Please, Sir

Lionel did.

Lionel had a Dickens of a problem … he had an idea for a musical theatre show but no one seemed interested.

Living in London, Lionel had had some minor success creating songs for popular singers and a few musical revues … but he had this crazy idea and he wondered who will buy?

Now consider yourself a West End producer when this guy Lionel walks in … he tells you a story which is kind of morbid and depressing and probably impracticable to stage … and then when you ask to see the music and lyrics he tells you the he actually doesn’t read music, write music or in fact play music … and instead pulls out a tape recorder with six songs he’s sung and hummed into it himself … Well, reviewing the situation, you’d probably pass on his idea too.

However, Lionel was persistent … and finally one producer who actually listened to the songs on the tape recorder thought there might be something there. The show opened and was an immediate hit … first on London’s West End and then Broadway … then the Hollywood version won multiple Oscars including Best Picture. Glorious.

Today, over 50 years after it opened, Lionel Bart’s musical that he created by singing and humming into a tape recorder because he couldn’t read, write or play music is considered the premiere British musical … Oliver!

Oliver is a great idea … because making a business sing means leaving them wanting more!