London critics pan "Gone with the Wind" musical

By Paul Majendie

LONDON (Reuters) - Critics decided they "didn't give a damn" on Wednesday after the world premiere of a new musical stage version of the American Civil War epic "Gone with the Wind."

Headline writers had a field day adapting Rhett Butler's famous parting shot to Scarlett O'Hara -- and most reviewers agreed the show was far too long with a running time of more than 3 1/2 hours.

"Frankly my dear, it's not up to much," decided the Daily Mail's Quentin Letts after the first night of the musical directed by Trevor Nunn, famed for his stagings of "Cats" and "Les Miserables" that became worldwide hits.

"Where is the story's raw allure?" asked Letts. "The music feels a bit off-the-peg," he said of the score by Californian Margaret Martin.

The Daily Telegraph's Charles Spencer decided "Frankly, my dear, it's a damn long night."

"By the second half, I felt like screaming every time a new song started," he wrote. "The only people likely to give a damn about this 'Gone with the Wind' are the investors who risk losing their shirts."

"Frankly this show is damned," decided The Evening Standard.

Both The Times and the Guardian gave just two stars to the show starring British TV talent show discovery Darius Danesh as Rhett Butler and American actress Jill Paice as Scarlett.