Scala Radio to broadcast special series dedicated to musical theatre

Scala Radio has announced a new series devoted to musical theatre, exploring the history and future of the genre and its leading figures. The four-part series will begin on May 10 and will be hosted by Jamie Crick, who already hosts a weekly show on the classical music station.

The Story of Musicals will celebrate some of the world’s greatest musicals, as well as covering what makes a show commercially successful and how audience tastes have changed over time.

The series will also explore how musical theatre has been responding and adapting to the current crisis.

The four episodes will be themed around writing partnerships such as Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, and will chart the musical’s success over time, as well as looking to the future. Crick said the series would help to fill the "big musical theatre shaped hole in our lives right now".

"There really has never been a greater time to reflect and appreciate the form which enriches so many of our lives. In this new series, I’ll have the chance to play some of the many songs that have soundtracked my life, as well as explore why it is that musical theatre continues to be so impactful to this day," he said.

The Story of Musicals starts on Scala Radio – available on DAB and online – on May 10 from 1 to 3pm, and will continue weekly.