Twang!!
Recently Updated
Twang!!: A West End Theatrical Disaster
"Twang!!" premiered in London’s West End at the Shaftesbury Theatre on December 20, 1965, a musical comedy that stumbled through just 43 performances before closing on January 29, 1966. Written by Lionel Bart with Harvey Orkin, with Bart composing the music and lyrics, it was produced by Bart alongside Bernard Delfont and John Bryan. Directed initially by Joan Littlewood who quit during rehearsals and later by Burt Shevelove and Bart himself, this spoof of Robin Hood’s legend aimed for satire but landed in chaos. Following Bart’s "Oliver!" triumph, it cost him his fortune £200,000 and earned a reputation as the West End’s priciest flop of its era. A 2018 Union Theatre revival with a new book by Julian Woolford offered redemption, but the original remains a legendary misfire.
A Merry Mess in Sherwood Forest
The plot centers on Robin Hood and his Merry Men, who don absurd disguises monks, nuns, even a giant chicken to infiltrate Nottingham Castle and thwart Prince John’s scheme. The prince plans to wed the lustful courtier Delphina to Roger the Ugly, a hairy Scots laird, to secure troops against Robin’s outlaws. Amidst this, Robin loses his “twang” his heroic mojo leaving his band to bumble through rescues and a silver arrow contest. The narrative, meant to lampoon the Crusades and church pomp, floundered in a haze of unfocused satire and disjointed farce. Opening night saw last-minute cuts and campy pivots, including transvestism, as backstage fights and a collapsing musical director, Ken Moule, sealed its doom.
A Score Lost in the Fray
Lionel Bart’s music and lyrics aimed for playful irreverence with numbers like “Twang!!,” “With Bells On,” and “Roger the Ugly Dream Child,” blending folkish hooks with theatrical zest. Conducted by Moule who faltered under pressure the score suffered as the second act went un-orchestrated until hours before the curtain. Songs like “You Can’t Catch Me” and “Follow the Leader” flickered with Bart’s flair, but the rushed production and Shevelove’s fixes muddled their impact. No commercial recording emerged, though a rehearsal tape survives. Critics panned it as “tuneless chaos,” yet the 2018 revival showed Bart’s melodies could shine with polish too late for 1965’s debacle.
A Cast Caught in the Collapse
The original cast featured James Booth as Robin Hood, Barbara Windsor as Delphina, Bernard Bresslaw as Little John, and Ronnie Corbett as Will Scarlett, with Toni Eden as Marian and Maxwell Shaw as Prince John. Fresh from "Oliver!"’s glory, Booth lost a year’s wages, while Windsor booed offstage later called it a “nightmare.” Corbett, freed by the flop, joined "The Frost Report," launching his TV fame. The ensemble’s talent drowned in an unrehearsed mess house lights flickered, arguments echoed, and Bart’s frantic direction couldn’t save it. The 2018 Union cast, including Jessica Brady and Ed Court, fared better, proving the material’s potential when not in freefall.
A Legacy of Infamy
After a disastrous Manchester preview on November 3, 1965, at the Palace Theatre where tabloids gleefully reported the unraveling "Twang!!" staggered into London with a £200,000 price tag, then the West End’s costliest failure. Bart, once a golden boy, never recovered financially or creatively, though Orkin blamed vague satire, not execution. The 2008 Woolford rewrite, debuted at Guildford School of Acting in 2013 and staged at Union Theatre in 2018, recast it as a meta-musical, earning five-star nods like “bags of heart” (The Stage). Licensed via MTI, it’s a fringe curiosity today. As of March 2025, "Twang!!" endures as a West End cautionary tale ambition’s arrow gone wildly astray.