Putting It On: The West End Theatre of Michael Codron - by Michael Codron (Author), Alan Strachan (Author)
Michael Codron is undoubtedly the leading producer of postwar British theatre. Still active after an astonishing half-century in the industry - he is 80 this year - every major British dramatist of the period has had a production under the Codron banner: Alan Ayckbourn, Alan Bennett, Michael Frayn, Simon Gray, David Hare, Joe Orton, John Mortimer, Harold Pinter and Patrick Marber, to name just a few. Describing himself as 'A man of vulgar taste with an impeccable streak', he has had many hits with lighter entertainment as well as serious plays. Aware of his own homosexuality from an early age, Codron grew up in an era of prejudice and intolerance; his experiences parallel the enormous shifts in metropolitan gay life since the 1950's. In "Putting It On" he talks frankly of the most important relationships of his life, from early flings with older, sophisticated figures like David Hicks to David Sutton, the main love of his life and his business partner for over twenty-five years. Codron's CV reads like a concise history of the post-war stage, and the book examines the sea-changes in the commercial sector and the rise of the subsidised theatre, revealing, too, what it was like working with the greatest actors of our time, including Alec Guiness, John Gielgud, Michael Gambon, Tom Courtenay, Richard Briers, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Diana Rigg, Felicity Kendall, Penelope Keith, Julie Waters and Victoria Wood. A fascinating insight into the victorious ups and hair-raising downs of the theatre, "Putting it On" is a testament to an extraordinary career, dramatic in every sense of the word, and unlikely to be parallelled in our time.
Anthony Nunziata has released his debut holiday collection Christmas & You on vinyl, CD, and digital and streaming platforms. The songs were all co-written by Nunziata and some of the top Country and pop hitmakers.
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CENTER STAGE RECORDS has released We Live in Cairo: Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording in streaming and digital formats now. Learn more and listen here!
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Bronco Billy – The Musical, Recorded live in performance during its 2024 run at London’s Charing Cross Theatre, will release an album. BroadwayWorld has an exclusive listen to 'I’m Gonna Be Strong' here.
Amnon Kabatchnik has penned a new in his award-winning reference series. Kabatchnik's latest, Bloody Broadway: Plays of Menace, Murder, and Mystery, Volume I (BearManor Media) is now available.
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CENTER STAGE RECORDS will release We Live in Cairo: Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording in streaming and digital formats this week. Learn more about the album here!
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New editions of the forthcoming Wicked and Wicked: For Good soundtracks are now available for pre-order at Republic Records. They will be released on November 21, the same day Wicked: For Good arrives in theaters.