From The Box Office | george stiles

Pre-London Review: The Wind in the Willows

November 23, 2016January 24, 2017niallrpalmer

The Wind in the Willows is the latest collaboration between Julian Fellowes (book) and song-writing team George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. Their adaptation of Half a Sixpence is enjoying rave review in the West End, and George and Anthony are no strangers to creating hit shows for the whole family to enjoy having previously won an Olivier Award for Honk! (which famously beat The Lion King to the top honours) and also written new songs for Mary Poppins.

Rufus Hound and Lord Julian Fellowes (c) www.windinthewillowsthemusical.com — Rufus Hound and Lord Julian Fellowes (c) http://www.windinthewillowsthemusical.com

The Wind in the Willows starts promisingly with company number Spring, its richly layered harmonies making full use of the large cast (and bearing more than a passing similarity to Riverdance). Read more →

An Interview with Olivier Award winner Anthony Drewe – Part II

March 16, 2015September 2, 2016niallrpalmer

In the second part of our two part interview with Anthony Drewe , we talk more to this versatile Actor, Director, Writer and Artist about his work with George Stiles on musicals like Mary Poppins, Peter Pan and Travels with My Aunt, work-shopping Soap Dish with Kristin Chenoweth, writing with Downton Abbey creator Lord Julian Fellowes and spending time in LA with Steven Spielberg.

Anthony, thanks again for giving us so much of your time. Your diary must be pretty full – how do you find time to see new productions of your shows?

I remember when we adapted Peter Pan, the show was Read more →

An Interview with Olivier Award winner Anthony Drewe – Part I

March 1, 2015September 2, 2016niallrpalmer

In the week that Disney and Cameron Mackintosh announced a new UK & Ireland tour of Mary Poppins, I met with the show’s talented lyricist, Anthony Drewe. Anthony and his writing partner George Stiles are best known for their musicals Just So, Honk! and Betty Blue Eyes as well as additional songs for the hugely successful stage version of Mary Poppins. Yet there is an awful lot more to this versatile actor, director, writer and artist and while the tea infuses, we chat about everything from Spielberg to Sondheim.

Stiles & Drewe are synonymous with British Musical Theatre. How did you and George first meet? Read more →