The Jessie Mathews Film late 1980s / early 1990s

Wuthering Heights Musical

1991

Nine

1992

&

East of Eden

2000

Angelica Classics Concert

2001

Diva - French Version

2007 / 2008

Singing Sarah to play Jessie

Daily Express Friday March 18 1988 - By DAVID WIGG  Photo copyright Rex Features and thanks to Vera

PHANTOM of the Opera sensation Sarah Brightman is to make her big screen debut as twenties singing star Jessie Matthews.

The -multi-million pound musical extravaganza will-be the first film produced by husband and Phantom writer - Andrew Lloyd Webbers Really useful company.

Sarah who after a record-breaking West End run of Phantom is now starring in the sell out New York production will quit the show later tills year and go straight into rehearsals.  She gave fans a sneak preview, with a song and dance routine as Jessie at the Royal variety performance.

The singer made famous songs such as Cole Porter’s Lets Do It Richard Rogers’ My Heart Stood Still and Noel Cowards A Room With A View.

Born in London’s Soho in 1907 one of 16 children of a hard-drinking market stall holder, she led a colorful life.  She started as a silent movie actress in 1923, and by the age of 21 was earning £200 a week. She appeared on stage and screen right through to the forties, with daring performances such as The Dance of the Seven Veils.

Her career took off again in 1963 when she played the title role in the radio series Mrs. Dale’s Diary, right through to its end in 1969.

She married and divorced three - times including Lord. Lytton and musical star sonny Hale and died of cancer aged 74.

Sarah, since. starring in Phantom has been deluged with film scripts, but says it has been her one great ambition to star as Jessie. . . The singing, dancing role could nave been tailor made for her and there is even a hint of a resemblance in the way they look.

Choreographer on the spectacular film set to go into production before the end of the year is Gillian Lynne, much praised for her work on Phantom.

Lloyd Webber also intends to film the hit musical with its award Winning title role performance by Michael Crawford.

DAILY EXPRESS Monday March 2 1992

In the midst of the despair at losing her father, round dead last week in big fume filled Golf GTi there is a ray or light at last for Sarah Brightman.

A major television  role is in the offing in a part she has longed to play all her professional life, that of Thirties’ singer Jessie Matthews.

Legal difficulties over the script by Willis Hall of Billy Liar fame, have been ironed out mid she merely awaits a starting date from producers the Really Useful Group showbiz vehicle of her ex husband Andrew Lloyd Webber.  The company’s television spokesman Alan. Benson says: There is a commitment to develop the idea. Sarah is very keen to play the part. In fact, she’s passionate about It.’

However, there is hostility towards the project from nonagenarian black singer ‘Boo Laye, whose first husband, actor Sonnie Hale left her for Jessie Matthews.

This provoked La Laye, to drive a hat pin into the tires of Jessie’s ear and there was a scandalous divorce case.

At 91. poor Boo does not wish a film made and says: “I shall do everything in my power to oppose it.’

Hall soothingly assures’ me; she has nothing to be afraid of. She was the innocent party in the divorce.”

Evening Standard (London)  April 28, 1992
 

BECKY PUTS A SONG IN PRYCE'S AGEING HEART

ACTOR Jonathan Pryce will sing and dance his way around a mid-life crisis surrounded by 21 women in the British premiere of the Broadway musical Nine.

The show, co-starring Becky Norman as the put-upon mistress Carla, is based upon Frederico Fellini's semi-autobiographical film 8 about a posturing Italian film director down on his luck.

It was written by American Maury Yeston, whose play Grand Hotel is due to open soon, and goes on at the Royal Festival Hall for one night only on Sunday, 7 June.

The cast, including Sarah Brightman as one of the Casanova director's protégées, are performing free, with the proceeds going to the Aids charity Crusaid.

The musical is part of June's Music for Life programme at The South Bank devised by artistic directors Nicholas Hytner, Nicholas Kenyon and Richard Mantle.

The day will include two fully staged performances by the Finchley Children's Music Group of Benjamin Britten's Noye's Fludde and a wide range of special events in the foyers.

Daily Mail (London)  June 6, 1992
A WING FULL OF PRAYERS

HAVING survived a dozen or more charity concerts on the wrong side of the footlights, I prefer not to imagine the mood of controlled panic building up around the Royal Festival Hall this weekend.

The entire building, from its foyers to its terraces, is given over tomorrow to a mammoth array of entertainments so dizzying and diverse they make a week at the Edinburgh Festival seem culturally impoverished.

For one major event alone - the staging of the British Premiere of that extraordinary, exhilarating Broadway musical Nine - more than 100 West End artists and musicians are involved. Jonathan Pryce, Sarah Brightman, and Liliane Montevecchi, the star of the original production, head the cast. Elsewhere you will find Alan Bennett, Nigel Hawthorne, Julia McKenzie, Jill Gascoigne and countless others in full flow.

It will, no doubt, be more than all right on the night. More importantly, it will swell the funds in the fight against AIDS through the charity Crusaid. But oh, the bad moments on the way to a good cause, as I know to my cost.
 

Daily Mail (London)  June 5, 1992
 

SASTRE'S NINE DAY WONDER!

EVERY young actress dreams of taking over from the leading lady in a West End starring role - and now, following an 11th hour walkout by Sarah Brightman from Sunday night's UK charity premiere of the Broadway musical Nine, young Elizabeth Sastre is to get her chance.

'I just can't believe it,' says retired headmaster's daughter Elizabeth, 24, who will star with Jonathan Pryce. 'When I was told yesterday I felt quite cool about it. But obviously I'm very excited - my mother's certainly very nervous!'

The musical, based on the semi-autobiographical film 8 by Federico Fellini, won five Tony Awards when it first appeared in New York ten years ago, including Best Musical.

Sarah backed out of the show - which is to benefit the Aids charity Crusade, and also stars Liliane Montevecchi (who won a Tony in the original show) and Ann Crumb, at the Royal Festival Hall - two days ago.

Her ex-husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber, tells me: 'Sarah has to be in Barcelona on Sunday because Jose Carreras cannot record the Olympic anthem on any other day. She tried to change the date, but he could not. But she will be sending a donation to the charity.'

Fluent in Spanish and French, Southport-born Elizabeth trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama and has already tried her hand at directing. 'I want to try everything! I have also been writing music and hope to do some recording.'

Evening Standard (London)  June 8, 1992
 

STEPPING INTO SARAH'S SHOES

ELIZABETH SASTRE was elevated to the star slot at the 11th hour at the Festival Hall last night.

Miss Sastre, 24, starred opposite Jonathan Pryce in the charity premiere of the Broadway musical, Nine, when Sarah Brightman dropped out.

Miss Brightman had to be in Barcelona to record the Olympic anthem with Jose Carreras, who could manage no other day.
 

June 5, 1992, Friday
 

SAFETY IN NUMBERS

.....Which brings us to Nine. Maury Yeston and Arthur Kopit's Broadway musical, based on Fellini's 81 2 , is about the affairs, and unhappiness, of the producer Guido Contini (played by Jonathan Pryce) - ''The theme,'' says the American producer Joe Bailey Cole, who has brought it over, ''couldn't be more applicable.''

It's the sort of gently over-excited comment you come to expect from the Nine team, and there are a lot of them: 150 in the chorus alone. ''The sound is unbelievable,'' says the director Andrew MacBean, ''In the West End, you'd be lucky to get 35, max.'' The bulk of this company has been rehearsing in West Hampstead for the last six Sundays, using the FCMG's scaffolded Ark for their production (providing visual echoes of Fellini's film). ''They told me they'd need an hour and a half to strike the 'Noah' set,'' says MacBean, ''and, when they told me what it was, a bubble went off in my head. 'Send me the plans,' I said, 'this is a blessing from above' .''

Since then, his enthusiasm has been severely tried. Pryce, filming with Scorsese, was caught up in the LA riots, and had to cancel a week of rehearsals. And, earlier this week, Sarah Brightman, who was to star alongside him, pulled out. ''Now, that was a blow,'' says MacBean, revealing a flicker of anxiety. ''But then I thought 'Is Kate Bush available?' '

 as seen on ebay

Nine-  Music from Amazon.co.uk

Nine - Music from Amazon.com

DAILY EXPRESS Saturday August 24 1991

Sarah In Retreat from New Musical Heights

by Sian James

SINGER Sarah Brightman has pulled out of the starring role in a musical version of the classic novel Wuthering Heights. The 30-year-old star. the ex-wife of millionaire  composer Andrew Lloyd Webber told the producers at the last moment she was too busy.

Sarah was to play Cathy Earnshaw, Emily Bronte's wayward heroine, opposite Peter Polycarpou’s Heathcliff.   The role will now be taken by 27-yoar.old English National Open soprano Fiona O’ Neill who was discovered in Salome at last years Edinburgh Festival.

Wuthering Heights A - Musical opens at Oxford’s Old Fire Station Arts Centre on September 2nd  and plans are  afoot  to turn it into a West End spectacular. Sarah was supposed to be a big name to bring in the audiences,’ an insider said. Frankly the cast s quite relieved we found a replacement.  Fiona is extremely good.

Lyricist Steve Deverauax, 36, denied there was a fall-out-with the star.  “Sarah would have loved to have done it” he said. "But she was committed in other places. like recording in Los Angeles.  She would have. been very good as Cathy. But Fiona is wonderful."

She is a real discovery.’ Of the musical he said: It Follows the great English pastoral tradition of Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten.

Wuthering Heights Music from Amazon.co.uk

Wuthering Heights Music from Amazon.com

Album cover created by myself based on a photo by Simon Fowler

East of Eden was going to be the name of the La Luna album - as a follow on to Eden, but as La Luna was a moon themed album the name changed to reflect this. 

So not really "LOST" as such - just a name change.

In the Summer of 2001 the Sarah Brightman Official Site released details of an upcoming concert entitled  "Angelica: The Classical Collection Concert" which would take place in Greece, at an outdoor venue, maybe at an old amphitheatre theatre.  Sarah would have been accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.  Sadly for some reason this never happened, and as far as I remember no real reason was given.

Diva the French Version

UNRELEASED AT PRESENT - UNKNOWN WHEN RELEASE DATE WILL BE  - IF EVER  . . .

5. Gueri De Toi (featuring Nigel Kennedy)
6. What A Wonderful World
6.The War Is Over (featuring Kazim Al Saher)
7.  Tout Ce Que Je Sais
8. Un Seul Mot (featuring Patrick Fiori)
9. Nessun Dorma
10. Tu Quieres Volver (featuring I Muvrini)
11. Ave Maria
12.  Mysterious Days (featuring Ofra Haza)
13.  Dans La Nuit
14. Time To Say Goodbye (featuring Andrea Bocelli)

Sometime in 2007 / 2008 for the release of the French edition of "Diva: Sarah Brightman"  This version has a different track list from "Diva: The Singles Collection," which was released worldwide (except Europe) last fall. The French edition will feature all-new photos with a decidedly European flair, as well as new duets with Florent Pagny, I Muvrini and Patrick Fiori.

The Official Store will not be carrying this CD as it is a France-only release.