Willy Russell
Willy Russell | |
|---|---|
 Russell in 2003 | |
| Born | William Russell 23 August 1946 Whiston, Lancashire,England |
| Occupation | Playwright, screenwriter, author, lyricist, composer |
| Notable works | |
| Spouse |
Annie Seagroatt (m.1969) |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | |
| willyrussell | |
William Russell(born 23 August 1946) is an English dramatist, lyricist and composer. His best known works areEducating Rita,Shirley Valentine,Blood BrothersandOur Day Out.
Early life[edit]
Russell was born inWhiston,Lancashire(which is nowMerseyside). On leaving school, aged 15, he became a women's hairdresser, eventually running his own salon, until the age of 20 when he decided to go back to college. This led to him qualifying as a teacher. During these years, Russell also worked as a semi-professional singer, writing and performing his own songs in folk clubs.[1]
At college, he began writing drama and, in 1972, took a programme of three one-act plays to theEdinburgh Festival Fringe,where they were seen by writerJohn McGrath,who recommended Russell to theLiverpool Everyman,which commissioned the adaptation,When The Reds…,Russell's first professional work for theatre.[2]
Career[edit]
Russell's first play wasKeep Your Eyes Down(1971), written while he trained as a teacher atSaint Katherine's College of Higher Educationin Liverpool and performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1971.[3][4]
In 1974 Russell wroteJohn, Paul, George, Ringo... and Bert,a musical aboutThe Beatles.Commissioned by the Liverpool Everyman, it ran for a (then) unprecedented eight weeks before transferring to theWest Endwhere it ran for over a year, winning the Evening Standard and London Theatre Critics awards for the best musical of 1974.[5]It premiered at theEveryman Theatre,Liverpool,[6]and then transferred to theLyric Theatrein the West End in 1974.[7][8]
Alongside further stage works,One for the Road(1976)[9]andStags and Hens(1978), Russell was a screenwriter with television films,Death of A Young Young Man(1975, BBC1),[10]Daughters of Albion(1979),[11]Our Day Out(1977)[12]and the five-part serialOne Summer(1983).[13]
Commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company,Educating Ritapremiered at the Warehouse, London in 1980 and transferred to the West EndPiccadilly Theatre,London in August 1980, and starredJulie WaltersandMark Kingston.[14]Since its premiere and long West End run (the play ran to "at least" June 1982), the play has been translated and produced in almost every part the globe garnering awards both for its author and for many of the actors who have played the roles of Rita and Frank.[citation needed]
Returning to the Liverpool Everyman in 1986, Russell wroteShirley Valentinewhich went on to an acclaimed West End run,[15]earningOlivier Awardsfor both its author (Comedy of the Year) and starPauline Collins(Actress of the Year in a New Play).[16]The play transferred to New York for a highly successfulBroadwayrun in February 1989 to November 1989, and aTony Awardas Best Actress for Collins.[17]
BothEducating Rita(1983) andShirley Valentine(1989)[18]became feature films withMichael Caine,Julie Waltersand Pauline Collins all receiving Oscar nominations for their respective roles, as did Russell for hisEducating Ritascreenplay.[19][20]
Russell's other worldwide theatrical success has beenBlood Brothers,"a Liverpudlian folk opera" about a pair of twins separated at birth and brought up in completely different environments. It won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 1983. Its 1988 revival had over 10,000 consecutive performances during its 24-year West End run, which ended in November 2012. Simultaneously, there were UK touring and international productions, including a two-year run on Broadway starting in 1993. The Broadway production was nominated for the 1993 Tony Award, Best Musical.[21][22][23]
In 1985, Russell co-wrote the song "The Show", the theme for the TV seriesConniewith series creatorRon Hutchinson.The song was performed by vocalistRebecca Stormand released as a single by Towerbell Records in June 1985, reaching number 22 on the UK Singles Chart.
