Blondel (musical)

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Blondel, a rock opera musical by Tim Rice (book and lyrics) and Stephen Oliver (music), was inspired by, and very loosely based on, the life of the eponymous French troubadour. The play is set during the period of the Third Crusade.

Originally conceived by Tim Rice during his collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber, the project was originally titled "Come Back, Richard, Your Country Needs You" and a single of the same title was recorded in 1969. The project was shelved until Rice met Stephen Oliver in the 1970s, and the pair began working on a musical centering on King Richard I of England; as it developed, the project shifted its focus to a minstrel in the King's court, vying for pop-stardom, and his 'progressive' girlfriend.

Though the musical is largely a comic romp, it does tackle some serious issues. Historically, Blondel lays out the basic goings-on of the Third Crusade as told through the eyes of the English political environment. Although the musical frequently mentions the Crusade, it is never actually shown, excepting Richard's imprisonment in Austria upon his return trip. The play also deals with one of the many assassination attempts made on Richard, and an attempt by Prince John to steal the throne of England from his brother. As the Monks say at the end of Act One, 'Who said this piece wasn't educational?'

Blondel opened in London on 2 November 1983 and played in two different theatres in the West End, eventually closing after less than two years. After more than twenty years away from a professional London stage, it returned at the Pleasance Theatre in Islington. The new production starred Abi Finley, semi finalist of the hit BBC1 show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, and Chris Grierson, a regular from the teen soap, Hollyoaks. Produced by Pete Shaw, and directed by Patrick Wilde, the revived version of Blondel appeared for a limited season of six weeks.

Rice continued to develop the script and has recently created a new version of the show. This re-worked version (now titled Lute!) had its world premiere at the University of Texas at El Paso Dinner Theater from 27 January 2012 until 12 February 2012.^[1][2]

Although many productions have been staged worldwide, Blondel has never appeared on Broadway.