User:Howard352/sandbox

In 2015, the Sherman/Nicholls original musical production of Love Birds made its premiere at The Pleasance.

https://www.emporis.com/statistics/tallest-buildings/city/101904/west-hollywood-ca-usa

This list of tallest buildings in West Hollywood, California ranks the 20 tallest buildings in the U.S. city of West Hollywood, California by height. Worcester currently has 18 high-rise buildings. In the city, there are 12 buildings that stand taller than 150 ft. The two tallest structures in Worcester are the 24-story Sky Mark Tower and Worcester Plaza, both of which rise 88 m. The rest of the high rise buildings are between 150 and 110 ft tall.

Tallest buildings
This lists ranks West Hollywood buildings that stand at least 150 ft tall, based on standard height measurement. This includes spires and architectural details but does not include antenna masts. An equal sign (=) following a rank indicates the same height between two or more buildings. The "Year" column indicates the year in which a building was completed.

Early Life
Ailion was born into a theatrical family in Mortlake London in 1947 to Philip Ailion and Pamela Mary Ailion (née Harris). In 1948 the Ailion family moved to Brighton where Philip and Pamela opened The Brighton Theatrical Costumiers. The company continued in Brighton until 1981. Philip was a tailor, cutter and makeup artist. The company served much of South East England including The Brighton Theatre Royal, the Brighton Hippodrome and other local professional and amateur productions and films. In Brighton and Hove, Ailion attended Hove County Grammar School and the Brighton and Hove School of Music and Drama. Later she attended Bulmershe College in Reading training as a teacher of English and Drama. Her drama tutor was Annie Castledine. After graduating in 1968 Ailion taught drama to school children and university students in Sussex and London before joining the Bowsprit Theatre in the Greenwich Young Peoples Theatre in 1973 as an actor and teacher. She would later work with the main company as well.

Early Career: Actress and Director
In 1973 Ailion moved to New York when Playwright Neil Simon invited her to work as his assistant on the Broadway production of The Good Doctor. Soon thereafter, Ailion met Emanuel Azenberg of the Shubert Organisation. There she worked as a Theatre Consultant giving casting suggestions for theatrical transfers from Broadway to London.

In 1975 Ailion returned to the UK where she performed in various productions at the Northcott Theatre in Exeter before taking a position in the theatre department at Dartington College of Arts from 1977-1981.

In 1981, she became the Assistant Director to Gordon Davidson and Company Manager on the award winning London transfer of the Broadway play Children of a Lesser God. She later directed the production at the Market Theatre (Johannesburg), South Africa, Olympia Theatre (Dublin) as well as an Australian production. Ailion also directed the UK tour of this show.

From 1984-1987, Ailion worked as a freelance Resident Director and Company Manager for various West End shows including When We Are Married, A Month of Sundays, West Side Story, and An Italian Straw Hat.

In 1987 she joined The Old Vic Theatre as Resident Associate Director and Casting Director working on over a dozen European classics. During that time the theatre garnered five Olivier awards for The Tempest with Max Von Sydow, Too Clever by Half with Alex Jennings, The Liar and Candide with Patricia Routledge.

Casting Director and Educator
While at the Old Vic, Ailion also cast the original London production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. This marked a shift in Ailion's career. In 1991, she set up her a casting company: Pippa Ailion Casting through which she worked as a freelance casting director for TV, commercials and theatre (reference IMDB page) both in London and in Dublin, Ireland.

In 1994, Ailion joined the Central School of Speech and Drama as Head of Department for their BA Acting course, whilst continuing her freelance TV casting career including the multi award winning TV movie Breaking The Code with Derek Jacobi. In 1997 she left her post when she was asked to cast the original London production of ‘Rent’ and four productions at Chichester Festival Theatre. In 1998 she was asked to cast the original London production of Disney's The Lion King. From about this time Ailion's primary focus has been on London West End productions.

====Film and TV Credits ====


 * 1993 The Bill (TV Movie) (1 episode)
 * 1996 Breaking the Code (TV Movie)
 * 1996 Witness Against Hitler (TV Movie)
 * 1998 Little White Lies (TV Movie)
 * 2002 Inquisition (TV Movie)
 * 2009 The Fairy Queen (TV Movie)
 * 2009 Great Performances (TV Movie) (1 episode)
 * 2009 Chess in Concert
 * 2014 Billy Elliot Live
 * 2015 Gypsy: Live from the Savoy Theatre (TV Movie)

====West End Theatre Credits ====


 * 1988/89 Bussy D’Ambois (Old Vic)
 * 1988/89 The Tutor (Old Vic)
 * 1988/89 Candide (Old Vic)
 * 1992 Annie Get Your Gun (Prince of Wales Theatre)
 * 1993 Into The Woods (Phoenix Theatre)
 * 1993 Hair (Old Vic)
 * 1997 The Magistrate (Savoy Theatre)
 * 1997-99 Beauty and the Beast (Dominion Theatre)
 * 1998-99 Rent (Shaftesbury Theatre)
 * 1999 The Prisoner of Second Avenue (Haymarket Theatre)
 * 1999-present The Lion King (Lyceum)
 * 2002-14 We Will Rock You (Dominion Theatre)
 * 2005 Acorn Antiques the Musical (Haymarket)
 * 2005-07 Blue Man Group (New London) and worldwide 2005-14
 * 2005-16 Billy Elliot (Victoria Palace)
 * 2006 Porgy and Bess (Savoy Theatre)
 * 2006-19 Wicked (Apollo Victoria)
 * 2007 The Drowsy Chaperone (Novello Theatre)
 * 2008 Marguerite (Haymarket Theatre)
 * 2009 Spring Awakening (Novello Theatre)
 * 2009-12 ''Legally Blonde (Savoy Theatre)
 * 2009 and 2012 ''The Fairy Queen
 * 2010 Love Story (Duchess Theatre)
 * 2010-11 Fela (National Theatre) and US Tour (2011-2014)
 * 2011-12 Million Dollar Quartet (Noel Coward Theatre)
 * 2012 Sweeney Todd (Adelphi Theatre)
 * 2012 Kiss Me, Kate (Old Vic)
 * 2013-14 From Here to Eternity (Shaftesbury Theatre)
 * 2013-17 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Drury Lane)
 * 2013-present The Book of Mormon (Prince of Wales Theatre)
 * 2014 The Pajama Game  (Shaftesbury Theatre)
 * 2014 Here Lies Love (National Theatre)
 * 2014-15 Memphis (Shaftesbury Theatre)
 * 2015 Gypsy (Savoy Theatre)
 * 2015-16 Bend It Like Beckham (Phoenix Theatre)
 * 2016 The Go Between (Apollo Theatre)
 * 2016 Funny Girl (Savoy Theatre)
 * 2016 Guys and Dolls (Savoy Theatre), (Phoenix Theatre)
 * 2016-17 Sunny Afternoon (Harold Pinter Theatre)
 * 2016-19 Dreamgirls (Savoy Theatre)
 * 2016-19 Motown (Shaftesbury Theatre)
 * 2017 Wind in the Willows (musical) (London Palladium)
 * 2018 Twelfth Night (Young Vic)
 * 2018-present Tina - The Tina Turner Musical (Aldwych Theatre)
 * 2019 On Your Feet (London Coliseum)
 * 2019-present Come From Away (Phoenix Theatre)

Awards, accolades and achievements

 * Ailion was awarded the MBE for services to Theatre and Diversity in the Arts and was listed in the 2018 New Years Honors Roll.
 * In 2017 Ailion was listed by The Stage as one of London's 100 most influential power players in its "Theatre’s Power List 2017".
 * 2010 - 2017: Trustee of Regents Park Open Air Theatre.
 * Ailion is a Companion at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and a patron of the Urdang Academy.
 * Ailion was made a member of the Casting Directors Guild of Great Britain

Early life
Lee was born in Woking, Surrey to parents Brian and Dilys Lee (née Lucas). He attended Sheerwater Secondary School then transferred to Woking Boys Grammar School and Woking VI Form College. From 1978-1982 Lee was organist and choirmaster of Christ Church, Woking. From 1979-1984 Lee attended The Royal College of Music studying music composition (under the tutelage of Joseph Horovitz and Philip Cannon), piano and conducting. In 1982 Lee was elected president of the Royal College’s Student Association in the College's centenary year. He graduated with Honors in 1984.

