Jones was keen to play the lead on stage, and gave up his Las Vegas cabaret shows to return to the UK 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.
[1] Eventually financial backing was secured, and the show opened at the Queen's Theatre in London on April 16, 1991.
Audiences and most critics were positive[citation needed], but the 1991 London theatre season was heavily impacted by the Persian Gulf War and the subsequent drop in tourism.
The show's star, John Barrowman, 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.