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Clueless (also known as Clueless, The Musical) is a musical with a book by Amy Heckerling based on her 1995 film of the same name, itself loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma, updating the setting to modern-day Beverly Hills.[1][2]
| Clueless | |
|---|---|
| The Musical | |
.jpg) Promotional poster for the original Off-Broadway production. | |
| Music | Various (2018 version) KT Tunstall (2024 version) |
| Lyrics | Glenn Slater (2024 version) |
| Book | Amy Heckerling |
| Basis | Clueless by Amy Heckerling |
| Premiere | November 20, 2018: The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre, New York City |
| Productions | 2018 Off-Broadway 2024 Bromley 2025 West End |
The musical originally premiered as a jukebox musical Off-Broadway on November 20, 2018, with an official opening on December 11, in the Pershing Square Signature Center's Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre. Performances ran through January 12, 2019.
A new version of the musical with original music by KT Tunstall and with lyrics by Glenn Slater, began previews at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley from 12 to 24 February 2024, before being announced to open in London's West End at the Trafalgar Theatre from February 2025.
Productions
editOff-Broadway (2018)
editThe musical originally opened Off-Broadway at The Pershing Square Signature Center, produced by The New Group, on November 20, 2018, for a limited engagement until January 12, 2019.[3] The production was directed by Kristin Hanggi, choreographed by Kelly Devine and the show's music supervision, arrangements and orchestration was provided by Ethan Popp. The production's design team included scenery by Beowulf Boritt, costumes by Amy Clark, lighting by Jason Lyons, sound by Gareth Owen, and projections by Darrel Maloney.[4] As a non-traditional jukebox musical, the show used '80s and '90s songs as the entire score, with lyric changes to fit the scene. It features classics such as "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia, "Say My Name" by Destiny's Child, "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde, and "Beautiful Life" by Ace of Base.
Bromley (2024)
editA new version of the musical made its UK premiere in a try-out run at the Churchill Theatre, in Bromley from 12 to 24 February 2024. The new version features an original score by KT Tunstall and Glenn Slater and was directed by Sarna Lapine.[5]
West End (2025)
editOn 9 September 2024, it was announced that the musical will open in London's West End at the Trafalgar Theatre from February 2025, with Rachel Kavanaugh replacing Lapine as director, with Kelly Devine as choreographer.[6] Emma Flynn & Keelan McAuley, who played Cher Horowitz & Josh Lucas respectively, will both reprise their roles for the West End production. Further casting and creative teams will be announced in the coming months.[7]
Characters and original cast
edit| Character | Off-Broadway [8] | Bromley[9] |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 2024 | |
| Cher Horowitz | Dove Cameron | Emma Flynn |
| Dionne Davenport | Zurin Villanueva | Madison McBride |
| Tai Frasier | Ephie Aardema | Annie Southall |
| Josh Lucas | Dave Thomas Brown | Keelan McAuley |
| Mel Horowitz / Alphonse Hall / DMV Instructor | Chris Hoch | Ian Kelsey |
| Amber Mariens | Tessa Grady | |
| Christian Stovitz | Justin Mortelliti | Solomon Davy |
| Miss Geist / Millie Stoeger | Megan Sikora | Julie Yammanee |
| Murray Duvall | Gilbert L. Bailey II | Simeon Wynne |
| Travis Birkenstock | Will Connolly | Owen Lloyd |
| Elton Tiscia | Brett Thiele | Tom Liggins |
| Summer | Talya Groves | |
| Sean Holliday | Darius Jordan Lee | |
| Heather | Sara Andreas | |
| Lucy | Danielle Marie Gonzalez | Jacqueline Hughes |
| Max | L’ogan J’ones |
Musical numbers
editOriginal Off-Broadway production
edit- Act I
| Song | Original artist | Performer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Beautiful Life" | Ace of Base | Cher and Ensemble |
| "Shoop" | Salt-N-Pepa | Murray and Male Ensemble |
| "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong" | Spin Doctors | Cher, Josh, Teachers and Female Ensemble |
