On the Twentieth Century
T0
After four flops in a row, megalomaniac theatre impresario, Oscar Jaffee, and his hapless entourage are on the run. Desperately trying to resuscitate his flat-lining career he books a carriage on the Twentieth Century Limited, the world's most famous express train, bound for New York. In the next carriage resides his former sweetheart turned Hollywood starlet Lily Garland. Now Oscar has just 16 hours to entice the egotistical Lily back on to the stage, as the leading lady in his next show. Oscar's financial ruin hangs in the balance and a jealous lover is on the loose. Offered funding by religious fanatic Letitia Peabody Primrose, Jaffee's dreams fall into a glorious, and by turns hilarious, balancing act of keeping everyone happy. Set against a backdrop of the great American Depression of the 1930s, what unfolds is a tongue-in-cheek fairy tale of the pitfalls of producing theatre when cash is tight and private money comes at an unavoidable cost. On the Twentieth Century was the hit of the 1978 Broadway season, and this is its first London revival since the premiere in 1980. It features music by the great Cy Coleman (Sweet Charity) with book and lyrics by the remarkable team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green (On the Town). This Christmas On the Twentieth Century offers a riotous - and rather timely - theatrical treat like no other.
Archive :: musical:S1632, venue:V171