Career
Prior to graduation from the Royal College of Music, Lee was approached by the Royal College of Art to compose soundtracks for two films by then animation student, Janet Simmonds. The short films entitled: The Waterfall and Merlin, taken together, won Lee the 1986 British Film Institute's Anthony Asquith Young Composer Award. This marked the reinstitution of this prize which has been awarded every year since. Subsequently, this lead to Lee writing a plethora of animation films and TV soundtracks. In addition to his work in animation, Lee has composed and arranged for Ballet, Musical Theatre and both secular and religious concert music.

Animation
For the choreographer Sir Matthew Bourne, he orchestrated Nutcracker! and Swan Lake, the world’s most-performed dance production. He has created orchestrations for many other dance companies, including the Washington Ballet’s 2015 Swan Lake. His Requiem and other concert music is published by Edition Peters; the St. Petersburg performance of Requiem in 2011 (also conducted by Lee) was the Russian debut of mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, for whom the work was composed. Highlights from his work as a musical director/arranger include: Over My Shoulder (directed by Stewart Nicholls) - Jermyn Street, two tours and Wyndham’s);
 * Cloudbabies
 * 64 Zoo Lane
 * Salut Serge
 * Pablo
 * Engie Benjy
 * Crapston Villas
 * The Little Reindeer

Theatre

 * A Spoonful of Sherman
 * Bumblescratch
 * Ann Veronica
 * The Amazons
 * Vanity Fair (Stewart Nicholls - the Theatre Museum);
 * Marry Me a Little (Bridewell - with Rebecca Front and Clive Carter, directed byClive Paget)
 * Ruthless! (Stratford Circus). UK premiere

Awards
Lee's work has been recorded for CD on a number of occasions. The CD of The Amazons received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Cast Album".

In 1985 Lee became the first recipient of the British Film Institute’s Anthony Asquith Young Composer Award.

https://new-adventures.net/profile/rowland-lee

A Spoonful of Sherman is a musical revue which premiered on January 6, 2014 at the St. James Theatre in London and which is currently poised for its first UK/Ireland tour. Originally produced, written and emceed by Robert J. Sherman, A Spoonful of Sherman first served as the UK book launch for Sherman's father's (posthumously released) autobiography: Moose: Chapters From My Life for which Sherman was also the book's editor. After each performance of that original run, Sherman participated in a book signing after the show.

The National Student Film Institute, formerly the Los Angeles Student Film Institute (LASFI), was founded in 1978 by Brenda Norman, Dave Master, Jutti Marsh and Ralph Rogers as a festival for films made by children from kindergarten through ninth grade. Two years later it was expanded to include the work of all high school students. The first festival included approximately 350 students who entered 125 films. By 1993, the Student Film Festival involved over two thousand students throughout the Los Angeles area, who together entered over 300 films. The film festival was held each year at the Directors Guild Theater in Hollywood.

Mary Poppins, published 1934
The first book introduces the Banks family from Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane, London,

Songwriting
Best known for his musical, Love Birds, Sherman began writing songs at seven years old. At 18 he co-wrote songs for the musical, A Christmas Held Captive (Beverly Hills Playhouse). Since then Sherman has written songs and/or script for various film, stage and TV productions including Amazon Jack (Miramax), The Magic 7 (Pulse Entertainment) and The Penguin Pirate. In the late 1980s and early 1990s Sherman was lead singer/songwriter and guitarist for two rock bands, Numbers and SHACK. Current projects include Inkas the Ramferinkas (an animation musical film) for which Sherman wrote additional songs. In 2015 Sherman's song, "Disneyana!" was named the "official theme song" of the Disneyana Fan Club. It was debuted during 60th Anniversary celebrations of the Disneyland theme park during the annual Disneyana Convention held in Anaheim at which time Sherman also received the 2015 Disneyana President's Award for his service to the organization. In 2016 Sherman contributed material to Ms: A Song Cycle which was subtitled as having been "inspired by women living with Multiple Sclerosis". The project was conceived by lyricist Rory Sherman (unrelated). The song they collaborated on, entitled: "Mondays", became the final piece on the album and was performed by Rosemary Ashe.

Bumblescratch
Sherman wrote an original, sung-through musical entitled: Bumblescratch over four years (2004-2008). The story centers around a mischievous plague rat called, "Melbourne Bumblescratch" who lives in London during the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of 1666. Sherman revised the script and score between 2009-2011 commissioning a week long workshop/read-through in November 2012. The show had its first open workshop at The Network Theatre in London in May 2013 and acclaimed critically at that time. Three years later, a one night, gala charity concert of Bumblescratch commemorating the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London premiered at the Adelphi Theatre in London on September 4, 2016. At the conclusion of the performance, Sherman was named a Variety Club Celebrity Ambassador alongside director/choreographer Stewart Nicholls and Bumblescratch stars: Darren Day, Jessica Martin and Michael Xavier. SimG Records released a CD of musical highlights from the London concert in December 2016. The CD was widely praised.

Love Birds
Sherman's musical, Love Birds (for which he wrote both book and songs) premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2015 and was widely praised by the press, receiving numerous five star and four star reviews. The show starred Ruth Betteridge, Greg Castiglioni, John Guerrasio, George Knapper, Jonny Purchase, Joanna Sawyer, Anna Stolli, Rafe Watts and Ryan Willis. In its end of the year round-up of regional British fringe musical theatre, Musical Theatre Review hailed Love Birds: "a triumph of whimsy, a children’s story written with adult sensibilities and featuring a cracking score that celebrated the lost era of vaudeville. Blessed with an equally strong design from Gabriella Slade and some marvellously sensitive performances, Love Birds was probably the most accomplished piece of musical theatre to arise from the many delights at this year’s festival." The Original Edinburgh Cast Recording of Love Birds was produced by Sherman and released by SimG Records during the festival. The CD was also widely praised.

