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By Jeeves
By Jeeves

The Shows Must Go On to Air Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Favorite Flop By Jeeves

Next in the line-up of favorite Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals, By Jeeves will air on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s YouTube channel, The Shows Must Go On, this Friday, May 8 at 2 PM (EDT). The recording will remain accessible for 48 hours.

By Jeeves has a book and lyrics by Alan Ayckbourn with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The musical is based on a series of novels and short stories by P.G. Wodehouse that center around the character of Bertie Wooster and his loyal valet, Jeeves. 

The musical’s original premiere was in 1975 at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London, where it ran for only one month before being considered an instant flop. After rewrites, the show re-opened in London in 1996 and had its United States premiere at the Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut. The show opened on Broadway at the Helen Hayes Theater in 2001, where it ran for about two months. The show is hailed by Andrew Lloyd Webber himself as his “disaster musical.”

The production streaming will be the 2001 TV movie version of the musical. The film stars Martin Jarvis as the title character, Jeeves, and John Scherer as Bertie Wooster. It was directed by Alan Ayckbourn and Nick Morris.

By Jeeves will be the sixth installment of The Show Must Go On web series, following Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, and most recently, Andrew Lloyd Webber — The Royal Albert Hall Celebration.