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Going through my old programmes (including a few from before I was born that I bought on eBay as an enthusiastic 13 year old) and there are some absolute classics in here.
The cream of the collection is the hard back souvenir brochure for the 1958 London transfer of ‘My Fair Lady’ starring Julie Andrews, Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway straight from Broadway. It smells like old books and features stunning photographs. Heaven.
Next up is not one but TWO playbills from the original Broadway run of ‘Sunday in the Park with George’. One with OBC (Mandy and Bernadette) and one with Robert Westenberg (original Cinderella’s Prince/Wolf in Into the Woods) as George (he was the understudy in OBC).
Now for the Maria Friedman collection! Programmes for the National’s production of ‘Sunday in the Park with George’ (yes, it was my favourite musical from the age of 11) and Passion at the Queen’s. It appears really big headshots were in in the 90s.
Just when you thought I was only interested in Sondheim, I surprise you with this programme from the 1991, seminal revival of ‘Joseph...’ with Jason Sean Donovan and Linzi Hately. Great rehearsal pictures!
And back to Sondheim! Is this the best cover of a programme ever? The London transfer of ‘Sweeney Todd’ starring Dennis Quilley and Sheila Hancock was a massive flop - but what a programme! Vivid show pictures in A4.
Wait! A new contender in the “best cover of a programme for a Sondheim London production” has emerged! ‘Into the Woods’. Phoenix Theatre. Julia McKenzie. Imelda Staunton. Non-replica production. Who could ask for anything more?
And finally, one I was alive for - the original ‘Finding Neverland’ before the writers of Grey Gardens were replaced by... Gary Barlow. I was at the first preview when H*rv*y W*inste*n came onto stage and said that he had brought two “MT experts” with him to get their thoughts...
...it was U2’s Bono and The Edge, just after ‘Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark’ had opened for the third version on Broadway. Wild!