A Spoonful of Sherman
In 2014 Sherman wrote, narrated and produced A Spoonful of Sherman, a cabaret celebrating 90 years of Sherman songwriting. The show received four stars from The Times (London). The premiere doubled as the UK book launch for Sherman's father's (posthumously released) autobiography: Moose: Chapters From My Life for which Sherman also served as the book's editor. After each performance, Sherman participated in a book signing. The show was billed as "A Celebration of the Life, Times and Songs of Robert B. Sherman" and was received extremely well by the crowd and the critics alike. The cast consisted of four rising West End theatre stars including Charlotte Wakefield, Emma Williams, Stuart Matthew Price and Greg Castiglioni. Musical Direction was provided by Colin Billing and the show was directed by Stewart Nicholls. The same cast returned to the St. James Theatre a few months later for an extended run. The Original London Cast Recording was released in July 2015 by SimG Records. A slightly modified version of the the show returned to London for two weeks in August 2017 with Sherman narrating once again. This incarnation of the show featured West End stars, Helena Blackman and Daniel Boys. On December 20, 2017, the launch of the A Spoonful of Sherman UK/Ireland tour was announced. Previews begin on February 14, 2018 at the EM Forester Theatre in Tonbridge, Kent. Cast members for the tour include Sophie-Louise Dann, Mark Read, Glen Facey, Jenna Innes and Ben Stock.

Club presidents
World Upheaval - Lodge suspended until 1927
 * 1890 Harry Freeman
 * 1891 Dan Leno
 * 1892 Dan Leno
 * 1893 Wal Pink
 * 1894 Joe Elvin
 * 1895 J.W. Cragg
 * 1896 Eugene Stratton
 * 1897 Dan Leno
 * 1898 Joe O'Gorman
 * 1899 Paul Martinetti
 * 1900 Eugene Stratton
 * 1901 Joe O'Gorman
 * 1902 Wal Pink
 * 1903 Fred Russell
 * 1904 Tom McNaughton
 * 1905 Arthur Reece
 * 1906 Little Tich
 * 1907 J. Allison
 * 1908 W.H. Clemart
 * 1909 Fred Ginnett
 * 1910 C. Warren
 * 1911 Harry Tate
 * 1912 Charles Austin
 * 1913 Charles Austin
 * 1914 Fred Russell
 * 1915 William Bankier
 * 1916 Lew Lake
 * 1917 Lew Lake
 * 1918 Charles Austin
 * 1919 William Bankier
 * 1920 Deane Tribune
 * 1921 George D'Albert
 * 1927 Charles Austin
 * 1928 Charles Austin
 * 1929 Fred Russell
 * 1930 Talbot O'Farrell
 * 1931 Will Hay
 * 1932 Charles Austin
 * 1933 Joe Morrison
 * 1934 Will Fyffe
 * 1935 Marriott Edgar
 * 1936 George Wood
 * 1937 Stanley Damerell
 * 1938 Fred Miller
 * 1939 Fred Russell
 * 1940 Will Hay
 * 1941 John Sharman
 * 1942 George Jackley
 * 1943 Tom Moss
 * 1944 George Doonan
 * 1945 Bud Flanagan
 * 1946 Teddy Brown (died) / Bud Flanagan
 * 1947 Robb Wilton
 * 1948 Albert Whelan
 * 1949 Ted Ray
 * 1950 Ted Ray
 * 1951 Bud Flanagan
 * 1952 Charlie Chester
 * 1953 Ben Warriss
 * 1954 George Elrick
 * 1955 Tommy Trinder
 * 1956 Dave O'Gorman
 * 1957 Cyril Dowler
 * 1958 Clarkson Rose
 * 1959 Johnny Riscoe
 * 1960 Arthur Scott
 * 1961 Ben Warriss
 * 1962 Ben Warriss
 * 1963 Tommy Trinder
 * 1964 Ted Ray
 * 1965 Tommy Trinder
 * 1966 Arthur Haynes
 * 1967 Terry Cantor
 * 1968 Frankie Vaughan
 * 1969 Harry Seltzer
 * 1970 Phil Hindin
 * 1971 George Martin
 * 1972 Albert Stevenson
 * 1973 George Elrick
 * 1974 Cyril Dowler
 * 1975 Joe Church
 * 1976 David Nixon
 * 1977 David Nixon
 * 1978 Donald Ross
 * 1979 David Berglas
 * 1980 Henry Cooper
 * 1981 Declan Cluskey
 * 1982 Charlie Smithers
 * 1983 Len Lowe
 * 1984 Davy Kaye
 * 1985 Les Dawson
 * 1986 Alan Freeman
 * 1987 Danny La Rue
 * 1988 Bernard Bresslaw
 * 1989 Roy Hudd
 * 1990 David Lodge
 * 1991 Wyn Calvin
 * 1992 Bert Weedon
 * 1993 John Inman
 * 1994 Roger DeCourcey
 * 1995 Paul Daniels
 * 1996 Paul Daniels
 * 1997 Alf Pearson
 * 1998 Frankie Vaughan
 * 1999 Gorden Kaye
 * 2000 Roy Hudd
 * 2001 Don Smoothey
 * 2002 Keith Simmons
 * 2003 Chas McDevitt
 * 2004 Chas McDevitt
 * 2005 Melvyn Hayes
 * 2006 Kaplan Kaye
 * 2007 Kaplan Kaye
 * 2008 Kaplan Kaye
 * 2009 Graham Cole
 * 2010 Derek Martin
 * 2011 Keith Simmons
 * 2012 Joe Pasquale
 * 2013 Jess Conrad
 * 2014 Rick Wakeman
 * 2015 Rick Wakeman
 * 2016 Ian Richards
 * 2017 Ian Richards

King Rats
The first King Rat, who is the head of the charity, was the music hall singer Harry Freeman. The comedian Dan Leno joined in 1890 and was King Rat in 1891, 1892 and 1897. The post is usually held for one year.

Previous King Rats include:

