001 - 'OUT OF THE BLUE' (Shaftesbury Theatre 1994) Feat. Shun Tokura, David Gilmore, Greg Ellis, Meredith Braun, Paulette Ivory

Stage Door's podcast in which we take an in depth look behind the scenes at the West End musicals we've released on CD. For our first edition the spotlight falls on ‘Out Of The Blue’ an ambitious sung through musical drama set against the dramatic back drop of post-war Japan. The musical centred on the characters John Marhsall an American POW and his Japanese wife Hideko in the aftermath of the atomic bomb dropping on Nagasaki in August 1945.

With music by leading Japanese composer Shun Ichi Tokura and libretto by Paul Sand, the show opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on November 23rd and closed on December 10th 1994 after just 20 performances and largely negative reviews. However the show boasted one of most illustrious casts assembled on a West End stage at that time and included such leading performers as Meredith Braun, Greg Ellis, Simon Burke, Michael McCarthy, David Burt, Paulette Ivory, James Graeme and Anna Jane Casey. Seeing as it’s exactly 20 years since the show opened and closed in London, what better excuse to celebrate the work than by delving a bit deeper into its development and speaking with the creatives that were involved in bringing the production to the London stage.

To reflect on the show and explore the journey the production underwent from its original concept to staging, we're joined by 'Out Of The Blue' composer Shun Tokura, director David Gilmore and performers Meredith Braun, Paulette Ivory and Greg Ellis. The programme also features excerpts from the London cast album, including a never before heard cut song; 'Shock to the System', taken from the 'Out Of The Blue' workshop.

Produced and presented by Tim Hutton for Stage Door Records

For more information about the 'Out Of The Blue' London Cast Album Visit: http://www.stagedoorrecords.com/stage9025.html