Love Birds is an original musical with book, music and lyrics by Robert J. Sherman. The musical officially premiered at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival at The Pleasance on August 7, 2015. The production was directed and choreographed by Stewart Nicholls. Prior to the Edinburgh run, there were two previews held in London at the Lost Theatre (in Stockwell) on July 28 and 29.Jones, Raymond Langford; "Love Birds" SardinesMagazine.co.uk, July 30, 2015. The Original Edinburgh Cast Recording was recorded on July 30 and mixed and mastered on July 31 and August 3 and was first released by SimG Records on August 12 at the Edinburgh Festival. Two Edinburgh previews took place on August 5 and 6 with Press Night taking place on August 8. The final festival performance took place on August 31. The show starred Ruth Betteridge, Greg Castiglioni, John Guerrasio, George Knapper, Jonny Purchase, Joanna Sawyer, Anna Stolli, Rafe Watts and Ryan Willis. In its end of the year round-up of regional British fringe musical theatre, Musical Theatre Review hailed Love Birds: "a triumph of whimsy, a children’s story written with adult sensibilities and featuring a cracking score that celebrated the lost era of vaudeville. Blessed with an equally strong design from Gabriella Slade and some marvellously sensitive performances, Love Birds was probably the most accomplished piece of musical theatre to arise from the many delights at this year’s festival."Glenday, Craig; "Love Birds – Edinburgh Festival Fringe" musicaltheatrereview.com, August 8, 2015.
History of the musical After two short but successful runs of A Spoonful of Sherman, during the recording of the original cast album in December 2014, Sherman turned to Nicholls with the Love Birds concept. Only a few of the songs were complete and a script had yet to be written but Nicholls liked the concept and the songs he had heard. Nicholls suggested veteran Edinburgh producer, Kat Portman Smith to produce. The script and balance of songs were then composed over the next few months with a first draft (one act) book and score completed in June 2015. In the meantime, a poster image was commissioned which would set much of the visual tone of the piece moving forward. The poster was created by Rebecca Pitt. A production team was put together consisting of Designer: Gabriella Slade, Lighting Designer: Rob Mills, Sound Designer: Andy Hinton, Casting Director: Stephen Moore, Stage Manager: Roisin Symes, Production Manager: Simon Streeting. Press Representative Susie Safavi and Social Media Manager: Terri Paddock were also brought in at this point. Originally Music Supervision was being handled by Colin Billing who had worked with Nicholls and Sherman on A Spoonful of Sherman the year before. In late June, Billing had to pull out from the production for personal reasons at which point Musical Director: Richard Healey stepped in to do the music arrangements for the show in just under two weeks. Taking Healey's place as Musical Director was Neil MacDonald. Rehearsals commenced in earnest on July 13, 2015 at The Big Wheel rehearsal space in Exmouth Market, London. London Previews were held on July 28 and 29 at the Lost Theatre in Stockwell. On July 30, the entire Original Cast Album was recorded (in a single day) at Porcupine Studios and mixed over the following two days by Engineer: Nick Taylor. Edinburgh previews began on August 5 with press attending from August 6 onward.
Other performances On July 13, 2018 Love Birds was performed as part of a Masters' thesis project at the Guildford School of Acting.
Characters and original Edinburgh cast Character Description Original Edinburgh performer Armitage Shanks The sixty-five million year old plesiosaur impresario of Love Birds. He lives a parallel, doppelgänger existence as the Loch Ness Monster, an identity he must come to grips with. John Guerrasio Baalthazar Macaw The self-centered, colorful Italian opera singing macaw (billed as “The Feathered Caruso”). He has recently acquired an unhealthy obsession with "Crunchy Crackers". Greg Castiglioni Vera The oldest and most pragmatic of three female singing macaw performers in the Love Birds musical revue. She is secretly in love with Armitage. Anna Stolli Veronica The voluptuous vamp of the three female singing macaws. Joanna Sawyer Valentine Baalthazar's daughter and the youngest of the Macaw trio; the ingénue. Ruth Betteridge Parker The leader of the four penguin singing group. Rafe Watts Presley The most suave (and potentially rebellious) member of the four penguin singing group. Jonny Purchase Pewcey The persnickety member of the penguin singing group. Ryan Willis Puck The youngest member of the penguin singing group. The "Donnie Osmond" of the quartet, he often fronts the act. George Knapper Heckler MacKracken A heckler in the Love Birds audience who stalks Armitage and who is obsessed with outing him as the Loch Ness Monster. (Voice Over) Neil MacDonald Chief Justice The judge who pronounces sentence on Armitage. (loosely based on the real life Chief Justice Taft of the U.S. Supreme Court. (Voice Over) Adam Niemann Hawker #1 A 1920s period newspaper hawker, (incidental character). (Voice Over) Hawker #2 A 1920s period newspaper hawker, (incidental character). (Voice Over)
Plot The year is 1923, the Age of Vaudeville. It is a magical, musical time when birds and monsters can put on a show that will fill a theatre. Outside of house, plesiosaur impresario Armitage Shanks ( the “Loch Ness Monster”) hawks his all-avian revue “Love Birds” to passersby on the street. (Fanfare / Barrelhouse Barker). Inside the theatre, famed Italian crooning parrot, Baalthazar Macaw (a.k.a. “The Feathered Caruso”) sings his World War I era hit (Glorious Gull Of The Glen). But just as he trills the final electrifying notes of his song, a mysterious person in the audience audibly bites into a “Crunchy Cracker”. After the show, an outraged Baalthazar storms off, swearing never to return to the Love Birds stage. Armitage chases after his old friend (and star attraction of the show).
