The Fields of Ambrosia

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The Fields of Ambrosia: A Bold West End Experiment

The Fields of Ambrosia, a musical with book and lyrics by Joel Higgins and music by Martin Silvestri, premiered at London’s Aldwych Theatre in the West End on January 31, 1996, following previews from January 22. Directed by Gregory Hurst and produced by an American team including David Brown, it ran for a mere 23 performances, closing on February 11, 1996. Adapted from the 1970 film *The Traveling Executioner*, this dark comedy starred Higgins as Jonas Candide and Christine Andreas as Gretchen Herzallerliebst, spinning a tale of a state executioner’s love for his next victim. Despite its short run, its audacious mix of violence, sex, and upbeat tunes earned it a cult following, preserved by a 1996 cast recording, marking it as a quirky, if ill-fated, West End venture.

Origins and West End Arrival

The musical debuted at New Jersey’s George Street Playhouse in 1993, with Higgins and Silvestri refining their vision of a con-man-turned-executioner’s macabre romance. After modest U.S. success, it crossed to the Aldwych Theatre, a venue known for hosting bold works like *The Threepenny Opera*. Hurst, who helmed the original, returned with musical direction by Mark Warman and orchestrations by Harold Wheeler. Opening amid a crowded 1996 season flanked by *Crazy For You* and *Grease* its American-heavy cast, including Michael Fenton Stevens and Marc Joseph, aimed to shock. Yet, its February close after 23 shows reflected a West End audience baffled by its tone, despite a sold-out U.S. buzz that didn’t translate across the pond.

The Plot: A Dark Dance of Love and Death

In 1918 rural Louisiana, Jonas Candide, a carnival-barker-turned-executioner, arrives at Fairweather Prison with his electric chair to dispatch siblings Willie and Gretchen Herzallerliebst, convicted murderers. Smitten by Gretchen’s beauty, Jonas delays her fate executing Willie with “The Fields of Ambrosia” as a lullaby then hides the chair to buy time, claiming theft. Her lawyer axes it, forcing Jonas to hustle prostitutes for cash to fix it. Love deepens amid chaos; when guards kill Gretchen during an escape bid, Jonas murders one, landing himself on death row. The finale sees him fried in his own chair, waltzing with Gretchen’s ghost a twisted romance blending black humor and tragedy, too grim for mainstream cheers.

Standout Performances and Staging

Joel Higgins’s Jonas was a relentless force, his affable grin masking a killer’s glee in “Step Right Up,” dominating every scene. Christine Andreas’s Gretchen brought wit and allure to “Who Are You?,” her chemistry with Higgins a rare bright spot. Michael Fenton Stevens as Doc and Marc Joseph as Jimmy Crawford added levity, with Joseph’s “Alone” a haunting standout. Hurst’s staging leaned on Deborah Jasien’s stark sets prison cells to whorehouse grit while David Toguri’s choreography injected odd pep. The Aldwych’s 1,180 seats dwarfed the intimate tale, and Wheeler’s loud orchestrations drowned subtleties, per *Variety*. Critics found Higgins “charmless,” yet Andreas’s grace and the cast’s grit earned fleeting applause.

Musical Score and Reception

Silvestri’s score swung from the lilting “The Fields of Ambrosia” to the raucous “Nuthin’,” with Higgins’s lyrics “where everybody knows ya” toying with macabre irony. “Too Bad” and “Continental Sunday” offered tender duets, but the upbeat vibe clashed with the plot’s darkness. *The Independent*’s Paul Taylor called it “reprehensibly enjoyable,” while *Variety* slammed its “deafening” excess. Audiences split some relished its oddity, others fled its tonal whiplash. Its 23-performance flop earned no awards, dwarfed by *Cats*’s roar, but the cast recording, with numbers like “Step Right Up,” preserves its weird charm, a precursor to later dark musicals like *Urinetown*.

Legacy Beyond the West End

After its swift Aldwych exit, *The Fields of Ambrosia* vanished from major stages, its U.S. roots not replanted. A 2003 CD reissue by Must Close Saturday and sporadic amateur runs like Surflight Theatre’s 2022 staging kept it alive for niche fans. Unlike *The Boys from Syracuse*, it never found a revival footing, its executioner’s tale too bizarre for broad appeal. Higgins and Silvestri moved on Higgins to TV, Silvestri to cabaret leaving its script in Concord Theatricals’ vaults. Its 1996 cast album endures, a cult relic of a West End misfire that dared to dance with death, influencing fringe theatre’s taste for the offbeat.

Why The Fields of Ambrosia Lingers

*The Fields of Ambrosia* fascinates with its reckless blend of comedy and carnage, a musical that toys with taboo love on death row where others play safe. Higgins’s grinning killer and Andreas’s doomed muse, set to Silvestri’s deceptively cheery score, defy convention, echoing *Sweeney Todd*’s dark glee. Its 23-performance blink reflects a West End unready for such a tonal tightrope, yet its cult status proves some crave theatre that risks all. Too wild for its time, it’s a quirky tombstone in musical history a reminder that even flops can bloom in ambrosial fields of memory, where the strange and brave find their echo.