Comedy Tonight!
A
Glittering Celebration of Comedy
A
Tribute To Roy Kinnear
Louise
Gold was scheduled to feature as a singer in Comedy Tonight - a fundraising
event in aid of The Roy Kinnear Trust, at The Royal National Theatre’s Olivier Theatre,
on Sunday 12 June 1994
Note:
Please note the cast listing and running order is not necessarily accurate, the
webmaster wasn’t present and so is having to use the original printed programme
of events as a guide. I don’t even know whether Ms Gold actually took part in
this!
Cast
Umpired
by - David Kernan and Hugh Wooldridge
Individuals:
Keith Baxter, Marti Caine, David Frost, Eddie Izzard,
Trevor Nunn, Peter O’Toole,
Performers
(Subject To Availability): Nicholas Amer, Robert
Bathurst, Gillian Bevan, Helena Bonham-Carter, Tim
Brooke-Taylor, Rhonda Burchmore, Clive Carter, Kenneth
Cope, Barry Cryer, Larry Dann, Frances de la Tour, Janie Dee, Judi
Dench, Frank Finlay, David Frost, Louise Gold, John
Gould, Sheila Hancock, Linzi Hately, Melvyn Hayes, Charlton Heston, Alan
Howard, Lila Kaye, David Kernan, Diane
Langton, George Layton, Johnny Lyons, Millicent Martin,
Joe Melia, Claire Moore, Brian
Murphy, Richard O’Brien, Lance Percival, Bryan Pringle,
Willie Rushton, Ned Sherrin, Victor Spinetti, Richard Stilgoe,
Peter Ustinov,
Ensemble:
Mark Blythe, Lesley Cox, Lisa Donmall,
Sharon Eckman, Luke Hope, Matthew
McRae, Johanne Murdock, Loretta
O’Neill, Tober Reilly, Lisa
Reynolds, Peter Sutherland, Claire Taylor, Simon Truby, and,
Production Team
Choreographers: Kenn Oldfield and David Toguri
Directors : Frank Hauser, and, Trevor Nunn
Musical Directors: Glen Roven and Kevin Amos
Writers : Anton Chekov, John Gould, Frank Hauser, David Monico, Richard Stilgoe, and, David Wood
Musicians:
Trombone - Brian Archer
Trumpet - Andy Bush
Drums - Richard Cole
Bass - Steve McManus
Keyboards - Andy Linwood
Woodwind - Nick Moss
Set Design - Mark Thompson (actually it was his Pericles set)
Design Consultant - Richard Hornsby
Lighting Designer -
Sound Designer -
Running Order
Act 1
Comedy Tonight - Gillian Bevan, Louise Gold, David Kernan and Ensemble (staged by Kenn Oldfield)
David Frost
- David Frost
I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue - Tim Brooke-Taylor, Barry Cryer,
and, Willie Rushton
Tap Your Troubles Away - Rhonda Burchmore
Ned Sherrin - Ned Sherrin
A Transgression (By Anton Chekov, dramatised
by Frank Hauser) - Nicholas Amer, Robert
Bathurst, Frances de la Tour, Helena Bonham-Carter, Frank
Finlay (Directed by Frank Hauser)
Ahab The Arab - Richard O’Brien
Richard Wilson - Richard Wilson
Mr Snow
- Janie Dee
You’re The Top! - Claire Moore
The Boy From... - Millicent Martin
Rob Wilton
-
Brief Encounter - Judi Dench and Alan Howard (directed by Trevor
Nunn)
Trevor Nunn
- Trevor Nunn
An Excerpt from An Actor’s Life For Me
- Courtesy of The BBC
Broadway Baby
- Diane Langton
Act 2
The Dubliners
Tributes
- from Peter Ustinov, Charlton Heston and
David Frost
- David Frost
Drill Scene (from
Oh What A Lovely War) - Victor Spinetti
with Larry Dann, Johnny Lyons, Brian
Murphy, and, Bryan Pringle
Music From The Movies - John Gould
Taking The Mikado (by John Gould and David Wood) - George Layton
and John Gould
Ned Sherrin - Ned Sherrin
TW3
- Kenneth Cope, David Frost, David Kernan,
Millicent Martin, Ned Sherrin, Lance
Percival, and, Willie Rushton
Marti Caine
- Marti Caine
Thou Swell
- Janie Dee and Clive Carter
A Father’s Lullaby - written and performed by Richard Stilgoe
Every Bloody Gala Is The
Martin Smith
- Martin Smith
Peter O’Toole With Keith Baxter - Peter O’Toole with Keith
Baxter
Parlato In Italiano - (by David Monico) - Sheila Hancock, Joe Melia, and, Brian Murphy
Eddie Izzard
- Eddie Izzard
Finale
- Linzi Hateley
and the Company
As Roy
Kinnear was known for his work in the world of political satire,
particularly with regards to TW3. It is perhaps worth noting the
various people presumably involved with this gala who also occupy their place
in that world
Firstly:
like Roy Kinnear himself: Kenneth Cope, David Frost, David
Kernan, Millicent Martin, Lance
Percival, Willie Rushton, Ned Sherrin
all worked on That Was The Week That Was itself.
