David Blunkett: The musical
Discussion
Words fail me, from the Yorkshire Post.
Curtain up for Blunkett the Musical
The woes of the former Home Secretary David Blunkett are to be played out in song tonight by the star of TV show Dead Ringers, Mark Perry, at the premiere of the new musical about the Yorkshire politician's downfall.
Jane Charnley
Dangerous Liaisons at the Sextator – David Blunkett the Musical tells the dramatic story of the MP for Sheffield Brightside's fall from grace after his affair with Spectator magazine publisher Kimberly Quinn, to be played by Glyndebourne star Lynne Davies.
The show – to be viewed by a private audience at London's Soho Theatre before hitting the Edinburgh Festival in August – also tracks the extra-marital affair of the Spectator's editor, Tory MP Boris Johnson, with his columnist Petronella Wyatt.
Mr Johnson, known in the musical as the Sultan of the Sextator, will be played by Robert Bathurst, the PM in TV's My Dad's the Prime Minister, whose songs will include the Boris Rap.
And his lover "Petsy" will be portrayed by singer-actress Zigi Ellison, who recently played opposite Steven Berkoff in the US tour of Salome.
The show is the result of a joint effort by York-based West End impresario Martin Witts, American songwriter MJ (for Mary Jo) Paranzino, and her friend, Times newspaper journalist, Ginny Dougary – who interviewed Mr Johnson days before news of his affair broke. Ms Dougary revealed in a recent interview that the music for Blunkett's signature tune was composed while MJ was in Yorkshire, on a songwriting masterclass led by Ray Davies, former lead singer of The Kinks. Ms Dougary said the score was intended for a panto, but "the robust, catchy opening which moves into a poignant lament before its bracing return worked brilliantly for Blunkett's story."
She added: "Mostly I find people are responding to the idea of the show. The majority think it's a 'hoot'. One or two that it's cruel and invasive.
"But when they hear all the songs, they are quite unprepared for the impact."
A large media crowd attended a brief preview of the show's key songs held in a pub in Elvington, near York, in February.
Curtain up for Blunkett the Musical
The woes of the former Home Secretary David Blunkett are to be played out in song tonight by the star of TV show Dead Ringers, Mark Perry, at the premiere of the new musical about the Yorkshire politician's downfall.
Jane Charnley
Dangerous Liaisons at the Sextator – David Blunkett the Musical tells the dramatic story of the MP for Sheffield Brightside's fall from grace after his affair with Spectator magazine publisher Kimberly Quinn, to be played by Glyndebourne star Lynne Davies.
The show – to be viewed by a private audience at London's Soho Theatre before hitting the Edinburgh Festival in August – also tracks the extra-marital affair of the Spectator's editor, Tory MP Boris Johnson, with his columnist Petronella Wyatt.
Mr Johnson, known in the musical as the Sultan of the Sextator, will be played by Robert Bathurst, the PM in TV's My Dad's the Prime Minister, whose songs will include the Boris Rap.
And his lover "Petsy" will be portrayed by singer-actress Zigi Ellison, who recently played opposite Steven Berkoff in the US tour of Salome.
The show is the result of a joint effort by York-based West End impresario Martin Witts, American songwriter MJ (for Mary Jo) Paranzino, and her friend, Times newspaper journalist, Ginny Dougary – who interviewed Mr Johnson days before news of his affair broke. Ms Dougary revealed in a recent interview that the music for Blunkett's signature tune was composed while MJ was in Yorkshire, on a songwriting masterclass led by Ray Davies, former lead singer of The Kinks. Ms Dougary said the score was intended for a panto, but "the robust, catchy opening which moves into a poignant lament before its bracing return worked brilliantly for Blunkett's story."
She added: "Mostly I find people are responding to the idea of the show. The majority think it's a 'hoot'. One or two that it's cruel and invasive.
"But when they hear all the songs, they are quite unprepared for the impact."
A large media crowd attended a brief preview of the show's key songs held in a pub in Elvington, near York, in February.
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