1890 Harry Freeman

1891 Dan Leno

1892 Dan Leno

1893 Wal Pink

1894 Joe Elvin

1895 J.W. Cragg

1896 Eugene Stratton

1897 Dan Leno

1898 Joe O'Gorman

1899 Paul Martinetti

1900 Eugene Stratton

1901 Joe O'Gorman

1902 Wal Pink

1903 Fred Russell

1904 Tom McNaughton

1905 Arthur Reece

1906 Little Tich

1907 J. Allison

1908 W.H. Clemart

1909 Fred Ginnett

1910 C. Warren

1911 Harry Tate

1912 Charles Austin

1913 Charles Austin

1914 Fred Russell

1915 William Bankier

1916 Lew Lake

1917 Lew Lake

1918 Charles Austin

1919 William Bankier

1920 Deane Tribune

1921 George D'Albert

World Upheaval - Lodge suspended until 1927

1927 Charles Austin

1928 Charles Austin

1929 Fred Russell

1930 Talbot O'Farrell

1931 Will Hay

1932 Charles Austin

1933 Joe Morrison

1934 Will Fyffe

1935 Marriott Edgar

1936 George Wood

1937 Stanley Damerell

1938 Fred Miller

1939 Fred Russell

1940 Will Hay

1941 John Sharman

1942 George Jackley

1943 Tom Moss

1944 George Doonan

1945 Bud Flanagan

1946 Teddy Brown (died)/Bud Flanagan

1947 Robb Wilton

1948 Albert Whelan

1949 Ted Ray

1950 Ted Ray

1951 Bud Flanagan

1952 Charlie Chester

1953 Ben Warriss

1954 George Elrick

1955 Tommy Trinder

1956 Dave O'Gorman

1957 Cyril Dowler

1958 Clarkson Rose

1959 Johnny Riscoe

1960 Arthur Scott

1961 Ben Warriss

1962 Ben Warriss

1963 Tommy Trinder

1964 Ted Ray

1965 Tommy Trinder

1966 Arthur Haynes

1967 Terry Cantor

1968 Frankie Vaughan

1969 Harry Seltzer

1970 Phil Hindin

1971 George Martin

1972 Albert Stevenson

1973 George Elrick

1974 Cyril Dowler

1975 Joe Church

1976 David Nixon

1977 David Nixon

1978 Donald Ross

1979 David Berglas

1980 Henry Cooper

1981 Declan Cluskey

1982 Charlie Smithers

1983 Len Lowe

1984 Davy Kaye

1985 Les Dawson

1986 Alan Freeman

1987 Danny La Rue

1988 Bernard Bresslaw

1989 Roy Hudd

1990 David Lodge

1991 Wyn Calvin

1992 Bert Weedon

1993 John Inman

1994 Roger DeCourcey

1995 Paul Daniels

1996 Paul Daniels

1997 Alf Pearson

1998 Frankie Vaughan

1999 Gorden Kaye

2000 Roy Hudd

2001 Don Smoothey

2002 Keith Simmons

2003 Chas McDevitt

2004 Chas McDevitt

2005 Melvyn Hayes

2006 Kaplan Kaye

2007 Kaplan Kaye

2008 Kaplan Kaye

2009 Graham Cole

2010 Derek Martin

2011 Keith Simmons

2012 Joe Pasquale

2013 Jess Conrad

2014 Rick Wakeman

2015 Rick Wakeman

2016 Ian Richards

2017 Ian Richards

Honors and awards

 * Freedom of the City of London - On April 15, 2020, Sherman was made a Freeman of the City of London.
 * Grand Order of Water Rats - In 2017, Sherman was inducted into the elite entertainment fraternity, the Grand Order of Water Rats, the oldest theatrical fraternity in the world.
 * Variety, the Children's Charity Celebrity Ambassador - In 2016, Sherman was named a "Celebrity Ambassador" for the UK based, children's charity.
 * Disneyana Fan Club President's Award - In 2015, Sherman was awarded the "Presdient's Award" by DFC President, Linda Rolls, for his work assisting the organization.
 * Arkansas Traveler (honorary title) - In 2011, Sherman was named an "Arkansas Traveler" by Arkansas State Governor Mike Beebe for his efforts to bring industry to Arkansas.

Grand Order of Water Rats

 * In 2017, Sherman was inducted into the elite entertainment fraternity, the Grand Order of Water Rats, the oldest theatrical fraternity in the world.

Variety, the Children's Charity Celebrity Ambassador

 * In 2016, Sherman was named a "Celebrity Ambassador" for the UK based, children's charity.

Disneyana Fan Club President's Award

 * In 2015, Sherman was awarded the "President's Award" by DFC President, Linda Rolls, for his work assisting the organization.

Arkansas Traveler (honorary title)

 * In 2010, Sherman was named an "Arkansas Traveler" by Arkansas State Governor Mike Beebe for his efforts to bring industry to Arkansas.

The Arkansas Traveler is an honorary title bestowed on notable individuals who, through their actions serve as a goodwill ambassadors for the state of Arkansas. A certificate is signed by the governor, secretary of state and the recipient’s sponsor, and given to the honoree during a ceremony attended by the signors.

In Folklore
The Arkansas Traveler story is connected to Colonel Sanford C. “Sandy” Faulkner, who was very active in Arkansas politics. He was also involved in banking and farming during the nineteenth century. As oral history has relayed it, Faulkner had gotten lost in the Ozarks during one of his many political campaigns. Looking for a place to stay overnight, Faulkner wandered by a small, log cabin where he was given lodging and hospitality. Faulkner, who was known for retelling of the event, explained that the settler was at first bad tempered and uncommunicative but became more welcoming when Faulkner proved able to complete playing the tune that the settler had been playing on the fiddle. Generally when Faulkner told the story, only he and the settler participated in the conversation. Faulkner’s story of the ‘Arkansas Traveler’ rapidly became part of the state’s folklore, leading to the creation of a famous painting by Edward Payson Washbourne which depicts the event. Later, in 1870, Currier and Ives created a lithograph of the famous painting. Faulkner was also known to perform the tune often on the fiddle. Faulkner would play the fiddle as part of his narrative.


 * Bumblescratch 2017 EPK

History of the Title
The award was approved in a resolution by the Arkansas Legislature. The award was created in early 1941 with the first certificate granted May 20, 1941 to President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Before becoming President, Bill Clinton conferred the Arkansas Traveller title upon numerous individuals as well.

Some Notable Recipients

 * President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt
 * President of the United States, Ronald Reagan
 * President of the United States, Donald Trump (while running as the Republican candidate for President)
 * United States Supreme Court Justice and United States Senator, James Byrnes
 * Arizona Governor Jan Brewer
 * Thomas J. Watson
 * R.J. Reynolds Jr.
 * Chet Lauck
 * Norris Goff
 * Richard Ewing Powell
 * Robert J. Sherman
 * Muhammad Ali
 * Maya Angelou
 * Arthur Ashe
 * Lucie Arnaz
 * Gene Autry
 * Steve Forbes
 * Billy Graham
 * Bob Hope
 * Roy Rogers
 * Dale Evans
 * Garth Brooks
 * Tamar Braxton

Early life
Lee was born in

Animation

 * Cloudbabies
 * 64 Zoo Lane
 * Salut Serge
 * Pablo
 * Engie Benjy
 * Cranston Villas
 * The Little Reindeer

For the choreographer Sir Matthew Bourne, he orchestrated Nutcracker! and Swan Lake, the world’s most-performed dance production. He has created orchestrations for many other dance companies, including the Washington Ballet’s 2015 Swan Lake. His Requiem and other concert music is published by Edition Peters; the St. Petersburg performance of Requiem in 2011 (also conducted by Lee) was the Russian debut of mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, for whom the work was composed. Highlights from his work as a musical director/arranger include: Over My Shoulder (directed by Stewart Nicholls) - Jermyn Street, two tours and Wyndham’s);

Theatre

 * Ann Veronica
 * The Amazons
 * Vanity Fair (Stewart Nicholls - the Theatre Museum);
 * Marry Me a Little (Bridewell - with Rebecca Front and Clive Carter, directed byClive Paget)
 * Ruthless! (Stratford Circus). UK premiere

Awards
Lee's work has been recorded for CD on a number of occasions. The CD of The Amazons received a Grammy Award nomination for "Best Cast Album".

Samuel Sherman (1871 – 1948) was the court composer and conductor for Emperor Franz Josef I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire between 1903 and 1909.

Early life
Sherman was born in Stepenitz, a small fishing village of near Kiev, Ukraine. His father, Otto Sherman, was a clarinet player while Samuel and his younger brothers all studied the violin.

In order to avoid conscription into Russian Czar Nicholas II's army, in 1903, aged 32, Sherman fled Stepinetz, leaving his wife Lena and four young children behind. He eventually found his way to Prague (then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), where his fortunes were to improve.<ref name="Al's Time" /

Prague
Within a year of his arrival, Samuel was appointed concertmaster, first violinist and intermittent court composer in the Royal Court of Emperor Franz Josef. Once Sherman had secured a position in the orchestra, wife Lena and their children, Olga, Avrum (later "Al" or "Albert"), Edith and Regina arrived in Prague where they lived for about six years.

New York
In 1909, the Sherman family emigrated once again, this time to the United States of America, settling in New York City. In America, Sherman found difficulty getting orchestra work which he deemed worthy of his talent and résumé. In 1910 Lena gave birth to their fifth child, a son named Harold. In 1911, Samuel separated from Lena leaving her to take care of their children.

Musical legacy
In his absence, Sherman's thirteen year old son, Al, was forced to quit school to became the family's primary money earner. He took various odd jobs but his father specifically forbid him from becoming a musician. Nevertheless, Al was drawn toward music and taught himself the piano in secret. Eventually he became good enough to join the Musicians' Union. Samuel learned of his son's vocation when one day the Union sent teenaged Sherman to play piano in Sherman's orchestra. Al would continue in the music business, against Samuel's direct orders eventually becoming a successful Tin Pan Alley songwriter from the 1920s-1950s. Al's sons Robert and Richard would also follow in their grandfather's footsteps becoming world renowned songwriters. Robert's son, fourth generation songwriter, Robert J. Sherman continues the songwriting line in the twenty-first century.

Death and the Stradivarius
After World War I, Samuel found less and less demand for his style of pre-war music. He eventually disbanded his orchestra and spent the last thirty-six years of his life working as a violinist in a small, indistinct Italian restaurant in Brooklyn. One morning, in the Winter of 1948, he was eating a breakfast at Yonah's restaurant when he toppled from his stool – dead. In his pocket was $1.15. At his side was the fiddle he had purchased fifty years earlier. His belonging were taken to the Clinton Street Police Station. Lt. Jeremiah Daly, who knew Sherman and had liked to hear him play, picked up the violin. The inscription on the inside read: 'Antonius Stradivarius, Cremonenfas. . . . Facie bat Anno 1717.'"


 * robbiesherman.com / legacy
 * Al Sherman "Potatoes Are Cheaper"
 * shermanmusic.com
 * Moose Chapters from My Life
 * Walt's Time
 * Newspaper articles citing Samuel's death.
 * Nobody Has A Spare Victrola?

Category:1871 births Category:1947 deaths Category:People from Kiev Category:Imperial Russian emigrants to the United States Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent Category:Sherman family (show business) Category:Sherman Brothers Category:People from Prague Category:20th Century Musicians Category:20th-century English musicians Category:American classical violinists Category:Male violinistsJewish classical violinists Category:Male violinistsJewish classical violinists

Credits include: Moose written by Robert B. Sherman Edited and Narrated by Robert J. Sherman Music by Robert J. Sherman Audio Produced by Robert J. Sherman and Matt Weir Engineered by Matt Weir and Emily Vaias Published by Orchard Hill Press Total running time: 11 hours, 43 minutes

Family tree

 * Samuel Sherman (1871–1948), court composer/conductor/concertmaster to Emperor Franz Joseph I of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Spouse: Lena (?–c.1958)
 * Olga Sherman (c.1895–?)
 * Al Sherman (1897–1973), songwriter. Spouse: Rosa Dancis (1905–1974), Married 1921-1973 (his death).
 * Robert B. Sherman (1925-2012), songwriter. Spouse: Joyce Ruth Sasner (1927–2001), Married 1953-2001 (her death).
 * Laurie S. Sherman (1955-), executive, artist. Spouse: David Kirshbaum (1955- ), Married 1987-c.1995 (divorced).  Spouse: John Evans (1955- ), Married 2004-.
 * Joshua AE Sherman (1990-), film maker, business owner. Spouse: Fiama Calle, Married 2014-.
 * Sarah A. Kirshbaum (1993-)
 * Amelia E. Kirshbaum (1993-)
 * Jeffrey C. Sherman (1957-), writer, director. Spouse: Lisa Wilcox (1964- ), Married 1988-1998 (divorced).  Spouse: Wendy Liebman (1961- ), Married 2003-.
 * Alexander R. Sherman (1991-), musician
 * Ryan J. Sherman (1995-)
 * Andrea Tracy Sherman (1960-), artist
 * Robert J. Sherman (1968-), writer, producer
 * Richard M. Sherman (1928-), songwriter. Spouse: Corrine Joan Newman (1928-2012), Married 1948-1950 (divorced).  Spouse: Ursula Elizabeth Gluck (1934-), married 1957-.
 * Lynda Rothstein (1948-)
 * Jed Rothstein
 * Gregory V. Sherman (1963-), writer, producer. Spouse: Lauri Ringer (1963-) Married c1992-c2001 (divorced).
 * Matthew Sherman (1994-)
 * William Sherman (2001-)
 * Victoria Wolf (1967-), educator. Spouse: Doug F. Wolf (1969-)
 * Amanda R. Wolf
 * Anthony Wolf
 * Edith Sherman (1895–?)
 * Regina Sherman (1905–1998)
 * Harold Sherman (1910–2011)
 * Stephen Sherman
 * Danielle Dewil Sherman
 * Sophie Dewil
 * Emma Dewil

Bumblescratch is an original sung-through musical with book, music and lyrics by Robert J. Sherman. The musical premiered at the Adelphi Theatre in London on 4 September 2016 as a one night, celebrity gala charity event in aid of Variety, the Children's Charity (UK). This was done as part of weekend commemorating the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of London. The staged concert was directed by Stewart Nicholls. An Original Cast Recording which includes highlights from the show was recorded on September 12–13, 2016 at Angel Studios in Islington, London. The album was mixed and mastered between September 14–20 at the and was first released by SimG Records on September 29, 2016. Adelphi cast included headlining performers: Darren Day, Ilan Galkoff, Michael Xavier and Jessica Martin. Also included in the cast were: Alastair Barron, Jacob Chapman, James Dangerfield, Emma Harold, Katie Kerr, Jessie May, Teddy Moynihan, Cathy Read and Dickie Wood.

Prior to this performance, there was a workshop of the show held on May 9 and 10, 2013 at the Network Theatre in London.

.............. . In its end of the year round-up of regional British fringe musical theatre, Musical Theatre Review hailed Love Birds: "a triumph of whimsy, a children’s story written with adult sensibilities and featuring a cracking score that celebrated the lost era of vaudeville. Blessed with an equally strong design from Gabriella Slade and some marvellously sensitive performances, Love Birds was probably the most accomplished piece of musical theatre to arise from the many delights at this year’s festival."

History of the musical
The first draft of Bumblescratch was written between 2004-2009. Sherman, who had only been living in London about a year when he started writing the project, claimed to find it amusing how plague rats were embraced as part of London history. 't was not the only thing Robert Sherman was working on at the time.

Inspiration
"Inspiration for Bumblescratch came to me from several sources, over the period of about three months. I was wandering through the Globe Theatre gift shop sometime in early 2004.  My eyes were drawn to a rack of "plague rat" puppets, clearly marketed toward children.  Such an eccentric thing, you'd only see this in London.  I mulled on how that one year 1665-1666 changed so much, first the Great Plague, then the Great Fire.   It was pivotal, transformative.  It metamorphasized the lowly plague rat into a creature of legend - and at the same time assured him a place of villainy forever.  I loved the contradiction and bought one of the rat puppets.  He didn't come with a name, so I called him, 'Perry' and with that, 'Perry the Plague Rat' was born.  But I didn't give the matter too much thought after that.  Then, a few months later, I was running in Hyde Park with my trainer and as we neared the Serpentine, a noticed a large rat was striding alongside us about ten feet away. It was as if it were racing us, keeping the same pace. I said to my trainer, 'don't freak out, but there's a rat running with us. She saw it and jumped. The rat veered into a ratty bush, not to be seen again, at least not by us, but it got my mind thinking about it again, the plague and the fire. It seemed to me the perfect fodder for a dark musical - plenty of dramatic moments. And, I had always wanted to write a through-sung musical or an opera. It had been on my bucket list since I was ten. I played around with names, "Bumblescratch" seemed a good surname. He bumbled and erred frequently. And "scratch" seemed roughly Dickensian for "the devil". "Bumblescratch" = "A clumsy devil", one of Satan's lesser demons perhaps. Then came the name, "Melbourne". Several of the characters in the show have names which are also the names of cities: "Bethesda" (which is originally biblical) is also a major city near Washington D.C.  "Perry" is like Paris, France. "Melbourne", is most famously a city in Australia, named after the British Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne.

