Ian Cheeseman presents Break-a-Leg on Tameside Radio, which is packed with great guests and theatre music. He writes about the appeal of musical theatre and what we can expect on his next radio show.
My visit to the Palace Theatre in Manchester last week reminded me, if I needed reminding, that musical theatre appeals to all generations. I was sat in the circle, surrounded by an audience whose average age was older than me. We were watching The King & I.
The musical premiered on Broadway in 1951 but the version that is best known and most beloved is the 1956 film, starring Yul Brynner & Deborah Kerr. It’s a classic and all around me in the audience, of a certain generation, were those who saw the film in their youth and their offspring, who were there because of the family memories.
It’s a Rogers and Hammerstein musical, so great songs are guaranteed, even for those not quite as familiar with the score. The songs are beautiful, the ballads are beguiling, the melodies are emotional and not over complicated. There are plenty of great modern shows and I love them just as much as I enjoyed the story of Anna and the King, but there is something utterly charming and innocent about the older style of musical.
Read Lisa Burns's review of The King & I here
I sat and watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on TV recently and just like the audience at the Palace, I was taken back to a more innocent time in my life. Long live nostalgia and congratulations to the Palace Theatre for catering for every audience. Next week the theatre will be packed with younger stage fans, enjoying the Take That Musical Greatest Days, and there are so many great shows to come later in the year, including Wicked. Over at the Opera House, Jason Manford & Ben Nickless will star again in the annual pantomime. I can’t wait.
This week I’ll be getting my fix of Am/Dram too, as Ashton Operatic Society have, A Chorus Line, at Hurst Community Centre. I interviewed one of the stars, Gary Jones, for my radio show. I’d recently seen him in Bridges of Madison County in Mossley and now he’s in this show. Gary was amazing at the George Lawton Hall so I have no doubt he’ll be outstanding in Ashton too.
I know I’ll enjoy the show because my son is in it, and I saw him rehearsing his monologue. He was stunning. It’s a show I’ve never seen in full before, but it promises to tell the story of triumph, passion and the heartbreak of auditioning for a show. I always open my Break-a-Leg radio show, every Sunday from 7pm on Tameside Radio 103.6FM with, “There’s no business like show business”, and the words are so true.
Over at the Lowry Theatre in Salford next week is the story of a couple of friends who reunite in later life. They’re grown up in the 1970s when being gay was more challenging and when being Abba fans was not cool. It’s a celebration of their relationship as they form the World’s first Abba tribute band in drag. The song, The Way Old Friends Do, which was never recorded by Abba in the studio, only ever appeared as a live recording from their 1979 tour. It’s a song the fans often sing at the end of days of celebration.
Ian Hallard is the writer but also stars in the show. You’ll hear the second part of my interview with him during my radio show this week plus more from award winning set designer Morgan Large, who’s work at Wembley where the amazing Newsies is running, blew me away.
Following on from the Eurovision Song Contest last weekend, I’m playing a selection of the less well known previous entrants that I believe would fit into stage musicals, though I will play Abba’s Waterloo too, how could I leave that out! Break-a-Leg!
You can join Ian for Break-a-Leg on Tameside Radio 103.6FM every Sunday evening from 7pm to 9pm and Wednesdays from 9pm to 11pm. You can also catch up on previous episodes here.
