You Beautiful Ewe...
The baahber-shopping sheep show!
Etcetera Theatre, London, August 2008.
The Roundhouse Studio, London, August 2009.
Music and lyrics by Nick Pegden, book by Margaret Tice and Tammy Mendelson
'A delightful, witty and stylish production… The Scenic Route's production was one of the most ingenious and unusual enterprises… a charming ramble through the love lives and friendships of a collection of sheep. No, you did read that correctly, sheep. It is bonkers. But it works. It really works…it could have continued to impress and delight many more children and adults with its wit and vivacity…'
Adam Taylor, Rogues and Vagabonds
The Show…
Employing a powerful blend of dance, physical theatre, storytelling and song, The Scenic Route's new musical comedy for children, You Beautiful Ewe, tells the story of Brad, the new ram on the block, grappling with the weighty task of keeping a crooning wolf at bay, and Floss the young ewe who stands by her ram when everything gets…well…hairy.
With a zealously knitting farmer's daughter and a jealous older sister, Baabs, to contend with, the journey is not always smooth, but baahber - shopping sheep telling the story will have children and adults alike enchanted.
The History…
You Beautiful Ewe actually started life as a fifteen minute adult musical about foot and mouth disease written by composer and lyricist Nick Pegden, with peers, during his music degree. He revisited the piece years later and together with book writer Margaret Tice reworked the story and score into a quirky family-friendly fairytale.
In early 2008 The Scenic Route came on board with Tammy Mendelson joining the writing team.
Several new baahber-shopping numbers, additional twists and turns of plot and a New York wise-guy cockerel later, the first full version of You Beautiful Ewe was born.
You Beautiful Ewe premiered to sell out houses at The Etcetera Theatre in August 2008 as part of the Camden Fringe Festival. To our delight it received an overwhelmingly positive response. So, we revived the show in 2009, this time at The Roundhouse. The piece had been developed further and returned, minus our New York cockerel, but with additional numbers and even more from the baahber-shopping sheep.
You Beautiful Ewe is now set for a schools' tour in an adapted form with a smaller cast. We hope to revive the full show for a small scale tour in the near future.
The Team Behind the Sheep…
Music and lyrics by Nick Pegden
Book by Margaret Tice and Tammy Mendelson
Directed by Tammy Mendelson
Musical Direction by Nick Pegden
Choreography by Fiona Rae
Set design and photography by Georgina White-Aldworth
Costumes by Kirsta Dartnell
Produced by Tammy Mendelson
Co-produced by Holly Reiss
Production Assistant Haf Jones
Cast 2008: Fiona Rose Boylan, Emily Butterfield, Albert Clack, Cheryl Felgate, George Francis, Oliver Frischknecht, Ian Hardman, Anna Haf Morgan, Jumoke Oke, Alexa Jane Waugh
Cast 2009: Holly Aisbett, Albert Clack, Jessica Clark, Cheryl Felgate, George Francis, Rebecca Livermore, Anna Haf Morgan, Jumoke Oke, Julie Rose Smith, Adam Venus
Take a peek…
(please check back soon, 2009 clips on their way...)
Have a listen…
Currently playing 'Roam On Your Own'
(The original cast recording is available to purchase from The Scenic Route for just £5.oo! Please contact us at info@scenicroutetheatre.co.uk to order a copy)
'Self Sufficiency '
'Roam On Your Own'
'It's Not Fair''
'Lamb Tonight Reprise'