“In this England, in these times” : redefining the British musical from 1970-present

In the last decades of the twentieth century, West End musicals exploded onto the world stage through a series of box office hits such as Cats (1981), Starlight Express (1984), Les Misérables (1985), The Phantom of the Opera (1986) and Miss Saigon (1989). Subsequently, the term ‘British musical’ has become somewhat synonymous with large-scale commercial shows that feature epic storylines and themes, striking designs, and scores that draw on contemporary pop and rock influences. But while these commercial hits have undoubtedly had an enormous impact on perceptions of the British musical at home and abroad, they form only part of a wider story of the evolution of musicals in Britain from the 1970s to the present. This period has seen the gradual development—at first sporadic and later more strategic—of musical theatre as an integral part of the British theatre scene. This chapter explores the key elements in this evolution in terms of individual shows, artists and companies and the start of a national infrastructure for nurturing British musicals