the arts society
Accredited Lecturer
John is an Accredited Lecturer of The Arts Society. His current selection of lectures concentrates on musical theatre. He uses audio and video in his lectures and demonstrates from the piano where society facilities allow and for online lectures. Full details are available through the Arts Society Directory.
CURRENT ARTS SOCIETY LECTURES
West End Winners – The Rise of the British Musical from Noël Coward to Lionel Bart
We are still entertained by revivals of Me and My Girl, The Boy Friend and Oliver! But what of the many more hit shows, such as Noël Coward’s Bitter Sweet, Ivor Novello’s King’s Rhapsody and the bitingly satirical Expresso Bongo, that are no longer staged? This lecture rediscovers a distinctive West End story to give a new perspective on the shows and the people who made them.
Much More than Gathering Lilacs – the Real Genius of Ivor Novello
Ivor Novello’s career was extraordinary by any measure: composer, playwright, film idol, stage star. But there is much more to his genius than ‘Dear Ivor’ and wistful nostalgia. With examples from his songs, scripts and films, this lecture goes to the heart of Novello as an instinctive and innovating force in film and on stage in his day.
A Tale of Two Cities – London and New York on the Musical Stage
The musical evolved in two great cities: London and New York, so similar and so different in equal measure. West Side Story, Guys and Dolls, Sweeney Todd and Oliver! are only a few of the familiar shows that have put the two cities centre stage. This lecture explores the metropolitan world from the perspective of the musical theatre stage, taking in ganglands and society haunts, the suburbs and the centres of power.
The Phantom of the Opera – a Century of Images, Films, Stories and Music
Gaston Leroux scored a minor success in 1909–1910 with his potboiler novel The Phantom of the Opera. In the following century it grew to be a global phenomenon through a vast number of adaptations to stage and screen. How did the original novel come about, why has it proved so adaptable, and what gives it such a lasting grip on the popular imagination? With Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical as just one of the many examples, this lecture unpacks a world of mystery, masks and music to discover romance in China, comedy in South America and high art in Europe.
Changing Everything – Andrew Lloyd Webber and the Passion of Musical Theatre
Andrew Lloyd Webber is probably the most successful creative force within contemporary musical theatre. His music is known worldwide, from the intense dramas of Jesus Christ Superstar and The Phantom of the Opera to the ever-tuneful Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Cats. With such a range of stories and styles, what defines a ‘Lloyd Webber’ show? And what has driven such extraordinary achievement?
Puccini: from Opera to Popular
The music of Puccini is instantly recognizable, even to those who don’t know his name or anything about opera. How has this happened? This lecture traces how Puccini’s music has spread from the opera house into global culture and, in the process, how the sound of Puccini and what it conveys has also changed via high notes, romance, New York and penguins.
'I Know It So Well' - Classic Musicals and their Inescapable Hit Songs - Special Interest Day
SPECIAL INTEREST DAY Stage musicals have long been a source of some of the most well-known and lasting popular songs. This day explores how these hit songs spread from the stage into shared culture. Using sound, video and live demonstration/performance from the keyboard, examples range from Edwardian musical comedy and Broadway classics to the concert hall, jazz clubs and the pop charts. Such classic creators as Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Noel Gay, Lionel Bart, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Stephen Sondheim feature in this celebration of musical theatre on stage and beyond. In addition to the usual audio and video playback through PowerPoint, a piano (acoustic or digital) is essential.