Preview: The Bugle Boy is back on tour

Bugle Boy the Musical is Back for a 2014 Tour

 

The Smash Hit show 'BUGLE BOY - THE LIFE STORY OF GLENN MILLER' will be hitting theatres all around the country on an extensive tour from 22nd May 2014 - 9th November 2014. We have listed the tour dates at the end of this blog.

We had the pleasure of seeing last years tour at Darlington's Civic Theatre and this is what we said:

 

"Den Stevenson has written the book for this Glenn Miller musical as a result of working along side Glenn’s youngest brother Herb Miller and booking for the Herb Miller Orchestra. It results in an accurate portrayal of a musical legend whose music is still played on a regular basis nearly 70 years after his death.

The curtain is raised with the 16 piece band playing “Moonlight Serenade”. This band are one of the highlights of the show and hearing live musicians playing the familiar tunes helps engage the audience throughout the production.  We then see a radio interview between Larry Bronx (Daniel Page), who had a successful radio show with 20 million listeners and helped project the Miller name across the states, and Miller’s wife Helen (Yildiz Hussein). This first scene sets out the dual intentions of the musical: to celebrate both the musical genius and the love story that enabled it to flourish.

The musical has two distinctive halves: firstly the pre-war development of the Glenn Miller sound and finally the war years. Glenn Miller is played by Michael Storrs who explores the clear frustrations in finding his unique sound and setting up a band that constantly toured across the states.  Eventually he hits it lucky after a musician fails to turn up for a show and he has to re-organise the arrangement.  This is followed by an opportunity for a residency and a place on Larry Bronx’s radio show. Unfortunately after spending nearly 20 years finding the sound, events in Europe and then at Pearl Harbour would quickly change life for the Miller family.

The talented band are on the stage and are led by musical director Simon Lambert. Nick Pugh is on Bass and Haydn Callow on drums. There is also an impressive array of trumpets, trombones and sax. They enable the audience to understand the phases that the Miller sound went through in his formative years. Whilst the show lacks major set changes, the beautiful engaging sound of the band ensures pace is maintained for the show through each scene. There is no shortage of music, with 16 numbers in the first half alone. 

A star of the second half is Maddie Cole who is acting a number of parts, providing the female harmonies to several numbers and playing the saxophone in the others. Her big moment, singing “White Cliffs of Dover” solo brought many a tear to the eyes of the audience as it notes a black moment in European history.

Glenn, who by this point is 38, was above the 35 year old limit to join the forces but he wrote to an army friend after rejections and was able to secure a place in the forces which would eventually see him playing with a much larger band in Europe. Unfortunately Michael has to utter a line in Den Stevenson’s script that was to cause a reaction from the audience – effectively ‘Hitler has been on the run since our boys got involved.’ Possibly that was the contemporary view in the States but it’s not a popular idea on a Thursday afternoon in County Durham!

The time flew by and we are quickly brought to the premature conclusion as a result of the flight to Paris in which Miller went missing at the age of just 40.  The show is carried by a fabulous Glenn Miller soundtrack and the wonderful skills of the musicians and singers."

 

The 2014 tour:

Here is the new cast:
Glenn Miller - Ben Stock
Helen Miller - Yildiz Hussein
Larry Bronx - Mark Pearce
Ben Pollack/Don Haynes/Colonel Kirby - Matt Dallen
Ray Noble/Tex Beneke/David Niven/Vernon - Adam Anderson
Receptionist/Singer/Ensemble - Miri Gellert
Ensemble/Understudy - Eimear Phelan O'Riordan
Ensemble/Understudy - Robert Sharpe

The Tour Dates:

BUGLE BOY Tour dates for 2014:

EASTBOURNE Royal Hippodrome May 22 & 23 Box Office 01323 412000

TUNBRIDGE WELLS Assembly Hall May 24 Box Office 01892 530613

YEOVIL Octagon Theatre May 31 Box Office 01935 422884

WINDSOR Theatre Royal June 2-7 Box Office 01753 853888

NOTTINGHAM Playhouse June 10-12 Box Office 0115 9419419

CHESTERFIELD Pomegranate Theatre June 14 Box Office 01246 345222

DUNSTABLE Grove Theatre June 23 Box Office 01582 602080

SKEGNESS Embassy Theatre June 26 Box Office 0845 6740505

KETTERING Lighthouse Theatre June 27 Box Office 01536 414141

CARDIFF St Davids Hall 2,000 June 28 Box Office 02920 878444

WEST END Leicester Square Theatre June 30-July 20 Box Office 08448 733433

SHREWSBURY Severn Theatre July 22 Box Office 01743 281281

SWANSEA Grand Theatre July 23 Box Office 01792 475715

SOUTHSEA Kings Theatre July 25 -26 Box Office 02392 828282

SOUTHAMPTON The Guildhall Theatre July 31-August 2 Box Office 02380 632601

PLYMOUTH Theatre Royal August 11-16 Box Office 01752 267222

SUNDERLAND Empire August 21 Box Office 0870 6021130

GRIMSBY Auditorium August 22 Box Office 0870 6077461

FOLKESTONE Leas Cliff Theatre August 27 Box Office 01303 228600

BROMLEY Churchill Theatre August 29 Box Office 0870 0606620

LINCOLN Theatre Royal 30 August Box Office 01522 519999

BIRMINGHAM Alexandra Theatre September 3 Box Office 0870 6077533

LOWESTOFT Marina Theatre September 5 Box Office 01502 533200

BOURNEMOUTH Pavilion Theatre September 9 Box Office 08445 763000

ST ALBANS Alban Arena September 10 Box Office 01727 844488

ISLE OF WHITE Shanklin Theatre September 13 Box Office 01983 868000

CROYDON Ashcroft Theatre September 18-20 Box Office 0208 6889291

AYLESBURY Waterside Theatre September 27 Box Office 08448 717607

BUXTON Opera House October 1-3 Box Office 0845 1272190

SOUTHPORT Theatre October 4 Box Office 08448 713021

BRADFORD St George's Theatre October 8 Box Office 01274 432375

YORK Grand Opera House October 9 Box Office 02890 241919

WHITLEY BAY Playhouse October 11 Box Office 08442 481588

ALDERSHOT Princes Hall October 18 Box Office 01252 329155

STOCKPORT Plaza October 20 Box Office 0161 477 7779

HALIFAX Victoria Theatre October 29 Box Office 01422 351158

NEWARK Palace Theatre October 30 Box Office 01636 655755

EASTBOURNE Royal Hippodrome November 1 & 2 Box Office 01323 412000

BEDFORD Corn Exchange November 9 Box Office 01234 718112

Tour website: http://www.thebugleboy.info/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BugleBoyMusical

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BugleBoyTheGlennMillerMusical2013 

Original 2013 review: http://jowheretogo.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/bugle-boy-life-story-of-glenn-miller.html 

This review was written by Stephen Oliver for Jowheretogo PR (www.jowheretogo.com). Follow Jo on twitter @jowheretogo, Stephen @panic_c_button or like Jowheretogo on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Jowheretogo