Stiles and Drewe

[Deleted]

I was at An Afternoon with Stiles and Drewe at the Watermill this afternoon. Aled Jones compered and was brilliant. Yes, you read that right! I didn’t know of his links and long term association with this pair... They were enormously entertaining, incredibly talented, and superb performers in their own rights. Some very interesting little anecdotes thrown in, where we could read between the lines or not, as the case might be, about the history of many of their shows...

Caroline Sheen and James Gillan helped them in delivering stripped down renditions of lots of their songs, and it really brought home their skills with words and melodies.

I am sorry I couldn’t face Wind in the Willows this year. The thought of badly behaved kids over the summer hols was just too much, I’m afraid.  

But I have followed them over the years and admired them from afar. Good to be so up close today.

[crabtree]

To me, their best work was Betty Blue Eyes, and it is so sad that it didn't have the longest of runs in the West End. I wonder if the fate of the pig, and that it was not the most mobile of creations had anything to do with it. Did CM have something to say about whether Berry survived or not? But oh those clever songs, and what a great production and cast.

[zak97]

Would love to have seen Betty!

[Deleted]

Oct 15, 2017 22:15:17 GMT crabtree said:

To me, their best work was Betty Blue Eyes, and it is so sad that it didn't have the longest of runs in the West End. I wonder if the fate of the pig, and that it was not the most mobile of creations had anything to do with it. Did CM have something to say about whether Berry survived or not? But oh those clever songs, and what a great production and cast.

An audience member asked the question, “Does the name of a show contribute to its success or failure?” citing Betty Blue Eyes as one of their shows which should have done better. Their answer was long, and very interesting (at the same time revealing much about Cam Mack’s personality and the way he works). They had intended it to be called A Private Function, the Musical. They hoped that this might draw the Alan Bennett fans along. But Cam Mack insisted on the name change. As it turned out, with a lot of the promotional stuff focussing on the pig, they reported that Stephen Sondheim, for example, thought he was going to see a musical based on Babe, the pig! They gave the impression that they weren’t 100% happy with the name change, and yes, the name of a show can make it or break it in its infancy.
Caroline Sheen performed ‘Nobody’ from it.

It’s not one of my favourite shows from their collection. I think it’s because the film is so good, I don’t think it should have been musicalised. A lot of the dark stuff in the film was played down. And the running gag in the film is the actual pig. i.e. one that moves, runs, pisses etc The scenes with Maggie Smith and Liz Smith are just priceless. These couldn’t be matched on stage with an animatronic, no matter how much it cost. And as good as Sarah Lancashire was, she was no Maggie Smith. 

I love Just So and Soho Cinders. I’ve read (they didn’t reveal this) that they are working on Terry Ronald’s Becoming Nancy which could be great, as long as its not felt to be following in Jamie’s footsteps too quickly.

[Mark]

An audience member asked the question, “Does the name of a show contribute to its success or failure?” citing Betty Blue Eyes as one of their shows which should have done better. Their answer was long, and very interesting (at the same time revealing much about Cam Mack’s personality and the way he works). They had intended it to be called A Private Function, the Musical. They hoped that this might draw the Alan Bennett fans along. But Cam Mack insisted on the name change. As it turned out, with a lot of the promotional stuff focussing on the pig, they reported that Stephen Sondheim, for example, thought he was going to see a musical based on Babe, the pig! They gave the impression that they weren’t 100% happy with the name change, and yes, the name of a show can make it or break it in its infancy.

The title plays a big part.


My favourite "Stiles and Drew" show is Soho Cinders, which I saw in concert at the Queens, at the Soho Theatre and most recently at the Union. Such a cracking score. I did love Betty too (saw the original production 4 times) but thinks they overestimated how much interest there would be due to there being a royal wedding.
Their additional material for Half a Sixpence and Mary Poppins I think is great too.

[robertb213]

I often think it's almost a crime that Soho Cinders is such a relatively unknown musical, it's such a tuneful perky piece!

[mallardo]

Let me play devil's advocate and say that my problem with S & D is that they have no distinctive style. There is no Stiles and Drew sound, at least not one that is discernible to me. I think that's one of the reasons they do so well interpolating new songs into other people's shows - their own music is generic enough to fit in almost anywhere.

[Deleted]

Betty Blue Eyes had some great songs but i hated the show. Soho Cinders has great potential but i dont think its evolved enough yet for a larger scale production.

