Doctor Dolittle (musical) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Doctor Dolittle |
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Original London production flyer
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| Music | Leslie Bricusse |
| Lyrics | Leslie Bricusse |
| Book | Leslie Bricusse |
| Basis | 1967 film and the children's books by Hugh Lofting |
| Productions | 1998 London 2000 UK tour 2005 US tour 2007 UK tour 2018 UK tour |
Doctor Dolittle is a fun stage musical. It is based on the 1967 movie and the children's books by Hugh Lofting. The story is about a kind doctor who learns to talk to animals. He treats them as his patients.
The musical uses the same songs as the movie. One famous song is "Talk To The Animals". This song even won an Oscar! The musical first opened in London in 1998. After that, it went on tours in the UK and the US.
Contents
Stage Productions
First London Show and UK Tour (1998-2001)
The very first Doctor Dolittle musical opened in London. It was at the Hammersmith Apollo on July 14, 1998. The main role of Doctor Dolittle was played by TV star Phillip Schofield. The show also featured the voice of Julie Andrews as Polynesia the parrot.
Amazing animal puppets were made by Jim Henson's Creature Shop. They helped bring the animals to life on stage. The musical cost about £4 million to create. This made it one of the most expensive musicals at that time. The show ran for almost a year, closing on June 26, 1999.
After London, the musical went on a UK tour in 2000 and 2001. Phillip Schofield continued to play Doctor Dolittle. Other actors like Paul Nicholas and Russ Abbott also took turns in the role.
US National Tour (2005-2006)
The musical then traveled to America for a national tour. It started in Pittsburgh on August 2, 2005. Tom Hewitt played Doctor Dolittle. However, the tour closed early after only nine weeks. This was because not enough tickets were sold.
Later, a new version of the US tour began in January 2006. This time, Tommy Tune, a famous director and actor, directed and starred in the show.
More UK Tours
2007-2008 UK Tour
In 2007, a new production of Doctor Dolittle toured the UK. Tommy Steele played the main role. This version of the show had some changes to its story and songs.
2018-2019 UK Tour
Another new UK tour started on November 9, 2018. It opened at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley. Mark Williams played Doctor Dolittle. Other actors included Brian Capron and Vicky Entwistle.
This tour was planned to run for a long time. But on January 11, 2019, the producers announced it would close early. It ended on January 26, 2019, in Oxford. This was also due to lower ticket sales than expected.
Main Cast Members
| Character | Original London Cast | 2000/1 UK tour | 2007/8 UK tour | 2018/19 UK tour |
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| Doctor Dolittle | Phillip Schofield | Phillip Schofield
Paul Nicholas Russ Abbot |
Tommy Steele | Mark Williams |
| Emma Fairfax | Sarah Jane Hassell | Liza Pulman
Kathleen Shueppert |
Abigail Jaye | Mollie Melia-Redgrave |
| Matthew Muggins | Bryan Smyth | David Ganly
Jimmy Johnston |
Conor Michael-Sheridan | Patrick Sullivan |
| Tommy Stubbins | James Paul Bradley | Steven Fitton
Joshua Ellis-Barnard Jamie Finch |
Joanna Forest | Harry Cross
Elliot Morris Quillan O’Meara McDonald Louis Parker Elliott Rose Thomas Ryan |
| General Bellowes | Peter Cellier | George Little | Halcro Johnston | Adèle Anderson |
| Albert Blossom | John Rawnsley | David Anthony | Brian Capron | |
| Straight Arrow | Peter Gallagher | Sam Mancuso | Ako Mitchell | |
| Polynesia | Julie Andrews (voice) | Julie Andrews (voice)
Ronnie Le Drew (puppet) |
Debden Clarke
Rebecca Hyland |
Vicky Entwistle |
Songs from the Musical
Original London Production Songs
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2007/08 UK Touring Production Songs
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Cast Recording
A "cast recording" is an album of songs from a musical. The original London cast recording of Doctor Dolittle was released on October 1, 1998. It featured Phillip Schofield and all the songs from the show.
