Norvic
Philatelics - GB
New Stamps and Special Postmarks
London
Stage Musicals - 24 February 2011
London’s West End has
established itself as the centre for millions of visitors –
and for many it’s the quality of our stage musicals that
attracts them.
Royal
Mail has chosen to mark the London Musicals by an issue of 6 stamps
which use a combination of posters and performance photographs.
This
is the issue which was postponed from 2010.
|
|
1st
class:
Oliver!
Blood Brothers
We Will Rock You
Monty Python's Spamalot
97p:
The Rocky Horror Show
Me and My Girl
Return to the Forbidden Planet
Billy Elliot
|
How did Britain become
the place to see a good musical? Music in the theatre has a long and
rich history, but it was second half of the twentieth century that the
British musical really came into its own.
For many the
turning point came in 1960 with Lionel Bart’s Oliver! which
fought back against the relentless onslaught of American cinematic
musicals and paved the way for other home-grown musicals to follow.
Royal Mail looked back
at more than seven decades of popular stage musicals to establish which
shows were the
most suitable for the set. Criteria included the shows’
origin, writers and composers,
longevity
and
success. A conscious effort was taken to represent the evolving nature
of musical theatre, and to
include shows based upon successful films and songs from popular
artists’ back
catalogues.
The
stamps in
detail
1st
Class –
Oliver!
With music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, Oliver! first appeared in the
West End in 1960, and enjoyed a long run that launched the careers of
several child actors. The original London production of Oliver! opened
in the New Theatre (now the Noel Coward Theatre) on 30 June, 1960 and
ran for 2,618 performances.
1st
Class – Blood Brothers
This 1983 musical by Willy Russell is one of the longest-running plays
of all time, with the 1988 West End production still running after over
20 years.
1st
Class – We Will Rock You
A jukebox musical is based on the songs of Queen and named after their
hit single of the same name. The show was written by Ben Elton in
collaboration with Brian May and Roger Taylor. Opening in the West End
in 2002 it has been extended indefinitely making it the longest running
show ever at London’s Dominion theatre.
1st
Class – Monty Python’s Spamalot
Music and lyrics by Eric Idle and John Du Prez based on the screenplay
of the Pythons’ film, Monty Python and the Holy Grail and
includes three songs from the 1975 film. The musical tells the
legendary tale of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and
their quest for the Holy Grail and features a chorus line of dancing
divas (and serfs), flatulent Frenchmen, killer rabbits and a legless
knight.
97p
– The Rocky Horror Show
Written by Richard O’Brien The Rocky Horror Show premiered at
the Theatre Upstairs in June 1973, before establishing itself at the
Comedy Theatre in the West End until September 1980, closing the
play’s initial run of 2,960 performances.
97p
– Me and My Girl
Me and My Girl is a musical with book and lyrics by Douglas Furber and
L. Arthur Rose and music by Noel Gay. It takes place in the late 1930s
in Hampshire, Mayfair, and Lambeth. The musical had a successful
original run on the West End in 1937 and very successful revivals in
both London and New York in the 1980s. The show stopper, “The
Lambeth Walk”, was the subject of a news story in The Times
of October 1938: “While dictators rage and statesmen talk,
all Europe dances - to The Lambeth Walk.”
97p
– Return to the Forbidden Planet
A jukebox musical by director Bob Carlton based on
Shakespeare’s The Tempest and the 1950s sci-fi film Forbidden
Planet (which itself drew its plot loosely from The Tempest). Return to
the Forbidden Planet started life with the Bubble Theatre Company as a
production for open-air performance in a tent. A revised version of the
musical opened, indoors, at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool in the
mid-1980s. It later moved to the Tricycle Theatre in London. After some
rework a final version opened the Cambridge Theatre in
London’s West End in September 1989.
97p
– Billy Elliot
Music by Elton John and lyrics by Lee Hall based on the smash hit film,
Billy Elliot. Set in the North East of England against the background
of the historic 1984/85 miners’ strike, Billy pursues his
passion for dance in secret to avoid disapproval of his struggling
family. The show opened in London in May 2005.
Technical
details:
The
27 x 37mm stamps are designed by Webb and Webb and printed in
lithography by Cartor Security Printing, perf 14, with phosphor bands
in sheets of 25/50.
Acknowledgements:
Oliver!
– foreground © Catherine Ashmore for OPL, background
photograph by Michael Le Poer Trench © Cameron Mackintosh Ltd,
logo – TM © OPL 2005; Blood
Brothers
– Copyright © Bill Kenwright Ltd;
We
Will Rock You ©
Queen Theatrical Productions Ltd; Monty
Python’s
Spamalot © Ocean
Music Ltd & Rutsongs Music – SPAM® is a
registered trademark of Hormel Foods Corporation; The
Rocky Horror Show
– Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Show
2006: illustration by leighgallagherart.blogspot.com,
design and artwork by swd.uk.com; Me
and My Girl
© Noel Gay, artwork by Dewynters; Return
to the Forbidden
Planet –
illustration by Garen Ewing © Josef Weinberger Ltd/Bob
Carlton; Billy
Elliot © Billy
London Ltd/David Scheinmann
Products issued
Set of 8 stamps
mint
Presentation Pack
Set of 8 stamp cards
First Day Cover
Special
first day of issue postmarks are shown here (not to scale - caannot be
obtained after date of use).
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 |
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|
|
Ref FD1017
Philatelic Bureau Official First Day postmark. |
Ref FD1018
Official Dancers End, Tring, First Day postmark.
|
Ref FD1018N
Dancers End non-pictorial FD postmark |
Ref L12050
Drury Lane London WC2
|
Ref L12045 The
Heritage
Foundation, Maida
Vale, London W9, A Tribute to Sir Norman Wisdom |
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 |
 |
 |
 |
| Ref L12046 London WC2 |
Ref L12047 Stage Door,
London W1 |
Ref N12057 St Helens Theatre
Royal |
Ref L12048 Sandy
Wilson's The Boy Friend, London W1. |
Ref L12049 London WC1
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Ref M12053
Oliver Road, Birmingham |
Ref L12062
Spring
Stampex Musicals First Day of Issue |
Ref L12063
We Will Rock You, London W1 |
Ref L12073 - London |
Ref L12074 - The
World's Favourite Rock 'n' Roll Musical Richard O'Brien's
Rocky Horror Show, London SW1 |
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This page updated 23 February
2011
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