Hanford (Greer) Kyler Hershman (McNamara) Nathaniel D. Lee (Watts) Blake Sauceda (Zuniga) Kevin David Stevens (Cohen) |
* The character Taniya Seegar was changed to Casey Seegar in the US Touring production.
* The character Byron Mayo was changed to Zack's Dad in the US Touring production.
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 Musical | Sharleen Cooper Cohen, John Frost | Nominated |
| Best Direction of a Musical | Simon Phillips | Nominated | ||
| Best Choreography in a Musical | Andrew Hallsworth | Nominated | ||
| Best Female Actor in a Musical | Amanda Harrison | Nominated | ||
| Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical | Bert LaBonte | Won | ||
| 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 |
References
- Adam Fulton, "Show won't go on: musical fails to deliver on world premiere fanfare", The Australian, June 12, 2016.
- "An Officer and A Gentleman Musical Cast Announced". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- "Exclusive: New musical adaptation of An Officer and a Gentleman to open in Leicester". WhatsOnStage.com. Retrieved 2017-09-07.
- "Review Roundup: An Officer and a Gentleman in Sydney", BroadwayWorld.com, May 20, 2012 (summary and links to other reviews).
- David Ng, "'An Officer and a Gentleman' writer hits back at critic", Los Angeles Times, May 23, 2012.
- "Bid to save sinking musical An Officer And A Gentleman". The Daily Telegraph. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- "An Officer and a Gentleman The Musical: Songs for Download". Stage Whispers. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
- "Helpmann Award Nominees 2012". live Performance Australia. Archived from the original on 2012-11-02. Retrieved 5 February 2013.
- Simon Parris (28 November 2012). "Theatre People Pro Choice 2012 Winners Announced!". Theatre People. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
