Zipp!
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Zipp!: A West End Musical Whirlwind
"Zipp! One Hundred Musicals for Less Than the Price of One" premiered in London’s West End at the Duchess Theatre on February 4, 2003, following previews from January 24, and ran for 11 weeks, closing on April 19 after 85 performances. Conceived by Gyles Brandreth and Stewart Nicholls, who also directed and choreographed, this musical revue was produced by Robert Cogo-Fawcett and Derek Purdy. Featuring a nimble cast of seven, it raced through a century of Broadway and West End hits from "The Merry Widow" to "The Lion King" in a single evening. After a 2001 Edinburgh Fringe debut and a 2002 UK tour, its West End stint aimed to dazzle with speed and satire but faltered commercially, leaving a quirky legacy as a theatrical sprint through musical history.
A Century of Song in One Night
The show’s premise is a breathless romp through 100 musicals, linked by Brandreth’s wry commentary and a loose framing device: a troupe of performers racing against time to stage the ultimate revue. It opens with a nod to operetta classics like "The Mikado," then barrels through Gershwin’s "Porgy and Bess," Rodgers and Hammerstein’s "Oklahoma!," and Lerner and Loewe’s "My Fair Lady." Modern hits like "Les Misérables" and a 60-second blitz of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s oeuvre complete with a mock "Phantom" chandelier round out the mix. The cast shifts roles at breakneck pace, spoofing plots and stars alike, ending with a triumphant “One” from "A Chorus Line," a meta bow to musical theatre’s endurance. It’s less a story than a high-speed love letter to the art form.
A Score of Stolen Tunes
Rather than original music, "Zipp!" borrows snippets from its 100 featured shows, arranged by Michael England with musical direction by Gareth Valentine. Iconic numbers “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” “Memory,” “Defying Gravity” flash by, often truncated to a verse or chorus, stitched with Brandreth’s quips and Nicholls’ staging. The cast’s medley mastery, from "Chicago"’s razzle-dazzle to "Sweeney Todd"’s menace, keeps the tempo relentless. Critics noted the “clever compression” (The Stage), but the lack of a unifying score left it feeling like a “glorified cabaret.” No cast album exists, though its Edinburgh roots and tour honed a live-wire energy that leaned on audience recognition over musical depth.
A Cast Dancing Through Decades
The original West End cast starred Bonnie Langford, fresh from "Cats," whose vocal agility and dance chops dazzled, alongside Louise Gold’s commanding presence from "Mamma Mia!" Jonathon Morris brought comic flair, with Warwick Davis, Liz Robertson, Sara Crowe, and Nic Colicos completing the septet later joined by Sam Kelly. Nicholls’ choreography zipped them through tap, waltz, and jazz, often in period costumes by Mark Bailey that nodded to each show’s era. The ensemble’s versatility switching from "Follies" divas to "Rent" rebels earned praise as “a marathon of talent” (The Guardian), though the breakneck pace sometimes blurred their individual shine. Their chemistry fueled a show that lived or died by its performers’ stamina.
A Swift West End Legacy
Born at the 2001 Edinburgh Fringe with a 75-minute runtime, "Zipp!" toured the UK in 2002 before its West End leap, banking on Brandreth’s TV fame and Nicholls’ musical pedigree post-"The Beggars Musical." Its 85-performance run foreshortened from a hoped-for longer stint faced a tough 2003 season, overshadowed by juggernauts like "We Will Rock You" (1,500+ performances). Reviews were mixed: Time Out lauded its “sheer chutzpah,” but The Independent called it “a gimmick stretched thin.” A planned Broadway transfer fizzled, and while it’s occasionally revived notably in fringe venues its West End moment was a fleeting, frenetic blip. As of March 2025, "Zipp!" endures as a theatrical curiosity a 100-show dash that couldn’t quite stick the landing.