[Apples2for10]

What show is this song from? The sheet music says it's from "Song & Dance" but I read somewhere else that it's from "Tell Me On A Sunday". Which one is it from?

[Jordan]

Well, officially, I'd say it's from Song & Dance as it doesn't feature in the OLC of Tell Me.

The only difference being that Tell me On A Sunday was combined with Variations to create Song & Dance in the 80's. (Naturally there were a bunch of lyric re-writes etc as there are for any show that's picked up by its original composer/lyricist 4 years later.)

However, it also crept in to Tell Me when it was re-launched in London with Denise van Outen.

[Apples2for10]

[Mara]

It's only in the Broadway version. It's absent from the London.

http://www.theatre-musical.com/songanddance.html

if you check there, you can read the respective synopses.

[Dvarg]

[santtu]

Originally "Unexpected Song" was composed as background music for a dance section in SONG & DANCE but was later created into a song to be performed by the show's leading lady.

[AnnieER25]

I know this is an older thread, but "Unexpected Song" is listed in my ALW song book as coming from Song & Dance. All songs from Tell Me on a Sunday are now being listed as being from Song & Dance. I'm not sure when the change was made, or if it's only in the U.S., but it happened sometime between the production of The Premier Collection and The Gold Collection albums.

[Dvarg]

[santtu]

SONG & DANCE is a combination of two ALW's projects - TELL ME ON A SUNDAY and VARIATIONS.

TELL ME ON A SUNDAY was first performed by Marti Webb in ALW's Sydmonton Festival in 1979 and the first concert performance was in Royalty Theatre in London in January 1980. About a month later it was broadcasted on tv by BBC.

VARIATIONS was first performed in 1977 with ALW's brother Julian playing cello. The record was released in 1978.

These two were put together to form a show called SONG & DANCE which opened in London's West End 7th April 1982, in the Palace Theatre (later a long-time home for LES MISERABLES...) with Marti Webb playing the lead in first half ('Song') of the show. Webb was succeeded by Sarah Brightman and this is when "Unexpected Song" was re-worked from a dance number in the show's second half ('Dance') to a first act song which replaced "The Last Man In My Life". The show played 781 performances in London, closing in March 1984.

SONG & DANCE opened on Broadway 18th Sep 1985 with Bernadette Peters in the leading role. The show was re-worked and re-choreographed for the New York run. It played 474 performances, closing 8th Nov, 1986.