1963 West End
A few months after closing on Broadway, No Strings made its London debut at Her Majesty’s Theatre on December 30, 1963. Restaged and choreographed by Wakefield Poole, the West End production starred Beverly Todd and Art Lund, with Erica Rogers, Geoffrey Hutchings, Hy Hazell, David Holliday, Ferdy Mayne, Marti Stevens and Meg Walter in featured roles. Reviews were mixed, but The Times said, “There is certainly a breath of fresh air – possibly from Off-Broadway – blowing through it… Rodgers’ score varies between the gently lyrical and the blazingly profane.” Harold Myers of Variety noted that “The score has a succession of hit numbers” and predicted that it “looks set for a long stay.” The production ran for a modest 135 performances.
LISTEN
Beverly Todd and Art Lund led the cast in this second recording of Richard Rodgers first solo effort. Hy Hazell and Marti Stevens also received featured billing. Released on Decca records and produced by Hugh Mendl, the monophonic cast recording featured fifteen tracks, including the playout music and the full dialogue spoken during the opening number, “The Sweetest Sounds.”