Expresso Bongo is a 1958 West End musical and a satire of the music industry. It was first produced on the stage at the Saville Theatre, London, on 23 April 1958. Its book was written by Wolf Mankowitz and Julian More, with music by David Heneker and Monty Norman, also the co-lyricist with Julian More. The production starred Paul Scofield with Hy Hazell, Millicent Martin and James Kenney. Musical director was Burt Rhodes and director William Chappell.
The subsequent Expresso Bongo 1959 film version was directed by Val Guest and starred Laurence Harvey and Cliff Richard, the latter's second musical film, after Serious Charge.
Paul Scofield played Johnny, a slimy, small-time music promoter and talent scout who notices teenage girls going crazy for the singing and bongo playing of talentless and seemingly idiotic Herbert Rudge (played by James Kenney). Johnny rechristens Rudge as "Bongo Herbert" and signs him to a contract that gives Johnny a 50% share of the profits. With Johnny's help, Bongo rockets to stardom. Bongo's success attracts a host of sleazy music industry types intent on exploiting him. Johnny quickly finds himself outclassed in the sleaze department as Bongo turns out to be the slipperiest slime of them all.
The writers of the 1958 musical were inspired by songwriters such as Noël Coward. (David Heneker said his musical career was inspired by reading the score of Noel Coward's Bitter Sweet).[1] Their lyrics were clever, wordy and allusive: "The Gravy Train", for example, has Johnny quoting an apt line from Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, (Act 5, Scene X), while the unrepentant shopaholics in "We Bought It" describe themselves as "two eccentric socialites, dissipated sybarites". The tunes modulate all over the place and parody rock, Latin jazz, skiffle and trad.
Music historian John Snelsen writes,[2]
Expresso Bongo открылся в Вест-Энде в том же году, что и My Fair Lady . Он просуществовал не так долго, и с тех пор его почти не видели, но его суровый цинизм, современная обстановка и поп-музыка принесли ему много поклонников. Он был признан лучшим британским мюзиклом года в ежегодном обзоре представлений на лондонской сцене Variety, с результатом голосования, намного опередившим « Моя прекрасная леди» , и его вообще называли «другим мюзиклом», чтобы отличить его от Лернера и Работа Loewe .
В оригинальной записи актерского состава 1958 года [3] перечислены следующие песни и исполнители: