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Saved By The Bell Returns! Well, Sort Of

Saved By The Bell Returns! Well, Sort Of

A musical based on classic high school TV show Saved By The Bell is heading to London's West End in March for just over a week.

Mischa Pearlmen

Mischa Pearlmen

They make musicals out of everything these days. Sure, there are the old classics like Cats, Les Miserables and Phantom Of The Opera, but there's also stuff like Shrek and Matilda, which doesn't really make any sense.

They make more sense than this, though - a musical based on - wait for it - Saved By The Bell. You know, everyone's favourite American high school TV comedy series featuring such characters as Zack and Kelly and Screech and Slater. And, of course, Mr Belding, the school principal. Bel - ding, get it?

Created by Bob and Tobly McSmith, Bayside will play at The Other Palace in London's West End between March 9 and 17. The parody musical has been showing at New York's Theatre 80 since September 2013, so it's clearly doing something right. It even had cameos from original cast members Dennis Haskins (Mr Belding) and Dustin Diamond (Screech), though presumably not during the time the latter was serving time in jail.

Saved By The Bell

It's not, however, as you might imagine, a direct version of the TV show. It's much more adult-oriented, with lots of swearing, sexual jokes and re-enactments and, of course, a lot of singing.

According to ShortList, producer Michael Neri has said that: "Nostalgia of the '80s seems to be a trend at the moment with so many reboots and one-off reunions on our TV screens, so being able to present Bayside in a musical format is a wonderful way of remembering what once was.

"The show was written to simply entertain its audience. We only want our audience to come away laughing and having been entertained by the writing, music and talent on stage.

"I'm personally elated to be premiering the show at The Other Palace, a theatre which prides itself on nurturing new work."

If you're expecting something incredible, we think it might be wise to hold your breath. Having actually seen the performance in New York, we can reveal - even if you absolutely adored Saved By The Bell - that its musical counterpart is very much love it or hate it. And we didn't exactly love it. You, however, might. You also might not. Either way, it's a thing.

Featured Image Credit: Saved By The Bell

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film, New York, London

Mischa is a freelance journalist usually based in either New York or London. He has written for Kerrang!, Record Collector, NME, the New York Observer and FLOOD magazine, among others. Contact him at [email protected]