Their work on Mary Poppins is brilliant and blends seamlessly into the original songs.

I think their lack of success is in large part to the projects they have chosen.

Ive always thought they would have been a better choice for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

[Deleted]

It's almost a pity they are best known for creating additional songs for well known shows, they have never quite had that big commercial hit off their own backs despite backing from the likes of Cameron.

[zsazsa]

Was their any mention of Soap Dish?

[dlevi]

I think its sad that 25 years on Stiles and Drewe remain the hope of the British Musical Theatre. Honk! had energy and imagination and truly everything else is professional but uninspired. Their additional material for Mary Poppins and Half a Sixpence was no better than the songs they replaced and Betty Blue Eyes, to me, was imply a bad show that was wildly over-produced. But who else is there on these shores?

[BurlyBeaR]

Gary Barlow... 

[Deleted]

Some interesting thoughts, many of which I agree with.

I’m not sure I’d say they’re not successful because they are but they’re definitely not up there with the big shots. I wonder if the stuff they’ve written about is just too niche- kiddies’ stories (three short works chugged out in the past couple of years in addition to Wind in the Willows), an Alan Bennett (I’m a huge AB fan but I reckon few others are really into musicals) and the goings-on on Old Compton Street.

I understand where you’re coming from mallardo, but I think they do have a distinctive style. It’s rather gentle, genteel perhaps and rather ‘English’. Maybe the reason they were chosen over Alan Menken and Tim Rice for Mary Poppins… Half a Sixpence fits nicely into all three categories too. I think it’s quite a skill to match another musical style; that was the brief and they succeeded! They don’t try to match the soaring melodies and the dramatic exchanges we’ve seen and grown used to in the mega-musicals, especially over the past thirty years or so. They tend to write about small things and small emotions- Mrs Banks tells us that being Mrs Banks isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, Velcro imagines what life would be like keeping a goldfish, and the kolokolo bird can’t work out why she should search for something that’s not in her nature. I didn’t know Carrying the Torch until Sunday afternoon, but what a gorgeous little song this is. Telling the story of a young girl’s first taste of Shakespeare, she returns again and again as she has fallen head over heels in love, not with the lead, or even the second in command, but with one of the chorus. It's a theme that could have been lifted from our Les Mis thread on here…! "I’m the girl who’s carrying a torch for the boy who’s carrying a spear…"

They seemed happy with their successes. But I agree, as with Robbie, Magical Kingdoms always seem just out of their reach.

They’ve found their niche, I reckon. I don’t think they’ll make any big changes to their careers now. They’ve found their Corner of the Sky.

[theatremadness]

If you don't have it, I thoroughly recommend their CD 'A Spoonful of Stiles & Drewe'. It's a live recording of a concert of their work they did at Her Majesty's Theatre back in 2008. Features Julie Atherton, Helena Blackman, Daniel Boys, Gareth Gates, Alison Jiear, Leanna Jones, Shona Lindsay, Claire Moore, Joanna Riding, Clive Rowe, Caroline Sheen, Scarlett Strallen and Oliver Tompsett to name a few!

It's one of my favourites and I never really tire of listening to it. Has a couple of songs from Honk! including a brilliant trio of Joy of Motherhood which is infinitely better than the duo version in the actual show, a couple of lovely numbers from their version of Peter Pan, a trio of Mary's doing Practically Perfect, the full elongated version of Magic Fingers from Betty Blue Eyes (then called A Private Function), Carrying a Torch of course, a couple of cabaret numbers including one by S&D themselves and a show-stopping song called 'Diva' sung by Alison Jiear and then a big chunk of Soho Cinders stuff.

[Deleted]

No doubt they have had a successful career over a long period of time but they haven't ever quite taken it to the next level. I agree that it will be interesting to see who if anyone becomes the next big British Musical Composer or Composing team.

[TallPaul]

[musicalmarge]

Oct 16, 2017 20:03:48 GMT @outlander said:

Betty Blue Eyes had some great songs but i hated the show. Soho Cinders has great potential but i dont think its evolved enough yet for a larger scale production.

Their work on Mary Poppins is brilliant and blends seamlessly into the original songs.

I think their lack of success is in large part to the projects they have chosen.

Ive always thought they would have been a better choice for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - YES YES YES!

[musicalmarge]

And I hope he gets better soon!!!!