But
more modern political satirists are also billed as appearing in this gala;
indeed Spitting Image’s original leading
puppeteer (who may also have connections with Roy Kinnear’s hometown) was scheduled to sing in the opening
number!
Ned
Sherrin
wrote material for both The Ratepayers’ Iolanthe and The Metropolitan Mikado
Louise
Gold and Martin
Smith both appeared in The Metropolitan
Mikado
While
“Fat Cat” actor Peter O’Toole
was actually a victim of the satirists, being lampooned on Spitting Image, and that satire actually found its way onto the Spitting
image compilation album Spit In Your Ear.
David Frost is also credited as having been
involved in a bit of directing for Spitting Image.
Louise
Gold, David Kernan, and, Ned Sherrin
appeared together in Noel/Cole: Let’s Do It,
for which Umpire Hugh Wooldrige went on to do the
lighting design at Chichester, Guildford and Richmond, and for which Peter
Sutherland was a standby. While Choreographer David Toguri
did the choreography for the
Louise
Gold, David Kernan and Steve McManus’s recording credits
include Nole/Cole:
Let’s Do It (Recording)
Gillian
Bevan, Marti Caine,
Larry Dann, Louise Gold, David Kernan, Claire Moore, Ned Sherrin,
and, Martin Smith had previously appeared in Kids
At Heart which David Kernan also directed.
It’s possible that Loretta O’Neill could also have appeared in it, as a
dancer named Loretta O’Neal.
Louise
Gold, Diane Langton,
and, Ned Sherrin, along with Marti Caine had previously appeared in Chicago & Company which David Kernan also directed.
Louise
Gold, David Kernan, Ned Sherrin,
and, Martin Smith had previously appeared in Broadway To Brighton.
Louise
Gold, David Kernan, Millicent Martin, Claire Moore, Ned
Sherrin, and, Martin Smith had previously
appeared in A Time To Start Living
which David Kernan also directed, and for
which the musicians also included Brian Archer, Andy Bush, Steve
McManus.
Louise
Gold and David Kernan had previously appeared in Sondheim At The
Barbican.
Louise
Gold and David Kernan went on to appear together in Side By Side By
Sondheim, which David Kernan also directed
David
Kernan
went on to appear in and direct the Side By Side By Sondheim 25th Anniversary Gala, which Millicent
Martin and Ned Sherrin also appeared in.
And where “Millie” also song The Boy From....
Ned
Sherrin
had previously written material for Ziegfeld
(stage show) some of the latter was included in Ziegfeld (recording). He went on to present Ned Sherrin’s Review Of Revue. He also took part in CLIC’s 18th Birthday
Celebration.
Ned
Sherrin
and Martin Smith went on to appear in a concert of highlights from the Ratepayer’s Iolanthe
& The Metropolitan Mikado.
Martin
Smith’s recording
credits include Great Duets From The Musicals, and, The
Great Musicals – Glamour And Majesty.
Keith
Baxter, David Kernan, Claire Moore, Andy Bush may have
previously appeared in Will-Aid which David Kernan, along with Ned Sherrin,
directed, and for which Kenn Oldfield
did some of the choreography. Trevor Nunn may have contributed some song
lyrics.
Clive
Carter had previously
appeared in Joseph
And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
(York Production) and My Fair Lady. He has
gone on to take part in Shopping With The Stars 2009.
John
Gould went on to play
the piano on Let’s Do The Show Right Here, which Barry Cryer
was a guest contestant on.
Louise
Gold, Barry Cryer and Johanne
Murdock had previously appeared in Du
Barry Was A Lady (1993 Production).
Diane
Langton, Millicent
Martin, Victor Spinetti, and Richard Stilgoe had previously appeared in The Royal Variety Performance
(1982).
Diane
Langton went on to appear
in Follies.
