Showtune on Radio Abbey

25/12/2025

Merry Christmas! I hope that you have a day filled with love and happiness and a life filled with show tunes.

24/12/2025

Christmas Eve, what you need is a run down of the top ten festive Musical Theatre songs, as voted for by nearly 150 people who really know their shows ( and a couple who just really love Judy Garland 🤣 )

A festive special of the finest show tunes from Stage and Screen with a top 10 voted for by people who love their musicals

20/12/2025

With only a few days left before Christmas, everyone is fed up with Christmas songs, but you don't hear most of these on the radio or in the shops. If you want a cheery festive show to get you in the mood, might I offer this?

A festive special of the finest show tunes from Stage and Screen with a top 10 voted for by people who love their musicals

19/12/2025

The festive special is now online, featuring the top 10 Musical Theatre show tunes as voted for by people on all platforms, but mostly members of the Broadway Remembered Facebook Group, to whom I am eternally grateful

A festive special of the finest show tunes from Stage and Screen with a top 10 voted for by people who love their musicals

17/12/2025

I thought that some of you might be interested in these talks. I have been attending classes for a couple of months now and it has been fascinating to hear these people talk. There's a week of free sessions in early January and you can sign up for them here.

Class description from the website
Join The Broadway Maven David Benkof and a crew of experienced faculty for 5 FREE Broadway classes! Explore the music, lyrics, and themes of iconic musicals:

• Sunday, January 4: Something Rotten! – Welcome to The Broadway Maven's 2026 Renaissance with a class by David himself.
• Monday, January 5: West Side Story – David and Sondheim expert Gail Leondar-Wright collaborate on Broadway's most famous love story.
• Tuesday, January 6: South Pacific – Former President of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization Ted Chapin teaches memories of the creation of the 1949 romance.
• Wednesday, January 7: Why Musicals Matter – UW Prof. David Armstrong answers that compelling question.
• Thursday, January 8: Lesser-Known Sondheim – Gail closes the week with a peek at oft-overlooked shows like The Frogs and Do I Hear A Waltz?.

Each class is offered TWICE at Noon & 7 PM ET. - If you are UK based like me that's 5pm and midnight.

Something Rotten!, West Side Story, South Pacific, Why Musicals Matter, and Lesser-Known Sondheim highlight FREE classes this week.

16/12/2025

This week's show is the Christmas show and then I am going to be taking 2 weeks off.

I need to have a serious think about the future of the show though. Thanks to the groups stopping sharing my posts I have lost most of my audience. There comes a point where you have to ask yourself if all the work is worth it.

I had plans for things that I wanted to do if I could just get it to grow a little, but it's shrinking dramatically, and that hits the confidence hard. There is still one thing in the works, so I am not giving up yet but it's close.

13/12/2025

Had a wonderful evening at Fiddler on the Roof in Birmingham tonight. Fantastic show, cast wonderful, dancing stunning, loved the staging❤️

Journey home was hell though, the train was so packed that people couldn't move, some people climbed up into the luggage racks. The second photo is of what happens to a programme when you've been fanning with it for half an hour to try and stop people throwing up or passing out. We were taking it in turns passing it round when one person got tired because it was the only source of air movement in the carriage. Luckily, I was holding it up by my chest when my arms were pinned. That was not safe.

12/12/2025

I don't think I've ever had as many responses during a show before as when I mentioned what BBC Strictly Come Dancing did to the Cell Block Tango lyrics🤣🤣🤣🤣 MT people do not like the lyrics messed with!

Here is that show, feel free to join in the debate (is it a debate if everyone agrees?)

Fabulous show tunes from all eras of stage and screen musicals

12/12/2025

You've heard me talk about this on the show. I was wrong about who was playing Aunt March when I mentioned it, but this is fantastic casting. Looking forward to it!

Our cast just got even more extraordinary! ✨ Meet the newest members of our world-premiere concert company:
✨ Tracie Bennett - Two-time Olivier Award® winner - joins us as Aunt March.
✨ Liam Tamne - GRAMMY Award® nominee - joins us as John Brooke.
✨ Barry James - Two-time Olivier Award® nominee - joins us as Grandfather / Mr. Laurence.

We are building something truly special for this one-night-only event at Drury Lane 💫 Tickets are on sale now - you don’t want to miss this ❤️

08/12/2025

You've heard me play tracks from it on the show, here are the staged concert details

We are delighted to announce that "Rosie" will have its West End debut for a one-night-only, semi-staged gala performance at the Adelphi Theatre on Tuesday 17 March 2026.

This special performance will star the sensational Lucy Thomas in the title role, with further casting to be announced.

Please click here to book your tickets! https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/rosie-a-new-musical/

06/12/2025

This came up on my player earlier. Reminds me so much of my daughter. One of our Christmas traditions was to watch it together.
I am so proud of the amazing young woman she has become, but sometime you miss the child. So much of my Xmas preparation was our little traditions. We also always played We need a little Christmas before putting up the tree and had a little dance😂

Both Angela Lansbury, both Jerry Herman. It is one of the great memories of my life that I got to meet Jerry Herman thanks to a good friend of mine getting me a ticket to an agents night of a performance of a review of his shows in the West End. It turned out that a producer that I had worked for a few years earlier had produced it and we got to meet Jerry😍 I saw Angela Lansbury when she played Mme Arcarti in the West End, definitely a bucket list moment for a musical theatre devotee.

Provided to YouTube by Masterworks BroadwayOverture · Mrs. Santa Claus Orchestra · Larry BlankMrs. Santa Claus (Original Television Cast Recording)℗ 1996 Son...

06/12/2025

This week's show! I did another 1 word playlist (I love doing them, you never know what they're going to throw up) This week the word was Time. I really love what it came up with.

A wide playlist of songs from all eras of stage and screen musicals. This week with the theme of time