Peggy Sue Got Married
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Reliving "Peggy Sue Got Married" on the West End
"Peggy Sue Got Married" is a nostalgic musical that whisked West End audiences back to the 1960s, adapted from the 1986 Francis Ford Coppola film. Opening at the Shaftesbury Theatre on August 20, 2001, and closing October 13 of the same year, this fleeting production starred Ruthie Henshall as Peggy Sue, earning her a 2002 Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical. With a book by Arlene Sarner and Jerry Leichtling, music by Bob Gaudio, and lyrics by Leichtling, the show spun a time-travel tale of second chances, though its brief run reflected broader challenges faced by London theatre post-9/11.
A Journey Back in Time
The story mirrors the film’s heartfelt premise. Peggy Sue, a 42-year-old mother facing divorce from her high school sweetheart Charlie, attends her 25th reunion in 1985. Fainting amid the nostalgia, she awakens in 1960, back in her teenage body but armed with adult hindsight. Torn between rekindling her romance with Charlie, played by Andrew Kennedy, or chasing a bohemian fling with Michael, brought to life by Tim Howar, Peggy grapples with rewriting her past. It’s a whimsical “what if” fantasy, laced with humor and poignant reflection on love and regret.
Creative Minds at Work
Arlene Sarner and Jerry Leichtling, the film’s original writers, penned the book, preserving its sentimental core while adapting it for the stage. Bob Gaudio, of Four Seasons fame, composed a score that leaned more toward generic pastiche than his signature sound, with standout moments like “This Time Around” showcasing Henshall’s vocal prowess. Directed by Kelly Robinson with choreography by Sergio Trujillo, the production aimed for vibrancy but stumbled with a thin script and uneven design, as critics noted a disconnect between its 1980s roots and 1960s setting.
A Short-Lived West End Stint
Previewing from August 2, 2001, "Peggy Sue Got Married" ran for just under two months, a casualty of dwindling tourism after the September 11 attacks. Henshall’s radiant performance earned raves Variety called her “tireless” but reviews were mixed, with The Guardian lamenting a lack of hummable tunes and The Telegraph finding it pleasantly forgettable. The Shaftesbury’s pink-walled, rah-rah-skirted staging nodded to the era, yet the show’s early closure underscored a struggle to capture the film’s quirky magic amid a shaken West End landscape.
Songs of Nostalgia
The score mixed 1950s-inspired numbers like “Crown of Love” with ballads such as “I Can’t See Myself Without You,” the latter a crowd-pleasing finale for Henshall and Kennedy. Tracks like “My Baby Has That New Car Smell” aimed for Grease-like fun but fell short of memorable hooks. Gaudio’s compositions, while serviceable, rarely echoed his Four Seasons verve, leaving the music a pleasant backdrop rather than a driving force, though Henshall’s power ballad “This Time Around” stood out as a highlight.
A Faded Spotlight
Born at Marriott’s Lincolnshire Theater in 1999, "Peggy Sue Got Married" arrived in London with promise but departed quietly, its legacy tied to Henshall’s nomination rather than sustained acclaim. Unlike the film’s enduring charm bolstered by Kathleen Turner’s Oscar-nominated turn the musical hasn’t resurfaced significantly, perhaps due to its tonal missteps. It remains a curious blip, overshadowed by the era’s bigger hits, yet a testament to the West End’s appetite for fresh, if imperfect, stories.
Why "Peggy Sue Got Married" Echoes
This musical taps a universal longing to revisit youth with wisdom intact wrapped in a fluffy, retro package. For its brief West End moment, it offered escapism, buoyed by Henshall’s star turn, even if it couldn’t fully bottle the film’s bittersweet depth. It’s a reminder of theatre’s gamble on nostalgia, where a stellar lead can shine amid a show that, like Peggy’s second chance, doesn’t quite rewrite the script to perfection.