Janie
Dee, and Diane Langton’s recording
credits include Defiant Dames, on which Steve
McManus was a Bass player
Diane
Langton’s recording
credits include Cole Porter - Night And
Day.
Judi
Dench and Claire
Moore’s recording credits include Cabaret.
Claire
Moore’s recording
credits include Encore The Very Best From The Musicals, Simply Musicals, 100
Hits Musicals, and, Let’s Go On With
The Show – Hit Songs From The West End & Broadway.
Peter
Sutherland and Louise
Gold had previously appeared together in Blood
Brothers, which Gillian Bevan
also appeared in for a time (as a replacement for Louise Gold!)
Louise
Gold and Simon Truby went on to appear together the following month in
New Girl In Town.
Kevin
Amos had previously
been the Musical Director & Pianist on One
Touch Of Venus (1992 Production) and went on to be
a Musical Director & The Conductor on One
Touch Of Venus (2000 Production).
Kenn
Oldfield and Louise
Gold had previously appeared together in Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
(Touring Production).
Kenn
Oldfield also
choreographed a production of A
Midsummer Night’s Dream at
Gillian
Bevan and Louise
Gold had previously appeared together in The Boys From
Syracuse, which was choreographed by Kenn
Oldfield. They went on to reprise one of their The Boys From
Syracuse numbers in the Regents Park
70th Anniversary Gala, also with Kenn
Oldfield’s choreography.
Janie
Dee, and, Judi Dench also went on to
appear in the Regents Park 70th
Anniversary Gala.
Judi
Dench had directed The Boys From
Syracuse.
Mark
Thompson went on to
design Mamma Mia.
The
Australian singer-dancer Rhonda Burchmore was over hear appearing in London
with the rest of the Australian cast of The Hot Shoe Shuffle. The
following year that same show toured the
Millicent
Martin had previously
appeared on television in Julia And Company.
Janie
Dee, Richard O’Brien,
and, Trevor Nunn have gone on to appear on television in A Week In The West
End.
Clive
Carter, Janie Dee, John Gould, and, George Layton may have previously appeared in Dear Ralph, with
George Layton and John Gould
also performing Taking The Mikado.
Bass-player Steve McManus has gone play in the pit
orchestra for the stage production of Chitty Chitty Bang
Bang. Victor Spinnetti and Louise
Gold went on to appear in that show, but in different casts.
Frank Finlay had previously appeared on television in BlackAdder.
Peter Ustinov went on to do voice-work on the TV Film Animal Farm.
Steve
McManus went on to work on Happily Ever After, his recording credits
include Oliver! (Recording).
Millicent Martin, David
Kernan, Janie
Dee, Judi Dench, Louise Gold, and, Ned Sherrin went on to appear in Side By Side By Sondheim 30th Anniversary
Gala.
Sheila Hancock and Peter Ustinov’s TV film credits include Alice In Wonderland.
Janie Dee went on to appear in A Love Letter To Dan.
Tim Brooke-Taylor had previously appeared on television
in Roland Rat The Series.
Diane Langton, Claire
Moore, and, Martin Smith’s
recording credits include The Great Musicals -
Wonderful Tales.
Gillian Bevan’s recording credits include Centre Stage Showtime!.
David Kernan, Diane
Langton, and, Martin Smith’s
recording credits include The Great Musicals –
Laughter And Tears.
After
Ned Sherrin’s death The Company Of
Mary Poppins’s late night FUNdraising special was
dedicated to him. In that show puppeteer Louise
Gold sang a very different version of the song Comedy Night.
Diane Langton has gone on to appear,
along with Louise Gold, in Mary
Poppins.
Linzi
Hately
went on to appear at Shopping With The Stars 2008.
Gillian Bevan, and, Claire Moore’s
recording credits include Magic Of The
Musicals.
Barry Cryer, and,
David Kernan, Claire Moore, Gillian Bevan, Ned Sherrin, and Helena Bonham Carter may have previously taken part in Thing A Thon.
Design Consultant Richard Hornsby went on to be the production designer for Transmission:
Impossible With Ed And Oucho.
Gillian Bevan, and, Diane Langton’s
recording credits include 100 Hits Musicals.
Gillian Bevan, Clive
Carter, David Kernan,
Diane Langton, and, Claire Moore’s recording credits
include The Great Musicals - From
Broadway to Hollywood.
Keith Baxter, and, David Kernan’s
had previously taken part in The Radio 2 Arts Programme
Chichester Festival 1994.
Louise Gold, and, Linzi Hately went
on to appear in Sondheim Women.
Paul Groothius went on to work on Gypsy.
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