Russell (with musical collaborator Bob Eaton) realised a long-held ambition to developOur Day Outfurther and after extensive rewriting, and recomposing createdOur Day Out – The Musical.This modern musical retelling retains all the characters and plot of the original but with the action brought forward to today with a new score and lyrics to reflect this twenty first century setting. The musical was produced in 2010 at theRoyal Court Theatre, Liverpool.[24][25]
The Wrong Boy,Willy Russell's first novel, was published in 2000.[citation needed]In 2004, Russell returned to his original singer/songwriter roots, releasing his album,Hoovering the Moonon Pure Records. Russell also co-produced theTim FirthalbumHarmless Flirting.[citation needed]
In 2013, the Archive and Special Collections department ofLiverpool John Moores Universityestablished the Willy Russell Archive containing manuscripts, programmes, publicity and media material including newspaper cuttings and press releases, correspondence, legal, financial and administrative documents, records relating to the casting and audition process, audio and film material, and promotional ephemera. The material was produced throughout the course of Russell's career and is a comprehensive representation of his work to date. It also illustrates Russell's collaborative works, both written and musical.[26][27]
Personal life[edit]
In 1969, Russell married Annie Seagroatt; the couple have one son, Rob, and two daughters, Rachel and Ruth.[28]
Works[edit]
- Keep Your Eyes Down(play 1972)
- Sam O'Shanker(play 1972, musical 1973)
- John, Paul, George, Ringo... and Bert(musical 1974)
- Death of a Young Young Man (TV Episode 1975)
- Breezeblock Park(play 1975)
- Our Day Out(play 1977, later adapted for stage musical 2010)
- Blind Scouse
- One for the Road(play 1976)
- I Read the News Today(BBC Schools Radio Play, 1976)
- Stags and Hens(1978 play, filmed in 1990 asDancin' Thru the Dark)
- Educating Rita(play 1980, film 1983)
- The Boy with the Transistor Radio(1980)
- One Summer(TV series 1983)
- Blood Brothers(musical 1983)
- Connie(TV series, co-wrote theme tune "The Show" 1985)
- Shirley Valentine(play 1986, film 1989)
- Terraces(BBC TV film 1993)
- The Wrong Boy(first novel, 2000)
- Hoovering the Moon(music album, 2003)
- Our Day Out – The Musical(2009/10)
Awards and nominations[edit]
- Awards
- 1980:Laurence Olivier Awardfor Best New Comedy –Educating Rita
- 1983: Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical –Blood Brothers
- 1988: Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy –Shirley Valentine
- 1990:Evening StandardBritish Film Award for Best Screenplay –Shirley Valentine
- Nominations
- 1984:Academy Awardnomination for Best Adapted Screenplay –Educating Rita
- 1984:Golden Globe Awardnomination for Best Motion Picture Screenplay –Educating Rita
- 1984:BAFTAnomination for Best Adapted Screenplay –Educating Rita
- 1989 Tony Award for Best Play –Shirley Valentine
- 1990: BAFTA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay –Shirley Valentine
- 1993: Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical –Blood Brothers
References[edit]
- ^Chrisafis, Angelique."Why the working class love Sartre",The Guardian,6 July 2001.
- ^"Playwright",willyrussell.com. Accessed 20 September 2017.
- ^"Willy Russell".queens-theatre.co.uk.2011. Archived fromthe originalon 16 July 2011.Retrieved22 July2011.
- ^Stade, George and Karbiener, Karen. "Russell, William Martin (1947-)",Encyclopedia of British Writers, 1800 to the Present, Volume 2,pg. 426, Infobase Publishing, 2010;ISBN1438116896
- ^"Willy Russell Plays: 2"bloomsbury.com, retrieved 23 April 2019
- ^"REVIEW: 'John, Paul, George, Ringo... and Bert' - Original London Cast"castalbums.org, 31 May 2016
- ^"'John, Paul, George, Ringo...and Bert' Production History"broadwayworld.com, retrieved 23 April 2019
- ^John, Paul, George, Ringo… and Bertdramaonlinelibrary.com, accessed 2 December 2019
- ^One for the Roadwillyrussell.com, retrieved 23 April 2019
- ^Death of A Young Young Mantvcream.co.uk, retrieved 23 April 2019
- ^Daughters of Albionwww.bfi.org.uk, retrieved 23 April 2019
- ^Our Day Outbfi.org.uk, retrieved 23 April 2019
- ^One Summerbfi.org.uk, retrieved 23 April 2019
- ^Educating Ritacollections.shakespeare.org.uk, retrieved 23 April 2019
- ^Russell, Willy."Shirley ValentineScript "Shirley Valentine: A Play,Samuel French, Inc., 1989,ISBN0-573691207
- ^"Olivier Awards, 1988"officiallondontheatre.com, retrieved 23 April 2019
- ^"'Shirley Valentine' Broadway"ibdb, retrieved 23 April 2019
- ^Shirley Valentinebfi.org.uk, retrieved 23 April 2019
- ^Shirley Valentinetcm.com, retrieved 23 April 2019
- ^Educating-Ritatcm.com, retrieved 23 April 2019
- ^"Musicals,Blood Brothers"overthefootlights.co.uk, retrieved 24 April 2019
- ^"Blood BrothersBroadway "Playbill, retrieved 24, 2019
- ^Blood Brothersibdb.com, retrieved 24 April 2019
- ^Roberts, John."'Our Day Out' – Royal Court Theatre, Liverpool"[permanent dead link],thereviewshub.com, 5 September 2010.
- ^"Brief Encounter With… Willy Russell",whatsonstage.com, 9 August 2010
- ^"Willy Russell: Behind the Scenes",ljmu.ac.uk, 4 November 2015.
- ^Jones, Catherine."Willy Russell archive launched at Liverpool John Moores University"liverpoolecho.co.uk, 28 November 2013.
- ^Levin, Angela."Willy Russell: 'I want to talk about things that matter'",Daily Telegraph,15 October 2012; accessed 15 October 2014.
External links[edit]
- Willy Russell Homepage
- Willy Russellat theInternet Broadway Database
- Willy RussellatIMDb
- Willy Russellat theInternet Off-Broadway Database
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