Just then, a well-meaning quartet of penguins inadvertently blocks the plesiosaur's passage. Dismayed at losing sight of Baalthazar, Armitage's mood brightens when he discovers that the fresh-faced foursome can sing. After hearing only a short excerpt of their song (Mary Poppins), Armitage hires the quartet on the spot. Suddenly gussied-up in barbershop regalia, Parker, Presley, Pewcey and Puck take the stage as performers in the show. Overnight the four penguins become a regular fixture in the “Love Birds” revue, singing and dancing alongside Baalthazar's backup singers, the three musical veteran macaws, Vera, Veronica and Valentine (Tinpanorama).
Albeit performances run to half empty houses, Armitage is gratified that he can still, at least keep the show running. He tries to reassure Valentine (who is Baalthazar's daughter) that although her father will, from time to time, pull melodramatic stunts, eventually he always “flies right.” Still, until his return, the plesiosaur suggests the company will have to “improvise a little”. He encourages the Love Birds cast to continue to find new (family-friendly) material to perform. In this spirit, the penguins and parrots cobble together an operetta entitled, “The Unlikely Saga of Sadie Macaw”. Its debut marks the first time precocious Puck plays opposite parrot ingénue Valentine (Sadie Macaw [pt. 1] / Bird With The Broken Heart / Valentine / Sadie Macaw [pt. 2]).
The next day, Puck finds Valentine backstage, rummaging through Armitage's old trunk of songs, looking for something to sing. Clearly smitten with the parrot, Puck awkwardly presents her with “a rose of congratulation” in recognition of their first performance together. Valentine enjoys the attention of her would-be suitor even though she doesn't take Puck particularly seriously. Still Puck making her laugh serves as a much needed reprieve from her ongoing worry concerning her missing father. Together the penguin and the parrot sift through a flurry of quirky songs, each one possessing a more peculiar title than the last. When they finally happen on a song called “Today Is Yesterday’s Tomorrow” Valentine explains that “Armitage gave up songwriting after that!” Just then, Armitage appears. He elaborates that he gave up songwriting because the publishers said he was a dinosaur (Old Fashioned Guy). The song morphs into an “on-stage” soft-shoe number. Halfway through, Baalthazar unexpectedly swoops back onto stage. Two old cronies, Baalthazar and Armitage, finish out the number together, revealing the deep-seated friendship they share for each other, despite their differences and ongoing squabbles.
When the song concludes, the mood shifts. Baalthazar tries to persuade Armitage into modernizing the show by introducing elements of burlesque. Armitage is adamant that he will never let the show “go blue” even if it means not making much money.
Frustrated, Baalthazar exits and Veronica finds Armitage alone. Wanting to thank him for giving her the job singing in the troupe, she makes seductive advances toward him. Taken aback, Armitage stops Veronica from going any further. He tells her that she doesn't ever have to thank him in that sort of manner. He confides in her that to him she is "an angel – with wings and a celestial voice" He entered show business so that he could be close to that, not so that he could destroy it. Veronica is moved to tears.
Meanwhile, Baalthazar has not given up trying to bring in more revenue vis-à-vis “going burlesque”. To this end, he works behind the scenes, convincing Presley and the other penguins to perform a more titillating, Charleston-esque song (The Flipper Flap). As the song concludes, Armitage storms the stage, apologizing to the audience for the penguins’ choice of “blue” material. Backstage, the plesiosaur chastises the penguins. Awash in feelings of guilt (and confusion) Presley repents, committing to make more traditional choices in his life moving forward (Old Fashioned Guy [Reprise]).
Dressed as a male mobster (parrot), Vera performs, (The Sharpest Smile) a cautionary tale about a doomed romance between a parrot and a crocodile named “Pearl” (who is played by Armitage). As the song progresses, “Pearl” chases the “mobster” up and down the stage in a loving attempt to eat the mobster alive.
In a private moment, Baalthazar discloses (only to the audience) his obsession with “Crunchy Crackers”. He explains that mankind has systematically used “the devil biscuit” to oppress his species. He vows never to allow the Crunchy Cracker to wield such power over him. Just then Veronica enters. Efforts thwarted once already, Baalthazar maneuvers Veronica into singing a burlesque interpretation of a song he knows Armitage wouldn't suspect could “go blue” – because it's a song that Armitage himself wrote (Paint A Rainbow). Baalthazar wagers that once they see it performed, the audience will get a taste for Veronica's risqué “feather dance” and it will become an inevitable fait accompli that the show must “go blue”. When Armitage finally sees what's happening on stage though, he's mortified. As the number finishes, the Machiavellian macaw victoriously takes the spotlight. As he had predicted, the audience responds with hoots and hollers. He then reveals to the audience that the feather dance was his idea after all. Armitage takes the stage, once again expressing his deep disappointment with the conniving parrot. Impetuously Baalthazar, yet again, storms out of the theatre. Valentine begs her father to stay, or at least to tell her where he's going, but Baalthazar refuses to tell her.