2013 Workshop
A workshop of the show was done on May 9 and May 10, 2013 at the Network Theatre in London, England. The cast included: Paul Baker (as "Melbourne"), David Adler (as "Fats"), Rosie Ashe (as "Bethesda"/"Widow MacGregor"), John Barr (as "Socrates"), Gary Jerry (as "Charmer"), Jeremy Secomb, Darren Street, Ziggie Sky Ward, James Yeobfrn, Harry Stone, Sebastian Croft, Daniel Dowling, Frances Encell, and Lydia Grant, Bianca Harris, Stephen Matthews, Sarah Moyle and Sophie Poulton (playing ensemble roles)

It was directed by Graham Gill. The Musical Director/Arranger was Colin Billing. The assistant Musical Director was Matthew Ramplin. Musical Staging was done by Robbie O'Reilly. The Stage Manager was Fiona Bailey. General Management was provided by Joanne Benjamin and Clive Chenery of The Entertainment Business. The Productions Assistant was Stephanie Marks. The Technical Manager was James Henshaw. The Casting Director was Anne Vosser. The children's casting Director was Mark Ditch & The Sylvia Young Theatre School. Wardrobe was created by Debbie Bennett. Public Relations was done by David Bloom of Target Live. Child Chaperones were David Russell and Doulla Croft. Videography was done by Ramsey Jeffers.

Synopsis
ACT I:

In London, during the Great Plague of 1665, a plague rat named Melbourne Bumblescratch tells stories to (and occasionally steals from) the other rats passing by. Despised for this, Melbourne spends a great deal of his time dodging those whom he has wronged; including his long suffering fiancé, Bethesda; and Socrates who is the King of the Pack Rats. In the first scene, Melbourne inadvertently pickpockets a blue and white jewel from Socrates, thinking that all he was taking was a mere morsel of cheese (London In The Plague) but by the time he realizes what he's stolen, and from whom he's stolen it, it's too late. As he makes his escape, Melbourne meets a juvenile, homeless rat named Perry who takes an instant liking to the storyteller and refuses to leave Melbourne's side (Thank You Sir). The others find and surround Melbourne and Perry when, like a magician, Melbourne sprinkles some "Jiggery Pokery" (gunpowder) on the ground and the twosome disappear into the smoke of the explosion. Just then Bethesda returns, vowing to make Melbourne pay for his treachery (Melbourne Bumblescratch). Contrasting Bethesda's tirade, Melbourne expresses his own, more laid back approach to life (and connubial fidelity) in (At Least A Rat ‘As Got An Excuse).

Meanwhile, Socrates' oafish henchmen, Fats and Charmer, have caught up to Melbourne, following him and Perry into the Cock Lane Rat Pub only to lose the duo once again. Later on, they try to justify their incompetence to Socrates who will hear none of it (Socrates’ Scorn). By the end of the night, Melbourne reluctantly offers Perry (who is still in tow) a place to stay for the night (Close Scrape Today). As Melbourne falls asleep, he has nightmares of being tortured by Socrates when suddenly he is awoken by his recurring hallucination: Hookbeard, the amnesiac ghost of a legendary rat pirate (Hookbeard’s Theme). Melbourne explains to the audience that the reason for his hallucinations is because of his long-ago consumption of tainted cheese (Don’t Eat Bad Cheese!). He explains that the Bad Cheese made him just a little crazy, but that the insanity is manageable. Hookbeard chastises Melbourne for stealing Socrates's jewel, insisting Melbourne give it back for his own good. Melbourne lies to Hookbeard telling him that he can't give back the jewel, "much as he'd like" due to the jewel being lost. The justifiably skeptical ghost takes pity on Melbourne, promising to protect him should his location be discovered by the Socrates (Hookbeard's Rebuke).

Waking from his hallucination, mid-chase, Melbourne realizes that he and Perry are fleeing from Socrates and his minions at that very minute! They escape into a church. Perry becomes mesmerized by the grand architecture and colored light produced by the stained glass. Jaded Melbourne is unimpressed. (Can You Hear The Music?). Just then Perry and Melbourne are kidnapped by a dangerous gang of troglodytic rats. (Storyteller) It turns out that because they live underground, the Underdweller rats love to hear stories about "the above world". Egged on by Perry, Melbourne tells them the most gruesome tale he knows: The saga of (The Widow MacGregor) - a destitute woman of ill-repute whose dead carcass was devoured by a single, mysterious rat over a long, cold winter. The Underdwellers delight in Melbourne's revolting tale so much that they don't notice when he and Perry suddenly vanish - Melbourne once again using his stolen gunpowder to provide cover for their escape (Jiggery Pokery).

Back at Melbourne's nest, which is concealed in the thatching of the Royal Baker, Thomas Farynor's home and bakery, Perry encounters the the baker's daughter who thinks Perry is cute akes him as her pet What Is This That I See). Perry is instantly smitten (Adorable Me!).   Melbourne disapproves of the relationship, insisting Perry break it off.  Perry refuses.  (Unhand Me!).  He struggles with his new found feelings for Thamesa (That's Something) coming to the conclusion that Melbourne is the one with the problem, not him.  Perry declares that Melbourne "Is an unfaithful creature."  Astonished this declaration, Melbourne insists that he's "the most faithful creature in all of London".  Just as him makes his declaration, he is confronted by a number of former lovers including Bethesda (Melbourne Bumblescratch - Reprise) whose complaints show the love rat in a very different light. Suddenly surrounded, Melbourne grabs onto the leg of a raven who flies off with him. Mid-air he realizes he’ll either be killed by being dropped or by being eaten alive by the bird once they’ve landed. In desperation, Melbourne prays to God, something he's not done before. Miraculously, a swarm of albino bats scares off the raven and Melbourne’s life is spared. Humbly Melbourne sings (The Music of the Spheres).

Melbourne seeks out Perry who, in the interim, had returned to Thamesa’s home (And One Day/We’ve Got To Get Out of This Place!) and subsequently suffered a mortal wound by the hand of Thamesa’s father, Thomas Farynor. Finding Perry near death, Melbourne vows to protect Thamesa from “the wickedness of the world” (Dual Epiphany). Heartbroken, Melbourne tucks the diamond he’d stolen from Socrates into Perry's lifeless palm vowing to live a more noble life in honor him (My Place In the Sun).

