- Julian Slade
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- Julian Penkivil Slade was born in London on 28 May 1930,
and educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he
wrote two musical plays, Bang Goes the Meringue and Lady
May. His book for children, Nibble the Squirrel, was
published in 1946. Intending to become an actor, in 1951 he joined
the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School at the suggestion of the director
Denis Carey, and subsequently appeared in small roles at the
Bristol Old Vic. He wrote incidental music for that theatre's
1952 production of Two Gentlemen of Verona, and became
the Bristol Old Vic's musical director, writing two Christmas
musicals, Christmas in King Street (with the actress Dorothy
Reynolds and James Cairncross) and, with Dorothy Reynolds, The
Merry Gentleman. His score for Sheridan's operetta The
Duenna followed, incidental music for a Stratford production
of The Merchant of Venice, and for a television production
of The Comedy of Errors (later seen at the Arts Theatre).
With Dorothy Reynolds in 1954 he wrote a summer musical for the
Bristol Old Vic's resident company, Salad Days, which
enjoyed outstanding success, transferring to the Vaudeville Theatre
for 2,288 performances. The musical was seen on Broadway, produced
all over the world, and has enjoyed several West End revivals,
as well as television and radio productions. Four other musicals
written with Dorothy Reynolds were seen in London: Free as
Air, Follow That Girl, Hooray for Daisy!, and,
their final collaboration, Wildest Dreams. In 1962 Slade
wrote the music for a spectacular production of Thackeray's Vanity
Fair with Alan Pryce-Jones and Robin Miller. His later musicals
include Nutmeg and Ginger (from The Knight of the Burning
Pestle), The Pursuit of Love (from Nancy Mitford's
novel), Out of Bounds (from Pinero's play The Schoolmistress)
and Trelawny (from Pinero's Trelawny of the Wells).
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- See the cover of the score for 'Free As Air' in The
Music Library
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- Julian
Slade's Discography can be found here!
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