Top Hat (musical)
| Top Hat | |
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Advertising poster for the original West End cast at the Aldwych Theatre, London
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| Music | Irving Berlin |
| Lyrics | Irving Berlin |
| Book | Dwight Taylor/Allan Scott (original screenplay) Matthew White/Howard Jacques (adaptation) |
| Basis | RKOs film musical Top Hat |
| Premiere | 16 August 2011: Milton Keynes Theatre |
| Productions | 2011 - UK tour 2012 - West End 2014 - UK & Ireland tour |
| Awards | Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical |
| Top Hat - The Musical (Original London Cast Recording) | |
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| Soundtrack album cast recording by Various | |
| Released | 27 August 2012 |
| Length | 45:12 |
| Label | First Night Records |
Top Hat the Musical is a 2011 stage musical based on the 1935 film of the same name, featuring music and lyrics by Irving Berlin with additional orchestration by Chris Walker. The show opened on 16 August 2011 at the Milton Keynes Theatre, touring the United Kingdom before transferring to the Aldwych Theatre in London's West End. Top Hat won multiple 2013 Laurence Olivier Awards after receiving seven nominations. The musical closed in London on 26 October 2013, with a UK and Ireland tour commencing in August 2014.
The musical is based on the 1935 film of the same name, with music by Irving Berlin. It took the show's producer, Kenny Wax, sixteen months to obtain the rights from Berlin's estate to adapt the film into a stage musical. A first read-through of the adapted script was held at Sadler's Wells in November 2010, and it was performed for the first time 76 years after the original film. The show features fourteen songs by Berlin, six more songs than the original production. Featuring a 31-person cast, the production was adapted from the original screenplay by Matthew White and Howard Jacques. The show was directed by White with choreography by Bill Deamer, set designs by Hildegard Bechtler, costume design by Jon Morrell, lighting by Peter Mumford, sound by Gareth Owen, new orchestrations by Chris Walker and musical supervision by Richard Balcombe.
The producers for the original tour and the West End production originally approached Anton du Beke to play Jerry Travers, before casting Strictly Come Dancing winner Tom Chambers in the role originated by Fred Astaire. During the competition Chambers was compared to Astaire, his hero. Astaire's daughter was in the audience for the show's opening in London, and described Chambers as "wonderful": "There will always be comparisons, but what this show has done is bring a version to the world to see for the future". Two of Berlin's daughters described the show as "a beautiful production": "It could definitely give new life to these songs and to Top Hat for a younger generation".
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