Matador is the title of a 1991 musical by Mike Leander

Mike Leander

Michael George Farr professionally known as Mike Leander was an arranger and record producer for Decca Records in the 1960s and Bell Records in the 1970s and worked with such artists as Marianne Faithfull, Billy Fury, Marc Bolan, Joe Cocker, The Small Faces, Van Morrison, Alan Price, Peter...

 and Edward Seago

Edward Seago

Edward Brian Seago RBA ARWS RWS was an English artist who painted in both oils and watercolours.The son of a coal merchant, born in Norwich, Seago was a self-taught artist, , and enjoyed a wide range of admirers from the British Royal family and the Aga Khan to the common man...

, with a book by Peter Jukes

Peter Jukes

Peter Jukes is a British author, screenwriter, playwright, literary critic and blogger.-Television:Jukes' television writing has mainly been in genre of prime time thrillers or TV detective fiction, with 90 minute or two hour long stories originally broadcast on the BBC, retransmitted abroad in the...

, which tells the story of the rise and fall of a fictional matador, loosely based on Manuel Benitez, El Cordobes

El Cordobés

Manuel Benítez Pérez , more commonly known as El Cordobés , is a famous matador of the 1960s who brought to the bullring an unorthodox acrobatic and theatrical style.-Career:...

. The show featured stunning choreography in traditional Flamenco

Flamenco

Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....

 style by Rafael Aguilar, and the show won an Olivier Award as a result. Several dancers were cast directly from Spain, making their West End debuts. The bulls for the fighting sequences were performed by a phalanx

Phalanx formation

The phalanx is a rectangular mass military formation, usually composed entirely of heavy infantry armed with spears, pikes, sarissas, or similar weapons...

 of black-clad dancers, moving as one.

The work began life in 1987 as a concept album

Concept album

In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...

, starring Tom Jones

Tom Jones (singer)

Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...

. Jones was keen to play the lead on stage, and gave up his Las Vegas

Las Vegas Strip

The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...

 cabaret shows to return to the UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 for that purpose. The musical was initially unable to attract the financial backing required, but Jones did get his first UK top ten hit after a fifteen-year dry spell, with his single , A Boy From Nowhere, lifted from the Matador concept album.

Eventually financial backing was secured, and the show opened at the Queen's Theatre

Queen's Theatre

The Queen's Theatre is a West End theatre located in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. It opened on 8 October 1907 as a twin to the neighbouring Gielgud Theatre which opened ten months earlier. Both theatres were designed by W.G.R...

 in London on April 16, 1991. Audiences and most critics were positive , but the 1991 London theatre season was heavily impacted by the first Persian Gulf War

Gulf War

The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

 and the subsequent drop in tourism. The production folded after three months. The London production starred John Barrowman

John Barrowman

John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...

 as Domingo Hernandez and Stefanie Powers

Stefanie Powers

Stefanie Powers is an American actress best known for her role as Jennifer Hart in the 1980s television series Hart to Hart.-Early life:...

 as American actress Laura Jane Wilding, a character based on actress Ava Gardner

Ava Gardner

Ava Lavinia Gardner was an American actress.She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers . She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day...

. Nicky Henson

Nicky Henson

Nicholas Victor Leslie "Nicky" Henson is an English actor who has portrayed many roles since 1963. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1977. He was born in London.-Early life:...

 and Caroline O'Connor costarred.

After the failure of the London production, the authors returned to America and made revisions to the book and score during productions in regional and college theatres.

List Of Songs On The Concept Album

1. "Overture"
2. "There's No Way Out Of Here"
3. "To Be A Matador"
4. "I Was Born to be Me"
5. "Only Other People"
6. "Manolete
   Manolete
   Manuel Laureano Rodríguez Sánchez , better known as Manolete, was a Spanish bullfighter.He rose to prominence shortly after the Spanish Civil War and is considered by some to be the greatest bullfighter of all time. His style was sober and serious, with few concessions to the gallery, and he...
   
   ! Belmonte
   Juan Belmonte
   Juan Belmonte García was a Spanish bullfighter, considered by many to have been the greatest matador of all time.-Life:...
   
   ! Joselito
   José Gómez Ortega
   José Gómez Ortega , commonly known as Joselito , was a Spanish matador in the early twentieth century.Joselito was considered a child prodigy and was the youngest bullfighter to receive the title of matador de toros, at the age of 17. Joselito followed in arch-rival Juan Belmonte's footsteps and...
   
   !"
7. "A Boy from Nowhere"
8. "Wake Up Madrid"
9. "I'll Take You Out to Dinner"
10. "This Incredible Journey"
11. "Don't Be Deceived"
12. "I'll Dress You in Mourning"
13. "Dance with Death"
14. "A Panama Hat"

List of Songs Used In The London Production

1. "Overture"
2. "A Panama Hat"
3. "There's No Way Out Of This Town"
4. "Moon In The Sky"
5. "Pastures At Night (The Bull)"
6. "There's No Way Out Of This Town (Reprise)"
7. "Manolete, Belmonte, Joselito"
8. "I Was Born To Be Me"
9. "This Incredible Journey"
10. "A Panama Hat (Reprise)"
11. "A Boy From Nowhere"
12. "I'll Take You Out To Dinner"
13. "I'll Dress You In Mourning"
14. "What Is There More Than Love?"
15. "To Be A Matador"
16. "Only Other People"
17. "Children Of The Sun"
18. "A Boy From Nowhere (Reprise)"
19. "I Can Get By"
20. "I'll Dress You In Mourning (Reprise)"
21. "Corrida/I Am You, You Are Me"
22. "A Boy From Nowhere (Reprise)/Finale"
23. "Bows/Exit Music"

Discography

A cast recording was planned, but cancelled the day before it was due to be recorded. The show's star, John Barrowman

John Barrowman

John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...

, recorded two songs from the score ("I Was Born To Be Me" and "I'll Dress You In Mourning") which were released as 45 RPM and CD singles timed to coincide with the London opening. Barrowman later recorded "A Boy From Nowhere" on his solo CD, Reflections (released by JAY records).

• "Matador" - Various Artists (album, Epic VIVA 1)
• "A Boy from Nowhere" - Tom Jones
  Tom Jones (singer)
  Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
  
   (Epic OLE 1)
• "To be a Matador" - John Springate (Epic OLE 2)
• "I'll Dress You in Mourning" - Tom Jones
  Tom Jones (singer)
  Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
  
   (Epic OLE 3)
• "Born To Be Me" - Tom Jones
  Tom Jones (singer)
  Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
  
   (Epic OLE 4)
• "I Was Born To Be Me" - John Barrowman
  John Barrowman
  John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
  
   (Epic 6567332)
• "I'll Dress You In Mourning" - John Barrowman
  John Barrowman
  John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
  
   (Epic 6567332)
• "A Boy From Nowhere" - John Barrowman
  John Barrowman
  John Scot Barrowman is a Scottish-American singer, actor, dancer, musical theatre performer and media personality. Born in Glasgow yet growing up in Illinois after his family emigrated to the United States when he was eight years old, Barrowman was encouraged to further his love for music and...
  
  (JAY)