Insights and updates on ‘Eternity’
Those of you who’ve read my blog or column over the years may recall that I have written from time to time about the musical, “From Here to Eternity.” Back in 2013, I worked as the military adviser for its West End premiere in London. Tim Rice wrote the lyrics, and Stuart Brayson wrote the music. The show had a limited run at the Shaftesbury Theatre from that fall until the spring of 2014.
It was one of the highlights of my rather eclectic career, and I enjoyed the many friendships that resulted, and have continued, since that time.
The production has undergone some tweaking and re-working since then and had a 30-day run in America in Auburn, N.Y., and another showing in Ogunquit, Maine, the following year. The London production was filmed and shown throughout the United States, including at the Virginia Theatre locally in Champaign, Ill., with Tim Rice appearing on a live video call from London to participate in a panel discussion after the screening.
Recently, another version of the musical was just performed at the Charing Cross Theatre in London from Nov. 7 to Dec. 17.
It’s interesting to see how a major stage production undergoes as much editing and changing over time as a written manuscript—the medium with which I am much more familiar. Tim told me he thinks the show will be performed again “on both sides of the Atlantic.” And Stuart has been keeping me in the loop on how this latest production has gone.
So I thought it would be interesting to invite Stuart to share a little bit of his experience of how this all came to be as part of my blog (featured below).
Enjoy.
-RE
From Nowhere to Eternity
By Stuart Brayson—Kent, England, December 2022
More than a few years ago I had an idea for a musical.
I’d remembered seeing the 1953 film of “From Here to Eternity” as a child and being swept up in the story, as well as thinking Burt Lancaster looked rather a lot like my dad.
I’d also related to the character, Robert E. Lee Prewitt, the misfit loner who won’t box, especially played by Montgomery Clift, who—along with James Dean—remains one of my favourite actors of all time.
'From Here to Eternity--The Musical' composer Stuart Brayson outside the Charing Cross Theatre in London
But the idea of a musical based on this multi-Oscar-winning movie (and later I found out unbelievable best-selling novel by James Jones) was simply a distant pipe dream. I mean, how could a working-class composer from the north-east of England ever get something as truly iconic as “From Here to Eternity” onto the West End stage?
But somehow, that’s exactly what happened.
From a humble bedsit with only a few quid to my name, I watched as, with the support of Tim Rice, my pipedream slowly became an £8 million musical in the West End.
It was surreal.
Many at the time thought I was simply lucky and it had all happened overnight. In truth, it had actually taken the best part of 12 years for my pipedream to become a reality.
This year, we saw the return of “From Here to Eternity” in London’s West End. It was not so much a revival, but a total revamp—a stripped-down, immersive production featuring an exceptional young company.
The reviews have been out of this world. And a new, younger audience has embraced the story pretty much as I did as a child.
Tim Rice and I have even written a few new songs, which are being recorded as I write this, for a brand-new cast album of the show to be released in 2023. There is also talk of a Broadway opening and UK tour.
Maybe it wasn’t such a pipedream after all?