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

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.

Release and Availability

The musical was released on BBC2 Radio in 1995 for British audiences. There are conflicting sources of when it aired specifically, where 1 source says it was released on April 3rd, 1995, and another saying it was released sometime in January of 1995. The lack of listings on stores such as amazon suggest 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.

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.