"My Very Own British Invasion," based on the memories of Herman's Hermits' frontman Noone, will make its world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse Jan. 31. With a slew of Tony Award winners on its creative team, is it too early to talk about a move to Broadway? Noone doesn't think so.
Herman’s Hermits’ frontman Peter Noone was 16, too young to drink, when he walked into London’s legendary Bag O’ Nails in the early 1960s, but no matter. J
John Lennon ordered the drinks, handling the two-drink minimum by ordering two Coca-Colas for Noone, two shots of rum for himself and then swapping glasses. Eric Clapton was there, as was Marianne Faithfull, Twiggy and members of The Rolling Stones.
While The Beatles had already conquered the United States, the other acts were still fighting for world-wide stardom. And yet, the vibe was friendly.
“There was a strange camaraderie among us. We all knew each other and supported each other and wished each other good luck,” Noone said in an interview with NJ Advance Media. “I used to think, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to tell this story, about how we were all in the room at the same time?'”
The time to tell that story has come: “My Very Own British Invasion” is premiering at Paper Mill Playhouse and runs through March 3.The jukebox musical features 40 songs originally performed by acts including Noone’s Hermits, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield and The Animals.
Paper Mill is also offering enrichment activities including multiple conversation clubs, a post-performance Q&A with the cast and a pre-show talk with the director.
“It’s all about the music,” Noone said.
This “Musical Fable of Rock n’ Love” has a powerhouse creative team featuring book writer Rick Elice, whose won Tony Awards for “Jersey Boys” and “Peter and the Starcatcher” and director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, winner of two Best Choreography Tonys for “La Cage aux Folles” and “Kinky Boots.” Other Tony-winning members of the creative team include scenic designer David Rockwell; costume designer Gregg Barnes; and lighting designer Kenneth Posner.
Bringing the production to Paper Mill is a hint that the team has greater ambitions. Other Paper Mill musical premieres that found a home on Broadway include “A Bronx Tale,” “Newsies” and “Honeymoon in Vegas.”
Another hint of Great White Way dreams? Noone, and he’s not even hinting.
“I think it’s good enough for Broadway,” he said. “It’s good fun, the idea of it going all the way.”
Noone first thought of turning his tales into a stage show about five years ago. But if he were going to do that, he said, he wanted the best team he could build. That meant getting Elice and Mitchell on board. Both men demurred, either because of other commitments or lack of interest. Noone would not be dissuaded.
“In the famous words of my father, if you’re looking for a plumber, you have to wait. Because a good plumber is going to be busy,” Noone said. “Persistence paid off. I think it always does.”
Elice was already familiar with the Bag o’ Nails: his late husband, actor Richard Rees, had also frequented the club in the 1960s and had enjoyed regaling his partner with stories from the scene. (Elice wrote about the 34-year relationship in his 2017 memoir, “Finding Roger: An Improbably Theatrical Love Story.”)
“It’s not a place known to Americans, but I knew about the Bag O’Nails, oddly,” Elice said. “It was like a karaoke bar for soon-to-be superstars… Whatever was happening, it always seemed to be happening at the Bag O’Nails. They were kids, showing off their wares to other kids, waiting to become famous.”
Noone shared his remembrances with Elice and the writer saw a story line emerge: “a small story, a love triangle, taking place between the classic, self-infatuated bad boy, the good boy primed for his first love affair, and the English rose, the irresistible young lady spreading her wings and getting ready to fly straight into the sun,” Elice said.
“It was sort of Helen of Troy, a classic, mythic story,” the writer said. “This girl’s face would launch a British invasion.”
The chosen songs move the story along: Herman’s Hermits’ “Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter” is one early song, The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” follows later, The Beatles’ “In My Life” comes farther on.
“I was able to select from a breadth of records we treasure now to help me best tell the story,” Elice said. “It’s a thrilling mass of songs, coming at you like a wave of rock and roll… At the end of act one, a dozen people are playing guitar. It’s thrilling.”
The “good guy,” based on Noone, is appropriately named “Peter.” His rival, called “Trip,” has hints of Mick Jagger. The woman in the middle of it all, “Pamela,” is based on Marianne Faithfull.
In real life, Noone said, there was no love triangle between the three because “I was only 16 and I wasn’t old enough for any of that. Mick got Marianne. I just wanted her.”
Just as the kids hanging around the Bag O’Nails were largely unknown, the cast is composed of a group of relative newcomers. Of the cast, only three people are older than 30. The rest are under 25, Elice said.
“It’s a group of 15 people that you do not know who are wildly talented,” Elice said. “We wanted to recreate the atmosphere of this club. It would have been odd to look for ‘starry’ people because (the Bag O’Nails crew) weren’t stars yet. it would throw off the balance of the show off if you were looking at actors who were known for doing other things.”
Among the newcomers is 22-year-old Jonny Amies playing Peter, who also recently notched his first television credit in the Netflix/Eleven Film series “Sex Education.” Having spent a summer playing and singing ’60s songs at venues throughout Europe with musician friends, Amies comfortable with the music.
“One of my first CDs was Elvis Presley’s number one hits. I’m a small kid with jet black hair and I was spiking up and doing my best Elvis Presley growl,” Amies said. “The part is fantastic. The script flowed and is incredibly funny but also sincere at different parts. And the music is incredible.”
Amies is the only Brit in the cast — an ensemble member is a native of Scotland but is a long-time U.S. resident — something that has not gone unnoticed.
“There have been a lot of jokes about me being a one-man British invasion,” Amies said. “It’s been less aggressive than an invasion. It’s more of a collaboration.”
MY VERY OWN BRITISH INVASION
A Musical Fable of Rock and Roll
Paper Mill Playhouse
22 Brookside Dr., Millburn,
Tickets: $ 47-122, available online at www.papermill.org. Jan 31-March 3.
Natalie Pompilio is a freelance writer based in Philadelphia. She can be reached at nataliepompilio@yahoo.com. Find her on Twitter @nataliepompilio. Find NJ.com/Entertainment on Facebook.