Alan Janes Explained

Alan Janes
Birth Date:16 May 1951
Nationality:English
Occupation:Writer, producer
Known For:Musical theatre

Alan Janes (born 16 May 1951) is an English writer and producer who has worked in TV, film, radio and theatre. His musical Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story (widely credited with being the first of the so-called 'jukebox musicals'),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, five US national tours, eight years in Germany, three years in Australia and New Zealand, and other productions around the world,[3] leading to the show being billed 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 the series, "Bit Of Business", and "Fat Freddy B.A.".[7] He 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 contributed many further episodes for Angels. He also wrote 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 and Lord Raingo by Arnold Bennett.[9]

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 writer Phil Redmond and producer Colin Cant 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 four series.

In the early 1980s, Janes devised and wrote the children's series Jockey School for BBC1[11] and wrote three films under the generic title of Prisoners Of Conscience for BBC2, about Vladimir Bukovsky, William Beausire, and Nelson Mandela.[12]

This period saw Janes write for the TV series 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.[13]

Buddy

See 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 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 12 October 1989.[14] Referred to as the first of the "jukebox musicals",[15] Buddy ran in London's West End for over 14 years, playing for 5,822 performances.[16] [17]

Janes took over the producing of the show himself in 2004, and Buddy has toured in the UK for 17 years. It has also played on Broadway, five national US tours, Canada, Sweden, South Africa, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Holland, Singapore, Finland, Austria and Denmark.[18] [19] [20] Janes was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Musical,[21] and internationally, Buddy has received 29 nominations and awards.[22]

Janes co-wrote and produced the soul musical 125th Street, which played at the Shaftesbury Theatre during 2002-03. He also co-wrote and produced the hit West End musical Jailhouse Rock (based on the songs of Elvis Presley), at the Piccadilly Theatre during 2004 to 2005.[23] [24]

Channel 4

1980-81 saw the planning of Britain's newest channel, Channel 4, and Janes became one of the first of the new breed of independent producers when he was commissioned by Mike Bolland, Commissioning Editor for Entertainment, and Jeremy Isaacs, Chief Executive, to develop, write and produce a new hard hitting comedy/drama reflecting the effects of Thatcher's Britain on young people in the East End of London;[25] it became the 12 episode series Prospects, which was filmed during 1984-85 in London's docklands, aired on Channel 4 in 1986 and repeated on ITV in 1987.[26] [27] [28]

Further producer credits for Janes at Channel 4 included 14 episodes over two series of the sitcom Rude Health starring John Wells and the television films Rotten Apples,[29] It's Only Rock 'n' Roll,[30] The End[31] and Positively Negative.[32]

Works

TV, Film, Radio, Theatre

Sources:[33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38]

