Daddy Cool

This show has now closed, click here for a listing of current and future London shows

Daddy Cool is touring the UK from September 2007 - click here

Musical closed 17 February 2007

Shaftesbury Theatre 210 Shaftesbury Avenue, London

The Boney M Musical!

Daddy Cool is the brand new musical based on the music of Boney M and also featuring the music of Frank Farian.

"Daddy Cool boasts wit, heart and lashings of energy" The Daily Telegraph

Daddy Cool features the classic songs of Boney M and other Frank Farian artists such as Milli Vanilli, No Mercy and La Bouche. Many of the numbers, original written in the 1970s and 80s have been re-interpreted with contemporary musical influences whilst still retaining the elements that made the songs such hits. The featured songs will include such classics as Rivers of Babylon, Brown Girl In The Ring, Mary's Boychild, Ma Baker, Where Do You Go, Girl You It's True and One Way Ticket.

"A daddy of a musical... You're never far away from a classic disco track - it's impossible not to leave smiling" The London Evening Standard

The cast of Daddy Cool The Musical features Harvey as 'Shake' amd Javine as 'Asia Blue'. (Casting subject to change).

"Not only is this an exuberant, thoroughly enjoyable show, Daddy Cool the Musical also shoehorns the entire oeurve of German pop svengali Frank Farian into an affecting and even vaguely coherent narrative... By tapping into London's dynamic traditions of urban music and black theatre, Daddy Cool the Musical moulds Farian's clinically infectious exploitation pop into a perversely authentic theatrical experience." The Sunday Telegraph

"Ooh Daddy - it's a real guilty pleasure" The Daily Mail

"The plot creeks, and the music - Boney M, with a side order of Milli Anili - is relentlessly cheesy and reductive, but what the hell, this is a rather wonderful show. The production lives or dies, as such catalogue musicals do, by the amount of goodwill, dancing in the aisles and nostalgic tears it generates. Judging by the packed audience I witnessed, this will be a hit." The Sunday Times

"Set to Boney M's irresistibly catchy hits - it's nonstop, feel-good fun... Rough but ready, this high-energy, vibrant, refreshingly unpretentious show bursts with talent and has the feel of a street carnival to which everyone, old, young, hip and not so hip is welcome." The Mail on Sunday

Harvey is a former member of So Solid Crew who have won two MOBOs, a Brit Award and enjoyed a platinum selling debut album. He was originally hoping to have a career in football, enjoying seasons as Chelsea, barnet and Aldershot football clubs, but an injury to his ankle when he was 19 put a stop to his footballing career.

Javine first came to national attention when she reached the finals of the 2002 television reality show Popstars: The Rivals. Although not winning the show, she was soon signed up by a record company and Javine has, over the last few yers released a number of successful singles and an album. In 2005 she was choosen to represent the UK in the 2005 Eurovision Song Contest with the single 'Touch My Fire'. Prior to appearing on Popstars: The Rivals, Javine played the role of 'Nala' in the critically acclaimed West End production of The Lion King, a role she played for two years.

Boney M where a very successful West Indian vocal group, based in Germany, and assembled by the producer Frank Farian. The group comprised od Babby Farrell, Marcia Barrett, Liz Mitchell and Maise Williams. Their first 'Top 10' hit single in the UK was 'Daddy Cool' which charted in December 1976. This was followed up in 1997 with three further 'top 10' singles - 'Sunny', 'Ma Baker' and 'Belfast'. Boney M then scored their greatest hit in spring 1978 with the 'double A sided' single 'Rivers of Babylon' / 'Brown Girl in the Ring' which gave them their first Number One hit single, and remained in the pop charts for some 40 weeks. Later that same year they released 'Rusputin', which missed out on the top spot by just one place, but they again scored a Number One hit in December that year with the seasonal song 'Mary's Boy Child'. 1979 saw them release four singles, but start to lose their grip on the 'hits'. Although both 'Painter Man' and 'Hooray Hooray, It's A Holi-Holiday' where both 'Top 10' hits, the next two singles failed to chart as high - with 'Gotta Go Home' peaking at position 12 and 'I'm Born Again' position 35. Likewise, their next three singles, released over the early 80s, failed to get into the 'Top 30' - 'My Friend Jack', 'Children of Paradise' and 'We Kill The World (Don't Kill The World)'. Despite this Boney M's early hit singles have remained popular, helped by occasional 're-releases' in remixed and megamix versions and their inclusion on compilation/party albums. It is hoped that with this new musical, Daddy Cool, a new generation will be able to discover Boney M's classic pop songs all over again.

It had been expected that Daddy Cool the Musical would be staged at The Shaftesbury Theatre from 26 April 2006, but this was postponed. At the time the show's co-producer Robert Mackintosh issued the following statement: "The producers of the musical Daddy Cool have decided to postpone their opening to late August of this year. The creator/writer of the Boney M catalogue, Frank Farian and I have decided to put back the opening of Daddy Cool by 12 weeks, to spend more time in pre-production in order to achieve the technical and creative possibilities of the show, which, in the long run, we believe will be in the best interests of the show."

Prior to the London opening, Daddy Cool the Musical was due to, at the special invitation of the Mayor of Berlin, present a special Gala Performance on Sunday 17 September 2006 in Germany - the original home of Boney M. To allow for this there where going to be no performances of Daddy Cool the Musical in London from Monday 11 to Tuesday 19 September inclusive. The Gala was then cancelled due to the logistics involved in transporting everything to Germany and back again. Therefore the show performed in London without a break.