ACT II:

Melbourne’s storytelling prowess proves useful in gaining followers (All Fallen Angels) and Bethesda is brushed to the side. Socrates too, has lost most of his pack’s loyalty to Melbourne’s new message of hope. Socrates prepares a trap for Melbourne that he believes will bear the storyteller out as a fraud (“Socrates’ Ploy”). Squabbler and Rufus bring Melbourne the news that Thamesa is about to die, a victim of the plague (News of Thamesa's Imminent Demise). In an effort to at least partially fulfill Perry's dying wish, that he "protect Thamesa from the wickedness of this world, Melbourne visits the sick girl and suddenly sees beyond her disfigured appearance, discovering the inner beauty which Perry saw easily. He renews his pledge to protect her, even in death  (Beautiful Now).  Not wanting to endanger his young followers, Melbourne once again conjures up Hookbeard, beckoning his help  . Together they fend off would be scavenger rats at the Churchyard of St. Ghastly Grim.  Having done a noble deed, Hookbeard suddenly regains his memory and ascends to the next world (Hookbeard’s Theme (Reprise Part 1)/Let Us Pass/Hookbeard's Theme (Reprise Part 2).

Without Hookbeard or Perry, Melbourne acknowledges that he can't live in the past or dream about the future, but must focus on "the now" (The Present Tense). But all alone, he quickly falls into Socrates’ tainted cheese trap Ain’t That Just the Whiff?). He takes the bait and eats the tainted cheese and is shortly thereafter overwhelmed by a guilt spawned hallucination  (Bumblescratch Nightmare).  His worst fears manifest, Melbourne must now face the Widow MacGregor’s ghoulish spirit and admit culpability for his crimes against her.  Amazingly, when he faces her and admits his regret, Melbourne discovers that the Widow holds no grudge against him, indeed she is grateful to him  (Long Long Road).  However, as Melbourne's delirium subsides, and Socrates shows his once zealous minions the defiled state in which Melbourne has stooped.  Squabbler and the others become disillusioned with Melbourne but instead of returning to Socrates' fold, they decide to go leaderless.  Anarchy ensues  (We Will Live To Be Free).  Without any allies left to assist him, Melbourne tries to get away from Socrates and the others unnoticed (S'ppose I Should Have Seen It Coming). But Socrates, Fats and Charmer stop him. Melbourne tells Socrates that he can die, satisfied in the knowledge that while he may have lost control of the rats, so has Socrates (Kill Me Now). Socrates reveals that he never wanted to kill Melbourne. Rather, he wants Melbourne to use his great thieving talents in order to execute a heist on his behalf - to steal the crown jewel from King Charles II. Socrates details how the heist will be accomplished (Farynor).

Melbourne realizes that he must decide, once and for all, whether he will live by the virtues of sin or of righteousness. The ghosts of Perry and Hookbeard remind Melbourne that there is, indeed a third option for a rat: “The Ratly Path of Compromise!”  (Dance Dance Dance). With that, Melbourne agrees to do the heist. True to form, Melbourne successfully steals Charles’ jewel from the Tower of London, escaping unscathed, only to discover that all the city is ablaze due to a fire he had inadvertently started. Melbourne rushes to rescue Bethesda when Socrates confronts him and demands the jewel he had just stolen. Melbourne lies to Socrates, telling him that he lost the jewel. Fire raging in the background, the rivals engage in combat. Tragically, Socrates catches fire and, refusing Melbourne's help, burns to death (Blackness Fills the Night). By dawn, the city is in cinders, dead rats blanket the ground. Noting the death of the rodents coinciding with the end of the plague, the Londoners come to the horrible realization that it was the rats who’d been the cause of the plague all along (All the Rats Are Dead). A woman cries out, “Plague Rat!” as the sole rat survivors, Melbourne and Bethesda, drift down the Thames on Hookbeard’s boat. Melbourne takes the condemnation in stride, having accepted his role in the world. Lovingly he gives Bethesda the jewel he’d stolen from King Charles and lied about to Socrates, as the twosome continue their easterly adventure, sailing bravely into the rising sun of morning (Plague Rat/Epilogue).

Synopsis
ACT I: In London, during the Great Plague of 1665 we meet a plague rat named Melbourne Bumblescratch who tells stories to, (and occasionally steals from), the other rats who happen to pass by. Despised for his chicanery, Melbourne spends a great deal of his time dodging those whom he has wronged; including his long suffering fiancée, Bethesda; and Socrates who is the King of the Pack Rats. In the first scene, Melbourne inadvertently pickpockets a precious, blue and white jewel from Socrates, thinking that all he had stolen was a mere morsel of cheese (‘London In The Plague’) but by the time he realizes what he has done, it’s too late. As he makes his escape, Melbourne meets a young, homeless rat named Perry. Perry takes an instant liking to Melbourne, refusing to leave his side (‘Thank You Sir’). The others surround Melbourne and Perry when, like a magician, Melbourne sprinkles some ‘Jiggery Pokery’ (gunpowder) on the ground and the duo disappear into the smoke of the explosion. Bethesda vows to make Melbourne pay for his treachery (‘Melbourne Bumblescratch’). Contrasting Bethesda’s tirade, Melbourne expresses his own, more relaxed approach toward life - and toward connubial fidelity - in (‘At Least A Rat ‘As Got An Excuse’).

Meanwhile, Socrates’ henchmen, Fats and Charmer, have caught up to Melbourne, following him and Perry into a rat pub only to lose the twosome once again. Later on, Fats and Charmer must try to justify their incompetence to Socrates (‘Socrates’ Scorn’) but the King Rat refuses to accept their paltry excuses. After a long night on the run, Melbourne reluctantly offersPerry, still in tow, a place to stay (‘Close Scrape Today’). As Melbourne falls asleep, he has nightmares of being caught by Socrates. Suddenly he is awoken by his recurring hallucination: Hookbeard, the amnesiac ghost of a legendary rat pirate (‘Hookbeard’s Theme’). Melbourne explains to the audience that his hallucinations are due to his one-time consumption of tainted cheese (‘Don’t Eat Bad Cheese!’). Still Melbourne insists that it is a manageable condition. Hookbeard chastises Melbourne for stealing Socrates’s jewel, demanding Melbourne give the jewel back. Melbourne claims that he can’t, ‘much as he’d like to,’ due to the jewel having being lost. The sceptical ghost takes pity on Melbourne, reluctantly promising to protect him from Socrates, should the need arise (‘Hookbeard’s Rebuke’).

Waking from his hallucination, mid-chase, Melbourne realizes that he and Perry are fleeing from Socrates at that very moment! They escape into St. Ghastly Grim Church. Perry is mesmerized by the grand architecture and coloured light produced by the stained glass. Jaded Melbourne remains unimpressed. (‘Can You Hear The Music?’). Just then Perry and Melbourne are kidnapped by a dangerous gang of troglodyte rats. (‘Storyteller’). As it so happens, the Underdwellers love hearing stories about ‘the above world’. Egged on by Perry, Melbourne tells his most gruesome tale: The saga of (‘The Widow MacGregor’) - a destitute woman of ill-repute whose dead carcass was devoured by a single, mysterious rat. The Underdwellers delight in Melbourne’s revolting tale. They don’t notice that Melbourne and Perry have slipped away, once again under the veil of confusion caused by Melbourne’s gunpowder explosion (‘Jiggery Pokery’).

Back at Melbourne’s nest, above Thomas Farynor’s home and bakery, Perry encounters the baker’s daughter, Thamesa. She takes Perry as her pet (‘What Is This That I See’). Perry is instantly smitten (‘Adorable Me!’). Melbourne disapproves of the relationship, insisting Perry break it off. Perry refuses. (‘Unhand Me!’). He struggles with his new found feelings for Thamesa (‘That’s Something’) coming to the conclusion that Melbourne is the one with the problem, not him. Perry declares that Melbourne “Is an unfaithful creature, incapable of giving his heart to anyone.” Astonished by Perry’s declaration, Melbourne protests that he is indeed “the most faithful rat in all of London.” This statement seems less and less likely as Melbourne is confronted by a succession of many former lovers including Bethesda (‘Melbourne Bumblescratch – Reprise’). Suddenly surrounded, Melbourne grabs onto the leg of a raven who flies off with him. Mid-air Melbourne realizes that his life is in serious peril. In desperation, Melbourne prays to God, something he’s never considered doing before. Miraculously, a swarm of albino bats scares off the raven and Melbourne’s life is spared. Humbled and awed, Melbourne sings (‘The Music of the Spheres’).

