For a a year or so now Freddie Tapner's 32-strong London Musical Theatre Orchestra have met in private to play through some of the great musical theatre scores for their own pleasure.
Recently they made their first public appearance when they presented a concert staging of Rodgers and Hammerstein's STATE FAIR at the Cadogan Hall.
I wasn't there but know several people involved and by all accounts the evening was an enormous success and critic Mark Shenton reviewed it very positively in The Stage newspaper.
Freddie was the musical director of my musical, PRINCESS CARABOO a few months ago and he's a hardworking, talented and inspiring conductor and musician whose enthusiasm for all things musical theatre is infectious.
I'll certainly ensure I'm there for their follow up concert when they play through the score of Alan Menken's A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Lyceum Theatre, London on December 19th.
Little known in the U.K. this version of Charles Dicken's Victorian story of ghosts persuading Scrooge, an old miser, to embrace the joys of Christmas, with songs from the composer of Disney classics like ALADDIN, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and the hit musical LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS was presented every year at New York's Madison Square Garden between 1994 and 2003. Kelsey Grammer (TV'S FRASIER) notably played the Christmas grump.
In London, alongside their own formidable talents, the London Musical Theatre Orchestra will share the stage with a stellar cast.
Three-time Olivier Award-winner Robert Lindsay, recently seen in the West End as the star of DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS, will lead as Scrooge with sisters-in-laws Carrie Hope Fletcher and Giovanna Fletcher playing Emily and Mrs Cratchit. Notable West End EVITA, Madalena Alberto is in the supporting cast as the Ghost of Christmas Past, along with Hugh Maynard (MISS SAIGON) as the Ghost of Christmas Present, Norman Bowman (MURDER BALLAD) as Jacob Marley, Peter Polycarpou (LES MISERABLES) as Mr Fezziwig, and John Addison (THE GO-BETWEEN) as Fred Anderson.
Theatre is transitory. It's there and then it's gone.