Stage Door Podcast

Stage Door's podcast in which we take an in depth look behind the scenes at the West End musicals we've released on CD. In this episode the spotlight falls on ‘Tess Of The D'Urbervilles’, the 1999 West End musical adaptation of Thomas Hardy's classic novel. Featuring music by Stephen Edwards and a libretto by Justin Fleming, 'Tess' opened at the Sheffield Lyceum on September 6th 1999 and was declared a "landmark in musical theatre" receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews from the critics. Following a brief UK tour, the production transferred to the West End opening at The Savoy on November 10th, 1999 and was universally damned by the critics, one reviewer sighting the show as "the last great musical flop of the Millennium". 'Tess' closed on January 15th 2000 after just 77 performances. 15 years after 'Tess' closed we look back at the ambitious through-sung drama and explore the journey the production underwent during its development. To reflect on the production we're joined by the composer Stephen Edwards,