| "No Scrubs" | TLC | Cher and Ensemble |
| "You Gotta Be" | Des'ree | Cher, Dionne and Ensemble |
| "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You" | Laura Branigan | Mr. Hall, Miss Geist, Cher, Dionne and Ensemble |
| "U Can't Touch This" | MC Hammer | Company |
| "Supermodel" | Jill Sobule | Cher, Dionne, Tai and Ensemble |
| "Barbie Girl" | Aqua | Cher, Dionne, Tai, Murray and Female Ensemble |
| "Groove Is in the Heart" | Deee-Lite | Tai, Murray and Company |
| "Torn" | Ednaswap | Cher and Josh |
- Act II
| Song | Original artist | Performer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "My Lovin' (You're Never Gonna Get It)" | En Vogue | Tai, Cher, Dionne and Female Ensemble |
| "A Girl Like You" | Edwyn Collins | Christian, Cher, Dionne, Tai and Ensemble |
| "Dammit" | Blink-182 | Cher, Josh, The Band and Ensemble |
| "Dammit" (Reprise) | Blink-182 | Cher and Josh |
| "Bye Bye Bye" | NSYNC | Cher, Christian and Company |
| "Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm Mmmm" | Crash Test Dummies | Travis |
| "What's Up?" | 4 Non Blondes | Cher |
| "She's So High" | Tal Bachman | Cher and Josh |
| "You Get What You Give" | New Radicals | Cher and Company |
| "Kids in America" | Kim Wilde | Full Company |
Critical response
editClueless, The Musical received mixed reviews.[10] Frank Rizzo of Variety called the narrative "lightweight" but praised the overall look and tone of the show. Rizzo, describing Kelly Devine's choreography, said "its teen-energy moves are a constant pleasure". Rizzo also said that "Beowulf Boritt’s design essentials are rad and Amy Clark’s costumes recall the too-cool-to-care designs of the period and its stylish plaids and pleats". Rizzo also praised the music selection for show, calling Amy Heckerling's reworking of the lyrics "crafty".[11]
David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter found the show "hit-or-miss". Rooney praised that the show stuck closely to the original's plot but criticized that there was no element of surprise. Rooney wrote that "in comparison to other teen classics retooled for the stage, like Mean Girls, Heathers: The Musical or Bring It On, the show rarely steps out from the shadow of its screen source with anything new to offer."[12]
References
edit- ^ Mazmanian, Melissa. "Reviving Emma in a Clueless World: The Current Attraction to a Classic Structure. Persuasions Online: Occasional Papers No. 3. Fall 1999. Jane Austen Society of North America website. Accessed November 12, 2013.
- ^ Stern, Lesley. "Emma in Los Angeles" Clueless as a remake of the book and the city. Archived October 6, 2013, at the Wayback Machine Australian Humanities Review website, 1997. Accessed November 12, 2013.
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "Clueless Musical, Starring Dove Cameron, Opens December 11". Playbill. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ Franklin, Marc J. "A Look at Clueless, The Musical Off-Broadway". Playbill. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ Darvill, Josh (November 2023). "New Clueless musical adaptation to make UK premiere". Stageberry. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
- ^ "Clueless musical heads to West End with music from KT Tunstall". Radio Times. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ "Clueless musical announces initial West End casting". October 30, 2024. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
- ^ Evans, Greg (October 9, 2018). "Clueless' Off Broadway Musical Announces Full Cast; Opening Date Set". Deadline. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
- ^ "Clueless The Musical casting revealed for London Bromley tryout | West End Theatre". www.westendtheatre.com. January 15, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "Read Reviews for Off-Broadway's Clueless Musical, Starring Dove Cameron". Playbill. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- ^ Rizzo, Frank (December 12, 2018). "Off Broadway Review: 'Clueless' the Musical". Variety. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
- ^ Rooney, David (December 11, 2018). "'Clueless, The Musical': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
