Independent podcast: Richard Taylor

Richard Taylor and David Wood's musicalisation of L.P. Hartley's The Go-Between for the West Yorkshire Playhouse marks a further departure in the development of that many-faceted genre we call musical theatre.

When and why people sing when they can speak or speak when they could sing has long exerted a fascination for those who love the age-old co-existence that music has enjoyed with theatre. In this exclusive audio podcast Richard Taylor talks to Edward Seckerson about the journey that he and David Wood have taken to bring The Go-Between to the stage, how story-telling has dictated the part that music and "singing" plays in it, and how breaking some of the "rules" that can and do inhibit the musical have liberated Taylor as a composer. In 1992 his musical version of Whistle Down the Wind for the National Music Youth Theatre ( pace Andrew Lloyd Webber) firmly established him as a dynamic new force in musical theatre. Since then his varied work in theatre has marked him apart as a top-flight musician far less interested in being prolific than being truthful and innovative. The Go-Between may well prove important in further redefining perceptions of what musical theatre can achieve.

www.wyp.org.uk

Right-click here and click "Save target/link as..." to download