Lady Be Good
Genre: Musical
Opened 19 July 2007
Written: Music by George Gershwin, Lyrics by Ira Gershwin, Book by Guy Bolton & Fred Thompson
Directed: Ian Talbot
Produced: New Shakespeare Company Ltd
Cast: Kate Nelson (Susie Trevor), Chris Ellis Stanton (Dick Trevor), Norman Bowman (Jack Robinson), Paul Grunert (Watty Watkins), Rachel Jerram (Shirley Vernon), Hattie Ladbury(Josephine Vanderwater), Thomas Padden (Manuel Estrada), Joseph Pitcher (Flunkey), Giles Taylor (Bertie Bassett), Charlotte Warren (Daisy Parke), Steve Watts (Rufus Parke)
Synopsis: Dick and Susie Trevor are penniless sibblings evicted from their Rhode Island mansion. Dick is determined to marry the wealthy Josephine Vanderwater in order to return to solvency but Susie is equally determined to save Dick from a loveless marriage by posing as a Spanish widow in order to claim a substantial inheritance.
What the Popular press had to say.....
NICHOLAS DE JONGH for THE EVENING STANDARD says, "Anyone searching for long-lost, romantic musicals or antique-fashioned escapism could do worse than try George Gershwin's Lady Be Good, with lyrics by his witty brother, Ira." RHODA KOENIG for THE INDEPENDENT says, " The brash, at times frantic, tone of the production is a mistake. The performers are over-miked, the orchestrations metallic, and a tricky set makes the chorus ladies descend a steep, narrow staircase looking nervously at their shoes." LYN GARDNER for THE GUARDIAN says, "This is very much an old-fashioned evening that invites you to leave your brain at the box office and revel in the sparkly frocks." SARAH HEMMING for THE FINANCIAL TIMES says, "Has an irresistible energy, and Ian Talbot's production delivers it with style." CLIVE DAVIS for THE TIMES says, "Exuberant Gershwin revival. Eighty-odd years after the musical opened on Broadway the high society intrigues still sparkle, and the music sounds more seductive than ever."
External links to full reviews from popular press
Originally published on