From Here to Eternity (musical): History and Key Facts

From Here to Eternity is a musical with music and lyrics by Stuart Brayson and Tim Rice and a book by Bill Oakes. Based on the 1951 novel of the same name by James Jones, the musical made its West End and world premiere in 2013, at the Shaftesbury Theatre, London.

Jones's novel From Here to Eternity was a best-seller and well known for its successful movie adaptation. Jones's manuscript was heavily censored by his publisher to remove profanity and references to gay prostitution; the unexpurgated version was not published until 2011. Once it was, the composer Stuart Brayson thought it might be adapted as a musical, and proposed the project to Tim Rice, who acquired the stage rights and wrote the lyrics.

The musical was announced in May 2011 and opened on 23 October 2013, a year later than originally planned. The West End production stars Darius Campbell as Warden, Robert Lonsdale as Private Prewitt, and Ryan Sampson as Maggio. The work received mixed reviews, though Brayson was praised for an imaginative score. The production closed on 29 March 2014, after a run of six and a half months. It later transferred to the United States, in 2016.

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