Blondel
Original London Cast

Two CD set. Blondel, which premiered in 1983, was the first musical Tim Rice wrote with a composer other than Andrew Lloyd Webber. The music for Blondel was instead provided by opera composer Stephen Oliver (1950-1992), who penned a lively score that was not at all operatic.. A fully sung-through musical, the show is packed with puns and witticisms. A trio of doo-wop Monks provide plot commentary between scenes. Also putting in appearances are Blondel's backing group, The Blondettes, and a hapless Assassin who does not enjoy international travel. Blondel starred Paul Nicholas in the title role alongside Sharon Lee-Hill as Fiona, Stephan Tate as Richard, David Burt as John, and Chris Langham as the Assassin. The show opened at the Theatre Royal Bath on September 12th 1983 followed by a two week run at Manchester's Palace Theatre before opening the newly refurbished Old Vic on November 2nd, 1983. Blondel subsequently transferred to the West End's Aldwych Theatre opening on January 21st 1984, running for 278 performances. The complete original London cast album of Blondel, originally issued as a double vinyl LP set, now makes a welcome return to CD having been out of print for nearly 20 years. The album, produced by it's creators Tim Rice and Stephen Oliver, represents the complete production including the songs 'Running Back For More', 'The Least Of My Troubles', 'I'm A Monarchist' and 'No Rhyme For Richard'.