The Card (musical)
| The Card | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Music |
Tony Hatch Jackie Trent |
| Lyrics |
Tony Hatch Jackie Trent |
| Book |
Keith Waterhouse Willis Hall |
| Basis |
Arnold Bennett's 1911 novel The Card |
| Productions | 1973 West End 1994 West End revival |
The Card is a musical with a book by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall and music and lyrics by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent.
Based on Arnold Bennett's 1911 comedic novel of the same name, it chronicles the rise of Denry Machin from washerwoman's son to Mayor of Bursley through initiative, guile, and luck.
Cameron Mackintosh's West End production opened on 24 July 1973 at the Queen's Theatre where it ran for 130 performances. Directed by Val May and choreographed by Gillian Lynne, it starred Jim Dale, Millicent Martin, Joan Hickson, Marti Webb, and Eleanor Bron.
The 1994 revival at the Open Air Theatre in Regent's Park, London, starred Peter Duncan, Jessica Martin, Hayley Mills, and Jenna Russell and was extensively re-worked by the original authors with lyricist Anthony Drew. Amendments were made to the libretto, existing songs were re-written and others dropped and new ones introduced.
An original 1973 cast recording was re-released on compact disc by First Night Records in 1992 but is no longer available; a recording of the 1994 production is currently available on CD and digital download.
The show begins when "Edward Henry Machin first saw the smoke on the 27th May 1867"—the very day of Bennett's own birth. At age 12, Denry begins his career by altering his grade in a class enough to earn him a scholarship to grammar school. At 16, he leaves school to work for Mr. Duncalf, the town clerk and a solicitor. Duncalf is responsible for organizing an exclusive ball; Denry "invites" himself and a few others in exchange for favors, among them Ruth Earp, a dance instructor. On a bet, he audaciously asks the energetic, beautiful Countess of Chell (of whom everyone, including Machin, is in awe) to dance, thus earning himself the reputation of a "card" (a "character", someone able to set tongues wagging) - a reputation he is determined to cement.
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