Philip Glassborow

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Philip Glassborow is a playwright, lyricist and composer who writes for theatre, radio and television. His best-known theatre musical is The Great Big Radio Show! (music and lyrics) with book in collaboration with Nick McIvor, which was premiered by the Watermill Theatre in Newbury, showcased at the Bridewell Theatre in London,[1] and had additional exposure via the off-Broadway York Theatre Company ‘Musicals in Mufti’ series (2005),[2] and Malta’s National Theatre, Teatru Manoel (2014).[3]

Other theatre credits include a new musical version of “Peter Pan” by J. M. Barrie (Watermill Theatre, Newbury and Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford) and “A Kid for Two Farthings” (lyrics) with music by Cyril Ornadel and book in collaboration with Robert Meadwell, based on the novel by Wolf Mankowitz.

For BBC Radio, Philip compiled and presented “The Gorey Details” based on the work of Edward Gorey, which starred Frank Langella, Katherine Kellgren, Andreas Brown and David Suchet.[4] He has dramatized many classic books for radio including “Billy Budd, Sailor” by Herman Melville; “Christopher Himself” based on 'Prater Violet' by Christopher Isherwood (which starred David Suchet, Adam Godley and Bernard Cribbins, and featured an interview with Don Bachardy); “The Secret Garden,” starring Dame Joan Plowright, Ron Moody and Prunella Scales; and “Silas Marner” starring Michael Williams, Jenny Agutter, Alex Jennings and Edward Woodward. His dramatisation of Anthony Trollope's story "Christmas Day At Kirkby Cottage" starred Finty Williams, John Rhys-Davies and Julia McKenzie.[5]

In 2014, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Red Cross inspection of Theresienstadt Concentration Camp, Glassborow was commissioned by director Adam Forde to write a new music theatre piece, Welcome To Terezin. The play was presented at the Edinburgh Festival[6][7]

Glassborow's musical play "Star Of Strait Street" was premiered as part of Valletta 2018, European Capital of Culture in May 2018.[8] The play was previewed with the support of the Mackintosh Foundation for Malta's EU 2017 Presidency Arts Celebrations,[9] at the Splendid Cultural Incubation Centre as part of the Strada Stretta Concept under the artistic direction of Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci.[10][11]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195313734.
  2. ^ "Maynard, Anderson, Staller and Rudetsky Set for 'Mufti' Radio Show! | Playbill". Playbill. 26 October 2005. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  3. ^ Ltd, Allied Newspapers. "A musical to fall in love with". Times of Malta. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  4. ^ A LIFE IN FULL: All the Gorey details | Independent on Sunday, The | Find Articles at BNET.com
  5. ^ "BBC Radio 4 Extra - Anthony Trollope - Christmas Day at Kirkby Cottage".
  6. ^ "Theatre review: Welcome to Terezin at Gilded Balloon". www.britishtheatreguide.info. Retrieved 2016-11-07.
  7. ^ "The New Current". The New Current. Archived from the original on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 2016-12-08.
  8. ^ "Star of Strait Street". Valleta2018. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  9. ^ "Urban Star Returns To Strait Street". Independent, Malta. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  10. ^ Reljic, Teodor (24 May 2017). "The romance that rocked Strait Street | Philip Glassborow, Polly March & Larissa Bonaci". Malta Today. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  11. ^ "Giuseppe Schembri Bonaci Named Artistic Director For Strait Street Regeneration". Malta Independent. Retrieved 2018-01-16.