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All original material comprising ‘Courtenay’ © Maltby & Neame 2002 |
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Music and lyrics registered with PRS and MCPS |
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‘Here are three coins |
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COURTENAY |
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The Beginning Christopher Neame Throughout the 1950s my parents took me to London’s West End to see the new musicals. As a successful film director, my father, Ronald, invariably knew many of the cast and often took us backstage to meet performers. I remember crossing the enormous stage of Drury Lane, to reach Valerie Hobson’s dressing room after a performance of The King and I. It is among the top ten thrills of my life. There and then the decision was made – I would be part of that musical theatre world one day. Apart from a single foray into straight theatre, it took some forty years (most of it spent happily in the film industry) to realize my ambition. In the mid-nineties a mutual friend introduced me to Ethan Lewis Maltby and a theatrical partnership was born. Ethan Lewis Maltby I’ve always been involved in musicals from one side of things or another, whether it was playing percussion for the National Youth Music Theatre in venues in both the UK and North America, playing keyboards for the National tour of Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers, or drumming as a child for the local village pantomime. I had toyed with the idea of writing a musical since an early age, and even dabbled in constructing a couple throughout my teens – both (for the record) were not good. The problem being I was the lyricist. Enter Christopher Neame…. The Inception CN In March 1998 we started the search, far and wide, for a good subject. There were certain parameters – it had to be big, it had to be a period piece and there had to be plenty of opportunity for character conflict. By the Autumn we’d still found nothing that grabbed us both. Then one day we literally stumbled on the story, which had been lying in wait on our doorstep – the complex and intriguing ‘Sir William Courtenay, Knight of Malta’, and the events surrounding him, had instant appeal. ELM Having written for many short films and nursing a craving to work on a larger canvas, it was highly important to find a story of epic proportions, (preferably involving Dragons…) and Courtenay is one such story (minus the Dragons). Romance, adventure, drama and swashbuckling a-plenty - it had everything this particular composer wanted. The Challenges CN In spite of Ethan’s ambitions for dragons remaining unfulfilled, by Christmas 1998 the first act was completed – but there was a problem. Historically, Courtenay was challenged by the authorities, and these authorities needed personifying. This could not simply be a moustachioe-curling ‘nasty’, but a real character. In order to create ‘Captain Townsend’ to fulfill this role, we had to put ‘flesh and blood’ on him, consequently I wrote him a three page biography, including his service years as one of Wellington’s spies. Essentially our narrative follows historical fact, nevertheless so-called poetic licence is an inevitable part of drama. Sarah Culver was recorded as being Courtenay’s lover although her relationship with Nicholas Mears is another creation. In reality the two lived nearby and would unquestionably have known one another. Courtenay actually ‘stood’ in two elections, but we considered one quite enough for our purposes. And he also had many aliases - particularly there was Count Moses Rostopchien Rothschild. We did write a song for the Ensemble called ‘Why Can’t He Stick to One Name?’, but decided it would be too much to be assimilated easily at the outset of the show. ELM One of the most exciting aspects of creating the score for such a story, is playing with the themes attached to the six principal characters. The challenge came with the development of these themes and their integration into the narrative. Working with a theme for a character, who essentially starts off as a good man with good intentions, but ends the show as the complete opposite, gave me a chance to amplify his theme into various different guises. The listener may notice subtle references to Courtenay’s states of mind, littered throughout the score. Getting to the Stage CN The book, lyrics and score were ready by Spring 1999 and a demo CD recording was made with a first rate cast - John Langley (who has played in Phantom of the Opera and Whistle Down the Wind in the West End) was Courtenay, Lindsey Mack (Blood Brothers) sang Captain Townsend, Sara Haggerty (Heathcliff with Cliff Richard) sang Katherine. Two other professional singers, Rebecca Jenkins and Timothy Hamilton, recorded the roles of Sarah Culver and Nicholas Mears. And we had a host of people in the Ensemble along with live musicians. So far so good - but what next? Twenty and more years of producing Film and TV shows was enough for me and I needed to find someone else to take Courtenay to the next stage. Almost by accident, we found a young producer, who was excited by the idea. Sensibly, he opted to do a concert version with a symphony orchestra in the early Summer of 2000 (difficult with a battle scene and a lot of other ‘action’, although Shakespearean actor, Julian Glover, came in brilliantly as a narrator). It went very well. ELM Hearing the show played and sung live for the first time was an eye-opening experience – following the concert much furious rewriting took place. I guess that is one of the best things about working on a piece over a few years, you get to keep refining the work you have done. Often what satisfied me as a composer one day, wouldn’t the next. CN Then suddenly we were without a producer – he’d pulled out! Exactly why, neither Ethan nor I know. Perhaps he’d found an untried show, and a very complex one at that, daunting – to be fair, who could blame him? But, as is so often the case, as that door closed another opened. We met Stephen Oliver and he agreed to direct showcase performances at the open air Theatre in the Park in July 2002 - though he declined the producer’s chores. Well there was no alternative. ELM So that’s how Christopher ended up as the producer. It’s true he came in ‘kicking and screaming’ but, instinctively he knew the ropes. And Stephen did a brilliant job of making Courtenay live and breath. |
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CN Both of us had faith in the show from the start, yet it was still surprising to witness more and more of the audience arriving for a performance. Ethan was right, Courtenay was living and we knew we had to take the production onward. 2003 ELM So there we were at the beginning of an exciting new phase. We enlisted the help of many talented performers and musicians and I believe they ably brought the story of Courtenay to an even wider audience. And all the while the continued growth of interest and support for the project will remain one of the most encouraging experiences I have had. CN Unfortunately, for personal reasons, Stephen was not able to join us on our 2003 tour. However, the vastly experienced George Roman stepped in to take over ‘the helm’. He was the director of my earlier foray into theatre and has been a tremendous supporter of the show from the start. |
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GR I am fascinated by the character of Courtenay. He had a good wife and was a devout Christian and secure in his life as the owner of a small brewery. But, becoming aware of the social injustices, highlighted by England’s Luddite uprisings during the early nineteenth century, he abandoned all he had in order to fight the cause of the hard done by workers – initially using his own money to help the movement. It was his charisma and disarming Christian ardour that made him a dangerous man in the eyes of the establishment, to such an extent that the ruling classes imprisoned him, first in gaol for perjury, and then in a lunatic asylum. This conflict and its consequences are the subject of this fascinating narrative, which is full of twists and turns and insights. |
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CN How lucky we were - everyone did a powerful job in bringing the show to the audience in a totally harmonious manner. Loren Geeting (BBC Radio 2 Voice of Musical Theatre), as Courtenay, gave a genuinely commanding presence to the role, effortlessly drawing the attention of both his on-stage ‘followers’ and the audience, while Renée Salewski created a character who journeys through innocent enthusiasm to obsession and ultimately to the stark realization of the truth. David Wyatt played Mears perfectly as he trod the fine line bewteen making him appear too easy or over complex. Lindsey Mack joined us again as Captain Townsend and had fine-tuned the character, who is at once embittered, but is, in the eyes of the law, correct in all his actions. Antonia Bond brought us a Katherine Tom of great dignity and determination - I sensed the audience was ‘with’ her all the way without, at first, knowing why. And an old chum of mine, film director Anthony Garner, returned to his roots as a performer in the guise of the Narrator. George Roman, the professional through and through, handled the staging so imaginatively, breathing yet more life into the play. As a director he is tough with his performers, and so he should be - invariably every member of the company - some fifty people - responded to his suggestions for continuous improvement. The set was brilliantly conceived by Roy Stannard and clearly suggested the power of machine over man. And Ben M Rogers’ lighting design was innovative and bold. Anna Valentine’s costumes were rich, be they for the labourers or the landowners - muted colours, but colours that sang out in tune with the whole. Added to this, the enthusiasm for the production by the one hundred or more people, directly or indirectly involved, was staggering. |
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The Future CN It’s a bit like running the Grand National, we could fall at the next fence, yet all the while we have to keep our eyes peeled for the one beyond that. ELM Who knows? It would be a fabulous gift to be able to predict what people will want to see. All I can say is that I am certain audiences are soon going to be crying out for musicals where the story plays an integral part in the show, rather than the current trend – shows based on pop songs with a story wedged in around them. Of course I could be wrong… |
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