Musicals At The Chichester Festival Theatre

Another chance to hear Sunday Night is Music Night saluting the success of musical theatre productions at the Chichester Festival Theatre over the last 30 years.

First broadcast live in 2016, Ken Bruce is joined by special guests Michael Ball, Christopher Timothy and Roy Hudd, who passed away in 2020.

The Chichester Festival Theatre was founded by local optician and mayor Leslie Evershed-Martin. He managed to raise £105,000, find a suitable plot of land and persuade Sir Laurence Olivier to be the first artistic director. The theatre opened in 1962 and was the first theatre of its kind to be opened in the UK for 500 years. Why? Because at Chichester there is no proscenium arch, no plush red velvet curtain - the stage thrusts itself into the centre of the audience reminiscent of the days of Greek, Roman and Elizabethan theatre with vomitaria or 'voms'- alleys which are built under the tiered seating to allow the players and the audience to enter and exit the auditorium.

Though originally a theatre space for great plays, the Festival Theatre has an unrivalled reputation for producing musical theatre. Their first musical production was in 1981 - The Mitford Girls by Caryl Brahms and Ned Sherrin. Since then Chichester has bravely taken on the musical blockbusters - Babes in Arms, 42nd Street, Singing in the Rain, Carousel, Guys and Dolls, Barnum, The Music Man and Gypsy - the list is a catalogue of hit shows, many of which transferred to London's West End.

Ken Bruce presents this musical theatre feast with special guests Anna-Jane Casey and Michael Ball - who appeared in Sweeney Todd (Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical) and more recently Mack and Mabel. We close the show with one of Chichester's early musicals - Underneath the Arches. It told the story of two much loved British entertainers - Flanagan and Allen - and their work with a bunch of knockabout comedians known collectively as The Crazy Gang. For a medley of their songs including - Strollin'; Hometown; Hey Neighbour and Underneath the Arches - Sunday Night is Music Night re-unites two original cast members of the 1981 production - Roy Hudd as Bud Flanagan and Christopher Timothy as Chesney Allen.

The BBC Concert Orchestra is conducted by its Principal Conductor Keith Lockhart and master of ceremonies is Ken Bruce.

First broadcast in 2016.

Ken Bruce salutes the success of musical theatre at the Chichester Festival Theatre.