'Saved By The Bell' is coming back, everyone

I was obsessed with Saved By The Bell when I was the rapper known as Yung Whippersnapper, and would consume that beast like a NOS-powered vacuum, whatever that means. Of course, as it went on and span-off into The New Class and The College Years and In Space, my interest waned and I went onto bigger and better things like Heartbreak High - but for a few short years SbtB was king.

Anyway, it’s 2018 so obviously it’s being brought back, because nowadays all production brainstorms consist of is people going “Remember this?” and then other, more important people, going “Yeah, OK, let’s bring it back then, THIS COFFEE TASTES LIKE SHIT, YOU’RE FIRED.”

Only thing is, it’s not coming back as a TV show - they’re bringing it back as… a musical. The stage play, called Bayside, will hit the UK from March 9 - 17 for a run at The Other Palace in London’s West End. All your favourites will be back: Zac, Kelly, Screech, Lisa, Slater, Jesse and doddering old Belding, and it’ll be under the creative direction of Bob and Tobly McSmith, who wrote Friends! The Musical Parody, which was supposedly a thing.

Producer Michael Neri says of the return: 

“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.”

As with any of these things, it could be good, it could be bad, but thankfully it’s not like Saved By The Bell was a work of high art, a revered masterwork that carries with it an impossible level of audience expectation. If it’s shit, what did you expect? 

Like, The Exorcist stage play had a lot to live up to, so the fact that it was howling nonsense was made all the more obvious - this is simply a silly romp about a bunch of stupid high-schoolers, and a bumbling principal. Do at least one good song and everyone’s happy. Do the theme song, basically. Ten times.

(Image: Rex)