Success!
Encyclopedia
Success! is a musical by Bernard J. Taylor
that was first recorded in 1993 as a studio concept album featuring various West End
performers including Lon Satton
(who created the role of Poppa
in Andrew Lloyd Webber
's Starlight Express
), Claire Moore
, Kathryn Evans, Jessica Martin
and Maurice Clarke. It had its world premiere stage production in Rotherham
, Yorkshire
, in 1995.
Following are extracts of some of the reviews:
"Great writers of stage music have always proved themselves to be versatile. In the light of the favourable reaction it received it would have been more than easy for Taylor to follow Wuthering Heights with another show in that same grand scale, but instead he quickly showed his credentials by heading in a totally different direction and in doing so comes up with another admirable piece of work. "Success!" is full of splendid material and is loads of fun." - Mike Gibb, Masquerade, Issue 13, 1993
"An adaptation of the Faust legend, I enjoyed this one very much, and it has some bright, breezy and catchy numbers. I will be surprised if anyone who buys it is disappointed with the standard of the songs." - Terry Wardrope, Words and Music, Issue 17, January 1994.
"Taylor's score has several attractive songs . . . They're all sung as if they are the hottest songs to come from the West End." - Show Music, USA, autumn 1993 edition.
Bernard J. Taylor
Bernard J. Taylor is the writer and composer of ten stage musicals and two stage plays. His musicals have been produced around the world and translated into German, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian, Spanish and Italian. He is also the writer of 14 novels and three non-fiction books.Taylor was born and...
that was first recorded in 1993 as a studio concept album featuring various West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
performers including Lon Satton
Lon Satton
Lon Satton Born: 1929, Philadelphia. U.S.A., is an actor and composer mostly known in Britain.- Stage works : He acted in Bertolt Brecht, Kurt Weill, and Ian McDiarmid's musical, "The Three Penny Opera," at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London, England with Vanessa Redgrave, Joe Melia, Ronald...
(who created the role of Poppa
Poppa
Poppa is a character from the rock musical, Starlight Express. He's a steam engine like protagonist Rusty and is the oldest train of all. Control introduces him as "Ramblin' Poppa McCoy". He preaches of the Starlight Express, a god-like figure that will help those who call on him...
in Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's Starlight Express
Starlight Express
Starlight Express is a rock musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber , Richard Stilgoe and Arlene Phillips , with later revisions by Don Black and David Yazbek . The story follows a child's dream in which his toy train set comes to life; famously the actors perform wearing roller skates...
), Claire Moore
Claire Moore (singer)
Claire Moore is an English soprano singer and actress, best known for her leading role as Christine in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera and as Ellen in "Miss Saigon"....
, Kathryn Evans, Jessica Martin
Jessica Martin
Jessica Martin is an actor and comedian. She is probably best known for her work as an impressionist and voice artist on the television series Spitting Image, impersonating the voice of Her Majesty The Queen. She also appeared on Yorkshire Television's 3-2-1 in the 1980s with impressionist Aiden J...
and Maurice Clarke. It had its world premiere stage production in Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, in 1995.
Following are extracts of some of the reviews:
"Great writers of stage music have always proved themselves to be versatile. In the light of the favourable reaction it received it would have been more than easy for Taylor to follow Wuthering Heights with another show in that same grand scale, but instead he quickly showed his credentials by heading in a totally different direction and in doing so comes up with another admirable piece of work. "Success!" is full of splendid material and is loads of fun." - Mike Gibb, Masquerade, Issue 13, 1993
"An adaptation of the Faust legend, I enjoyed this one very much, and it has some bright, breezy and catchy numbers. I will be surprised if anyone who buys it is disappointed with the standard of the songs." - Terry Wardrope, Words and Music, Issue 17, January 1994.
"Taylor's score has several attractive songs . . . They're all sung as if they are the hottest songs to come from the West End." - Show Music, USA, autumn 1993 edition.