| Heathcliff | |
|---|---|
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:Heathcliff_musical_(poster).jpg) Poster for 1997 London shows | |
| Music | John Farrar |
| Lyrics | Tim Rice |
| Book | Cliff Richard Frank Dunlop |
| Basis | Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë |
| Premiere | 16 October 1996: National Indoor Arena, Birmingham |
| Productions | 1996-1997 Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, London |
Heathcliff is a 1996 musical conceived by and starring singer Cliff Richard based on the 1847 novel Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. It is focused on the character of Heathcliff and the story is adapted to fit with the musical staging and production. The musical attempted to fill some gaps in Heathcliff's personal story by expanding plot elements implied by Brontë's novel, which were included chronologically. All of the dialogue in the show is from the novel, although some parts were transposed to better fit the manner in which it was performed.
The music was composed by John Farrar with lyrics written by Tim Rice. The book is by Cliff Richard and Frank Dunlop.[1]
As a forerunner to the theatrical presentation, in early October 1995, Richard released the first single, "A Misunderstood Man", followed later in the month by the studio album Songs from Heathcliff, consisting of ten songs from the musical, five featuring Olivia Newton-John in duets. Three more singles followed, "Had to Be" (a duet with Olivia Newton-John), "The Wedding" (a duet with Helen Hobson not on the album) and "Be with Me Always".[1]
Rehearsals for the musical took place during the summer of 1996 in Camden, London, before moving to Earls Court 2 for production rehearsals featuring the stage sets and full band. Several public previews were held at Earls Court before the show moved to the National Indoor Arena in Birmingham.
Heathcliff opened on 16 October 1996 having raised considerable interest from the media regarding Cliff Richard playing the dark, barely civilized character; with many sources speculating that Richard could not carry off such a role.[2] Box office records were broken for first-week ticket sales. Following the run in Birmingham, the show transferred to Edinburgh for four weeks, before returning to the National Indoor Arena for a few additional dates before Christmas. After the New Year, the show opened in the Palace Theatre, Manchester before transferring to London. The final performance was at Hammersmith Apollo, in May. Heathcliff played to audiences of close on half a million people, and broke box office records at almost every theatre at which it played.
Although the musical was not well received by critics, with one referring to it as "living dull", it was popular with Richard's fans. An advertising campaign for the show used some of the critics' quotes, such as "This Wretched Show" and "Withering Rather Than Wuthering", to contrast the opposing views of critics and fans.[3]
The opening advance takings for the show were £8.5m, believed to be a record at the time.[3] A cast recording of the show was released in October 1996 to coincide with the start of the tour, alongside the single "Be with Me Always".[4]
A film recording of the show was made at the Hammersmith Apollo, the video of which stayed at the top of the charts for eight weeks.[5]
- ^ a b "Production History - Heathcliff". Sir Tim Rice (www.timrice.co.uk). Retrieved 12 June 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Cliff Richard: Peter Pan or lost boy?". BBC News. 29 November 1999. Retrieved 15 November 2008.
- ^ a b Lister, David (14 April 1997). "Cliff's oxygen of bad publicity". The Independent. Archived from the original on 9 May 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2008.
- ^ Cliff Richard Official Website Discography
- ^ "The Cliff Richard Fan Club". Archived from the original on 21 August 2007. Retrieved 4 September 2007.