Twang!!
Twang!! is a musical with music and lyrics written by Lionel Bart and a book by Bart and Harvey Orkin, with assistance from Burt Shevelove. The piece, a spoof of the character and legend of Robin Hood, was a disastrous box-office failure and cost Bart his personal fortune.
| Twang!! | |
|---|---|
London Cast Album cover | |
| Music | Lionel Bart |
| Lyrics | Lionel Bart |
| Book | Lionel Bart & Harvey Orkin |
| Basis | The Robin Hood legend |
| Productions | 1965 West End |
After a preview in Manchester, Twang!! opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End on 20 December 1965 and closed on 29 January 1966 after just 43 performances, receiving scathing reviews and playing to mostly empty houses. Bart produced it with Bernard Delfont and John Bryan, and Joan Littlewood directed but quit before it opened. She was replaced by Shevelove and Bart. Twang!! is remembered as "the most expensive flop" in West End history up to that time.
In 2008, the Estate of Lionel Bart commissioned Julian Woolford to write a new book for the musical which was performed in 2013 at Guildford School of Acting. This version is now licensed through MTI