One Touch of Venus (lost BBC radio production; 1995)

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Status: Lost

One Touch of Venus is a broadway musical by Kurt Weill originally produced in 1943. The musical follows the love story of a statue/manikin come to life and falling in love with the window dresser that brought it to life. It's popularity lead to multiple later productions and adaptations including a movie in 1948, TV version in 1955, and BBC Radio production in 1995. The radio adaptation notably stars Paige O'Hara as Venus, Kim Criswell as Molly Grant, Bryan Murray as Rodney Hatch, Peter Gale as Whitelaw Savory, David Healy as Taxi Black, Michael Roberts III as Sanley/Dr. Rook, Rebecca Caine as Gloria Kramer, and Myra Sands as Mrs. Kramer.[1]

Release and Availability

The musical was released on BBC Radio 3 in 1995 for British audiences. There are conflicting sources of when it aired specifically; according to the BBC Genome listings website, it was broadcast on April 3rd, 1995,[2] though another source says it was released sometime in January of 1995 (it is possible the latter may have been when it was recorded rather than broadcast).[1][3] The lack of listings on stores such as Amazon suggests it was never commercially released after the initial broadcast. Due to Paige O'Hara's fame from Beauty and the Beast in 1991, it is highly possible that someone recorded the broadcast off the radio, but none have surfaced online since.

On January 18th, 2020, Midnight's Edge contributor and Paige O'Hara fan Tyler reached out to the British Library about a potential source. They confirmed that they have a copy of the production and it can be listened to at the library itself, but the only other way to hear it would be to request a copy of it after securing permission from the BBC (who generally do not give permission).

Legacy

The overall lack of information and publicity on this production suggests that this adaptation didn't make a large impact on the general broadway and musical scene and has generally faded to obscurity. Despite this, Paige O'Hara and Rebecca Caine list this on their personal website biographies.[4][5]

Gallery

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References