Melbourne seeks out Perry to tell him what happened. In the interim, Perry has returned to Thamesa’s room (‘And One Day’/’We’ve Got To Get Out of This Place!’) and subsequently suffers a mortal wound by the hand of Thamesa’s father, the royal baker, Thomas Farynor. Finding Perry near death, Melbourne vows to protect Thamesa from “the wickedness of this world” (‘Dual Epiphany’). Heartbroken, Melbourne tucks the diamond he’d stolen from Socrates into Perry’s lifeless palm vowing to live a more noble existence in honour of his fallen friend (‘My Place In The Sun’).

ACT II:

Melbourne’s storytelling prowess proves useful in gaining followers (‘All Fallen Angels’) and Bethesda is brushed to the side. Socrates has suffered the loss of his minions to Melbourne’s newfound message of hope. In retaliation, Socrates prepares a trap for Melbourne that he believes will bear him out as a fraud (‘Socrates’ Ploy’). Squabbler and Rufus bring Melbourne the sad news that Thamesa is about to die, a victim of the plague (‘News Of Thamesa’s Imminent Demise’). Honouring his promise to Perry, Melbourne reluctantly visits the sick girl only to find that he can now see beyond her disfigured appearance. Melbourne is able to glimpse her inner beauty. Melbourne renews his pledge to protect her, even in death (‘Beautiful Now’). Not wanting to endanger his young followers, Melbourne once again conjures up Hookbeard, beckoning his help. Together they fend off would be scavenger rats at the Churchyard of St. Ghastly Grim. Having finally done a noble deed, Hookbeard regains his memory and ascends to the next world (‘Hookbeard’s Theme [Reprise - Part 1]’/’Let Us Pass’/’Hookbeard’s Theme [Reprise - Part 2]’).

Without Hookbeard or Perry by his side, Melbourne acknowledges that he must focus his life on the here and now (‘The Present Tense’). Just then, he falls prey to Socrates’ tainted cheese trap (‘Ain’t That Just The Whiff?’). He takes the bait and eats the foul cheese and is then overwhelmed by a guilt spawned hallucination (‘Nightmare’). His worst fears manifest, Melbourne must face the Widow MacGregor’s ghoulish spirit and admit culpability for his crime against her: Melbourne confesses that he was the small rat in the story he told to the Underdwellers. He was the one who devoured the Widow’s rotting corpse all those years ago. And that shame has haunted him ever since. To his amazement and relief, Melbourne discovers that the Widow harbours no grudge against him, indeed she is grateful to him for the colourful stories he told her when she was dying (‘Long Long Road’). As Melbourne’s delirium subsides, Socrates is able to show his once zealous minions the defiled state in which Melbourne has stooped. Disgusted with both Melbourne and Socrates, Squabbler encourages the rats to follow their own, carnal desires (‘We Will Live To Be Free’). With no allies left, Melbourne must try to escape from Socrates, Fats and Charmer unaided (‘S’ppose I Should Have Seen It Coming’). But Socrates won’t let this happen. Realizing that he is trapped, Melbourne tells Socrates that he is ready to die. everyone’s surprise, Socrates reveals that he never wanted to kill Melbourne. Rather, he wants Melbourne to use his great thieving talents in order to execute the greatest heist of all time: To steal the crown jewel from King Charles II. Socrates details how the heist will be accomplished (‘Farynor’).

Melbourne must now decide, once and for all, whether he will live by the virtues of sin or of righteousness. The ghosts of Perry and Hookbeard remind Melbourne that there is, indeed a third option: “The Ratly Path of Compromise!” (‘Dance Dance Dance’). With that, Melbourne agrees to do the heist. True to form, Melbourne successfully breaks into the Tower of London and steals King Charles’ jewel. He escapes unscathed, only to discover that all the city is ablaze due to a fire he had inadvertently started by dropping some ‘jiggery pokery’ along the way to the Tower. Melbourne rushes to rescue Bethesda when Socrates confronts him and demands the jewel he had just stolen. Being true to his inner rat, Melbourne lies to Socrates, telling him that he lost the jewel. Fire raging in the background, the rivals engage in combat. Tragically, Socrates catches fire and, refusing Melbourne’s help, burns to death (‘Blackness Fills The Night’). By dawn, the city is in cinders, dead rats blanket the ground. Noting the death of the rodents coinciding with the end of the plague, the human Londoners come to the horrible realization that it was the rats who’d been the cause of the plague all along (‘All The Rats Are Dead’). A woman cries out, “Plague Rat!” as the sole rat survivors, Melbourne and Bethesda, drift down the Thames on Hookbeard’s boat. Melbourne takes the condemnation in stride, having accepted his gruesome role in the world. Lovingly he gives Bethesda the jewel he’d stolen from King Charles and lied about to Socrates, as the twosome continue their adventure eastward, sailing bravely into the rising sun of morning (‘Plague Rat’/’Epilogue’).

Musical Numbers
Act I
 * 1. "London In the Plague" – Melbourne, Perry, Bethesda, Company
 * 2. "Overture"
 * 3. "Thank You Sir" – Melbourne, Perry, Rolanda, Fats, Charmer, Company
 * 4. "Melbourne Bumblescratch" – Bethesda
 * 5. "At Least A Rat 'As Got An Excuse" – Melbourne, Perry, Fats, Company
 * 6. "Socrates' Scorn" – Socrates, Squabbler, Charmer, Fats
 * 7. "Close Scrape Today" – Melbourne, Perry
 * 8. "Hookbeard's Theme" – Hookbeard, Company
 * 9. "Don't Eat Bad Cheese" – Melbourne
 * 10. "Hookbeard's Rebuke" – Hookbeard, Melbourne
 * 11. "Can't You Hear The Music?" – Perry, Melbourne
 * 12. "Storyteller" (recitative) – Underdwellers, Squabbler
 * 13. "Widow MacGregor" / "Storyteller" (song)
 * 14. "Jiggery Pokery" – Melbourne, Perry
 * 15. "What Is This That I See?" – Thamesa, Perry
 * 16. "Adorable Me!" – Perry
 * 17. "Unhand Me!" – Melbourne, Perry
 * 18. "That's Something" – Perry
 * 19. "I Figured Out Your Problem"
 * 20. "Music Of The Spheres" – Melbourne
 * 21. "We've Got To Get Out Of This Place"
 * 22. "Dual Epiphany" – Melbourne, Perry
 * 23. "My Place In The Sun" – Melbourne

Act II
 * 24. "All Fallen Angels" – Melbourne, Bethesda, Company
 * 25. "News Of Thamesa's Imminent Demise" – Squabbler, Rufus, Melbourne, Socrates
 * 26. "Beautiful Now" – Thamesa, Melbourne
 * 27. "I Cannot Hear You" – Melbourne, Hookbeard
 * 28. "Hookbeard's Theme" (Reprise pt. 1) / "Let Us Pass" / