Songs From Heathcliff

OLD and dear friends Olivia, Newton-John and Cliff Richard are teaming up with lyricist Sir Timothy Rice and songwriter John Farrar to create Songs From Heathcliff, a musical adaptation of Emily Bronte's classic novel Wuthering Heights. The album, due out in October, will feature 54-year-old Cliff singing the part of Heathcliff with Olivia, as Cathy.

For Olivia, 46, this project has brought together some of her oldest and closest friends. It's fantastic to work with Cliff again, she says. He's like my mentor. When I started out in England at 17, Pat Carroll and I did backing vocals for him on stage. Then Cliff asked me to do a duet, and after that I started doing songs and comedy sketches with him on his television show. So he launched my career in the very, very beginning because our voices worked so well together.

More than 20 years later, when Cliff was looking for someone to sing the part of Cathy, the first person he thought of was Olivia. Their forthcoming album will be the culmination of a lifelong dream for Cliff. The energetic performer says this album will be followed by a massive stage show, produced in collaboration with Sir Tim Rice and Frank Dunlop.

I want to go out with a bang, Cliff says. I've never taken on anything quite like this before, so this may be my grand slam finale. I've been singing and performing for a long, long time and I love it. That's the trouble really.. I love it too much. For the past 10 years I've been wanting to slow down, but every time I do, something like Heathcliff comes along. Having done something really massive, I'd like to scale down.

The last project the pair worked on was in the Eighties, the duet Suddenly from the musical Xanadu. Since then they have presented the World Music Awards together.

For Cliff and Olivia, the characters in Songs From Heathcliff are very different from the roles they usually play. Cathy is not the nicest of people, Olivia says. Although she loves Heathcliff, she decides to marry someone wealthy with social standing. So she gives up her love for Heathcliff and he is tormented by that for the rest of his life. It's a, different part for me to play, because she isn't a light and happy character. She is strong, but full of anger and resentment. Knowing this, and understanding the character's background, gives me an edge in the performance.

In one of the songs, Had To Be, Cathy sings to Edgar, Don't tell me how to live my life, don't tell me anything, expressing a need not to be controlled. That's what is great about Tim's lyrics. They strike a chord with everyone's life. I know the part of Cathy is a, real departure for me, but I love the challenge. It's also great for Cliff, because Heathcliff is the opposite of his personality but it's rewarding sometimes to play against yourself.

Working with John Farrar who has produced a string of hits for Olivia, including You're The One That I Want, Hopelessly Devoted, Xanadu and Let's Get Physical has been an added bonus for Olivia. John is married to Pat Carroll, Olivia's best friend and former singing and business partner, who also lives in Los Angeles.

Although this will be the first time Olivia has worked with Sir Tim Rice, they also have been friends for years. Actually, in the Seventies Tim, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and I all went to see Elvis in Las Vegas. Andy was telling me recently that the three of us had our photos taken and made into a pin, which Tim has kept, Olivia says. Now my producer, John Farrar, and Tim are working together. It's the closing of a circle for me.

It's been a very fruitful coming together. I mean, Cliff's voice just improves and I think he is really ready for this. It's an acting role that he has believed in and nurtured for 20 years. This is Cliff's dream and his passion. You know, something that comes from your heart is so much more powerful and with the incredible talent he has got involved, I feel it's going to be an amazing success.

By Pippa Leary