Jump to content

Alan Janes

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Brunierlikan (talk | contribs) at 11:26, 12 October 2017 (career surrounding Buddy). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Alan Janes (Born 16th May 1951) is an English writer and producer who has worked in TV, Films, Radio and Theatre. His best known work is the musical Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story (widely credited with being the first of the so-called ‘jukebox musicals’) which ran for over 14 years and almost 6,000 performances in London’s West End, and has been on tour in the UK for 17 years.[1][2] Buddy has also played Broadway, 5 U.S. National Tours, 8 years in Germany, 3 years in Australia and New Zealand and countless other productions around the world[3] leading to the show being named as ‘The World’s Most Successful Rock ‘n’ Roll Musical’.[4][5]

Career

Following his first Z-Cars episode, Two Wise Monkeys,[6] Janes contributed further episodes to Z-Cars; Bit Of Business; Fat Freddy B.A.,[7] and then moved with producer Ron Craddock to write the first episodes of the ground-breaking and hard-hitting hospital drama Angels.[8]

Janes continued to write while working at the BBC Television Script Unit and wrote many further episodes for Angels and original plays and classic series adaptations for BBC Radio including Lady Chatterley’s Lover by DH Lawrence, Our Man In Havana and Brighton Rock by Graham Greene, Plain Murder by CS Forester, Lord Raingo by Arnold Bennett.[9][1]

In the latter half of the 1970s Janes joined the writing team for the soap opera Emmerdale and in 1979 was invited by BBC head of children’s programmes Anna Home,[10] to work with Phil Redmond, writer/devisor, and Colin Cant, producer, on the expansion of Grange Hill from its initial run to an 18 episode continuing series. He stayed writing for Grange Hill for a total of 4 series, spending more time at this fictitious school than he did at his own secondary modern school in the East End.[11]

In the early 1980s Janes devised and wrote the children’s series Jockey School for BBC1[12] and wrote 3 films under the generic title of Prisoners Of Conscience for BBC2: Vladimir Bukovsky, William Beausire, and Nelson Mandela.[13] This period saw Janes write for Minder and pen a film for David Putnam, Winter Flight, directed by Roy Battersby, and a film adaptation with Jim Henson’s Creature Shop of George Orwell’s Animal Farm, directed by John Stephenson.[14]

Buddy

Main article: Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story

A late-night fan based conversation in a London bar in 1988 with the theatrical agent Laurie Mansfield about the legendary rock ‘n’ roller Buddy Holly, led Janes to develop and write Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story, which opened at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre on 12th October 1989.[15][2] Referred to as the first of the so called ‘Jukebox Musicals’.[16] Buddy ran in London’s West End for over 14 years, playing 5822 performances.[17][18] Janes took over the producing of the show himself in 2004 and Buddy has been on tour in the UK for 17 of the last 24 years and has played Broadway, 5 U.S. National Tours, Canada, Sweden, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Holland, Singapore, Finland, Austria and Denmark.[19][20][21] Janes was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Musical,[22] and internationally Buddy has received 29 nominations and awards.[23]

Janes co-wrote and produced the soul musical 125th Street, which played at the Shaftesbury Theatre during 2002/3 and co-wrote and produced West End musical hit Jailhouse Rock, at the Piccadilly Theatre during 2004-2005.[24][25]

References

  1. ^ a b Spencer, Charles. "That'll be the day that I had a great time". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Alan Janes – Broadway Cast & Staff". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  3. ^ ""Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story" On Stage One Time Only - February 2- At The Lakeland Center | Theatre Maven". The Ledger. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  4. ^ "Events happening in February". Highlands Today. 31 January 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  5. ^ "BUDDY: The Buddy Holly Story". KTVT. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  6. ^ Bennett, Rodney (4 March 1974). "Two Wise Monkeys". IMDb. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Alan Janes". TV.com. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  8. ^ "Angles". www.oocities.org. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  9. ^ "Mucke und mehr - Fun+Events - Buddy - Das Musical". www.mucke-und-mehr.de. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  10. ^ Handford, Richard (8 April 1980). "Episode #1.569". IMDb. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  11. ^ "Grange Hill - BBC Two England - 20 November 1979 - BBC Genome". BBC Online. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  12. ^ "Jockey School - BBC One London - 13 October 1982 - BBC Genome". BBC Online. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Prisoners of Conscience - BBC Two England - 2 October 1981 - BBC Genome". BBC Two. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  14. ^ "Blurring Fact And Fiction". The Herald (Glasgow). 5 October 1981. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  15. ^ O'Brien, Larry. "BWW Review: BUDDY - THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY at Theatre By The Sea". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  16. ^ "Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story - California Musical Theatre". California Musical Theatre. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  17. ^ "Aisle Say (San Francisco) : BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY". Aisle Say. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  18. ^ "Buddy the Musical London theatre stage show". www.thisistheatre.com. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  19. ^ "Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story". The Muny. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
  20. ^ "Buddy Announces 2015 New Zealand Tour". www.buddythemusical.com. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  21. ^ "Buddy raves on at Grand Opera House as Holly musical returns to York next March". The Press (York). Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  22. ^ "Musical of the Year". Olivier Award. Retrieved 3 September 2016.
  23. ^ Eiss, Harry. The Mythology of Dance. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 154. ISBN 9781443852883. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  24. ^ Gardner, Lyn (16 September 2002). "125th Street". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 September 2016.
  25. ^ "125th Street, Shaftesbury Theatre, London". The Independent. 18 September 2002. Retrieved 12 October 201712 October 2017. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alan_Janes&oldid=804993111"