5.4.20 Hey there – here’s an interview with the wonderful Nathan Tysen, one half of Tysen and Miller, and lyricist of Tuck Everlasting, The Burnt Part Boys and Amélie. Music played on this episode includes tracks from the original recordings of Amélie and Fugitive Songs, and Lady of the Sea from Nigel Richards’s album A Shining Truth. Miller […]

Voice of the Musical

VotM #12 Nathan Tysen

A chat in the time of coronavirus with one of the most knowledgeable and erudite voices in British musical theatre, Jeremy Sams. A director, translator, composer, lyricist, librettist and playwright, Jeremy has worked throughout the entire landscape of straight theatre, musicals and opera. He’s also a dear friend and mentor, and I’m thrilled to be […]

VotM #11 Jeremy Sams

Hi there! A “new” interview, recorded in February 2013 (!), lost and recently rediscovered, with the lovely and supremely talented Jeff Blumenkrantz. If you don’t know the wonderful Jeff Blumenkrantz Songbook Podcast, seek it out immediately. It was great to come back to this interview and remind myself of Jeff’s grace and wisdom. Please leave […]

VotM #10 Jeff Blumenkrantz

Voice of the Musical returns after a long delay! It returns however, with a lovely interview with the honey-voiced Scott Frankel, who with his writing partner Michael Korie has been responsible for some of the most rich and sophisticated Broadway scores of recent times. I met Scott on the eve of the European première of […]

VotM #9 Scott Frankel

Born in 1928, Charles Strouse composed some of the classic musicals of 60’s and 70’s, Bye Bye Birdie, Applause and of course, Annie, which at the time of writing is previewing in a James Lapine revival at the Palace Theatre on Broadway. He is also the author of several film scores, including Bonnie and Clyde, […]

VotM #8 Charles Strouse

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful summer. I can’t tell you how excited I am to present this episode to you. I spoke to Adam Guettel while he was in London performing an evening of his songs, with Musical Director Kimberly Grigsby (Spring Awakening, Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark). It’s fair to say that […]

VotM #7 Adam Guettel

The fifth and final part of our video podcast looking at the anatomy of ‘Wait a Bit’, from Stiles and Drewe’s Just So.

Video Podcast – Wait a Bit – Part 5 of 5

The fourth part of our video podcast looking at the anatomy of ‘Wait a Bit’, from Stiles and Drewe’s Just So.

Video Podcast – Wait a Bit – Part 4 of 5

The third part of our video podcast looking at the anatomy of ‘Wait a Bit’, from Stiles and Drewe’s Just So.

Video Podcast – Wait a Bit – Part 3 of 5

The second part of our video podcast looking at the anatomy of ‘Wait a Bit’, from Stiles and Drewe’s Just So.

Video Podcast – Wait a Bit – Part 2 of 5

The award-winning songwriting team George Stiles and Anthony Drewe have been writing musicals for over twenty years. Their second musical, Just So, is based on the Rudyard Kipling stories, and features one of my favourite numbers, Wait a Bit. In this, the first VotM video podcast, George and Anthony talk about how the song came […]

Video Podcast – Wait a Bit – Part 1 of 5

For our first video podcast, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe kindly agreed to discuss the evolution of the beautiful ballad ‘Wait a Bit’, from Just So The Musical. Here’s a short teaser – watch this space for the full interview.

George Stiles and Anthony Drewe – video teaser

Comedian Tim Minchin won a Perrier Award for Best Newcomer, before touring with a symphony orchestra and fronting the inaugural BBC Comedy Prom. The RSC paired him up with Dennis Kelly to write Matilda the Musical, which recently broke Olivier Award history by scooping seven titles. I went to meet Tim in his studio, and […]

VotM #6 Tim Minchin, Part One

Perhaps the our most venerable British writer, Sandy Wilson began composing for the West End in the late 1940’s. The intimate and delightful pastiche show The Boy Friend became a runaway hit. I speak to Sandy about post-war optimism, Julie Andrews, and whether luck really exists.  

VotM #5 Sandy Wilson

Coming soon – our interview with Tim Minchin, composer of hit musical ‘Matilda’. (Warning: it’s a little bit sweary)  

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