THE MUSIC MAN

On Saturday I am going off to see The Music Man at Chichester Festival Theatre.  Steve is the orchestrator and musical supervisor for the show.  It is directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, the artistic director of Birmingham Rep.

The book, music and lyrics are by Meredith Willson and story by Meredith Willson and Frank Lacey.  It is starring Brian Conley as Professor Harold Hill and Scarlett Strallen.

This is an American musical classic with a tremendous score including 'Then There Was You', 'Trouble' and 'Seventy Six Trombones'.  

I haven't been to Chichester since my clown play 'Grock' was on there many years ago.  I remember spending a fantastically intensive week prior to rehearsals, sitting in a cottage in a picture postcard village called Sheet, chained to a desk doing re-writes - it was still bliss!  We had a really excellent cast.  Derek Royle, who played Grock, was truly amazing, he had begun his performing life as an acrobat in a group called the 'Adonis Three' and so was perfectly suited to the physically demanding role of the first music-hall clown!!