PULL YOUR FINGER OUT!

Hearing a description of someone on the radio the other day as having "A finger in every pie", made me think that this would make an excellent advertising slogan for that legendary pie-maker, Mrs. Nellie Lovett, so I made this little mock-up for her...

 

 I was thinking of adding:

"Since eating one of Mrs. Lovett's pies, I have eaten no other!" 

– His Hon. Judge Turpin (Decd.)

THE LION'S SHARE

In tonight's episode of The Musical (BBC Radio 2, 11:00 pm), Julia McKenzie – who has starred in such Sondheim musicals as Follies, Into the Woods and Side By Side By Sondheim – explores some of the shows that have enjoyed such success that they've become permanent residents on Broadway and in London's West End while generated huge fortunes for their creators.

The programme also gives an airing to the legendary Forbidden Broadway productions which have mercilessly sent up some of this musical money-makers.

You can listen to the programme here.

LIFE-LIKE

The second part of my 2010 eight-part radio series on The Musical is now available via the BBC's iPlayer. Daniel Evans (who starred in the London production of Stephen Sondheim's musical, Sunday in the Park with George) presents 'Drawn from Life', focusing on legendary musicals that – like Sunday in the Park, Gypsy and Evita – are based on the lives of real people.

As you can see below, the programme has an impressive supporting cast!

To listen again (for the next four weeks) click here

A LITTLE SATURDAY NIGHT MUSIC

On Saturday evening, our friend Sophie took us to the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Promenade Concert's Stephen Sondheim at 80 tribute: an unforgettable birthday treat for Sibley at 61 --- thanks, Soph!

Obviously we didn't take any pix of the concert (photography not allowed) but we did snap a few pre-show photos of the RAH and, in particular, the mushroom-shaped space aliens that live in the building's dome disguised as fibreglass acoustic diffusing discs...

...and a shot of an open window up in the gallery that went a bit wrong and which I then turned into this...

And here, until it gets removed (as it undoubtedly will) is a clip from the BBC telecast of Dame Judi Dench sending in Mr Sondheim's clowns...

Images: © Brian Sibley and David Weeks 2010

You'll find a RAH window by David on my Window Gazing blog and there are more mushrooms (and other stuff) on my flickr set Looking at London.