Notes and References

  1. News: Spencer. Charles. That'll be the day that I had a great time. 3 September 2016. The Daily Telegraph.
  2. Web site: Alan Janes – Broadway Cast & Staff. Internet Broadway Database. 3 September 2016.
  3. News: "Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story" On Stage One Time Only - February 2- At The Lakeland Center - Theatre Maven. 3 September 2016. The Ledger.
  4. News: Events happening in February. 1 September 2016. Highlands Today. 31 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160917195028/http://www.highlandstoday.com/hi/local-news/events-happening-in-february-20160131/. 17 September 2016. dead. dmy-all.
  5. Web site: BUDDY: The Buddy Holly Story. KTVT. 10 October 2017.
  6. Web site: Bennett. Rodney. Two Wise Monkeys. IMDb. 10 October 2017. 4 March 1974.
  7. Web site: Alan Janes. TV.com. 10 October 2017.
  8. Web site: Angles. www.oocities.org. 3 September 2016.
  9. Web site: Mucke und mehr - Fun+Events - Buddy - Das Musical. www.mucke-und-mehr.de. 10 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20161106151003/http://www.mucke-und-mehr.de/fun/buddmusi.htm. 6 November 2016. dead.
  10. Web site: Handford. Richard. Episode #1.569. IMDb. 1 September 2016. 8 April 1980.
  11. Web site: Jockey School - BBC One London - 13 October 1982 - BBC Genome. BBC Online. 10 October 2017.
  12. Web site: Prisoners of Conscience - BBC Two England - 2 October 1981 - BBC Genome. BBC Two. 10 October 2017.
  13. News: Blurring Fact And Fiction. 1 September 2016. The Herald (Glasgow). 5 October 1981.
  14. Web site: O'Brien. Larry. BWW Review: BUDDY - THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY at Theatre By The Sea. BroadwayWorld. 12 October 2017.
  15. Web site: Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story - California Musical Theatre. California Musical Theatre. 1 September 2016. 20 November 2013.
  16. Web site: Aisle Say (San Francisco) : BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY. Aisle Say. 1 September 2016.
  17. Web site: Buddy the Musical London theatre stage show. www.thisistheatre.com. 12 October 2017.
  18. Web site: Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story. The Muny. 12 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20160914001204/http://www.muny.org/145-schedule/2015-summer-season/100537-buddy-the-buddy-holly-story. 14 September 2016. dead. dmy-all.
  19. Web site: Buddy Announces 2015 New Zealand Tour. www.buddythemusical.com. 1 September 2016.
  20. News: Buddy raves on at Grand Opera House as Holly musical returns to York next March. 3 September 2016. The Press (York).
  21. Web site: Musical of the Year. Olivier Award. 3 September 2016.
  22. Book: Eiss. Harry. The Mythology of Dance. 18 September 2013. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. 9781443852883. 154. 1 September 2016. en.
  23. News: Gardner. Lyn. 125th Street. 1 September 2016. The Guardian. 16 September 2002.
  24. Web site: 125th Street, Shaftesbury Theatre, London. https://web.archive.org/web/20160916171458/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/reviews/125th-street-shaftesbury-theatre-london-177391.html . 2016-09-16 . limited . live. The Independent. 12 October 2017. 18 September 2002.
  25. Web site: Curious British Telly: Prospects. Curious British Telly. 12 October 2017.
  26. Web site: Sedazzari. Matteo. Prospects - A Classic Cult TV Show Reviewed. Zani.co.uk. 12 October 2017.
  27. Web site: Prospects - The Complete Series. UKRarities. 1 September 2016.
  28. Web site: Prospects on IMDb. IMDb. 12 October 2017. 19 February 1986.
  29. Web site: Rotten Apples (1989). https://web.archive.org/web/20160927233159/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7a340bf4. dead. September 27, 2016. British Film Institute. 12 October 2017.
  30. Web site: It's only Rock 'n' Roll (1990). https://web.archive.org/web/20160927233247/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7a925c0d. dead. September 27, 2016. British Film Institute. 1 September 2016.
  31. Web site: The End (1990). https://web.archive.org/web/20160927233409/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7b0a8a3c. dead. September 27, 2016. British Film Institute. 1 September 2016.
  32. Web site: Positively Negative (1990). https://web.archive.org/web/20160927233101/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7a8da4db. dead. September 27, 2016. British Film Institute. 1 September 2016.
  33. Web site: Alan Janes on IMDb. IMDb. 1 September 2016.
  34. Web site: Alan Janes Theatre Credits. www.broadwayworld.com. 12 October 2017.
  35. Web site: Rotten Apples (1989). https://web.archive.org/web/20160927233159/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7a340bf4. dead. September 27, 2016. British Film Institute. 12 October 2017.
  36. Web site: It's only Rock 'n' Roll (1990). https://web.archive.org/web/20160927233247/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7a925c0d. dead. September 27, 2016. British Film Institute. 1 September 2016.
  37. Web site: The End (1990). https://web.archive.org/web/20160927233409/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7b0a8a3c. dead. September 27, 2016. British Film Institute. 1 September 2016.
  38. Web site: Positively Negative (1990). https://web.archive.org/web/20160927233101/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7a8da4db. dead. September 27, 2016. British Film Institute. 1 September 2016.

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