1960 West End Premiere
With its original Broadway run underway at the St. James, Flower Drum Song made its London debut at the illustrious Palace Theatre on the West End on March 24, 1960 where the show would go on to run 464 performances. This was the first time Rodgers & Hammerstein ever opened a show at the Palace Theatre together, having made the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane their usual destination for London premieres. For this production, Jerome Whyte replicated Gene Kelly’s original direction, and Rob Lowe stepped in as its music director. They both led another cast made up primarily of Asian actors, including Mei Juan Chang, Yau Shan Tung, Yama Saki and Zed Zakari – all of whom can be heard on Flower Drum Song’s 1960 London Cast Album.
While the original Broadway production continued its run, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Flower Drum Song made its West End Premiere at London’s Palace Theatre on March 24, 1960, where it would run 464 performances, through spring of the following year. For its debut across the pond, Jerome Whyte replicated Gene Kelly’s original direction and Robert Lowe stepped in as conductor and music director. The Original London Cast album features Mei Juan Chang, Yau Shan Tung, Yama Saki and Zed Zakari.
