John Hamm, star of ‘Mad Men‘, the hit American TV series about Madison Avenue and a ’60s New York advertising agency, was born in 1971. In that same year the first stage version of ‘Winnie The Pooh‘ opened as a Christmas show for children at the Phoenix Theatre in London. With full approval from A […]

In commemoration of Julian Slade, his musical works and his long association with the Theatre Royal in the ‘50s, 60s and ‘70s, Bristol Old Vic and Julian’s family have jointly installed a plaque in an excellent position next to the box office in the foyer of the theatre. The main photograph above shows the detail […]

The Slade family were brought up in the Gloucestershire village of Painswick where, as a teenager, Julian excelled as an amateur actor with The Painswick Players. As far as we know he is also the only Painswick Player to have written a successful West End musical. Hence their decision to install a plaque in Julian’s […]

‘My Inspiration’ – Sir Cameron Mackintosh (‘Times2 -10.3.09) As the Victoria & Albert Museum opened its new Theatre and Performance galleries in March Nancy Durrant of the Times asked leading figures in show business to choose a favourite exhibit and what it meant to them. Among them Sir Cameron Mackintosh chose Minnie, the original ‘magic‘ […]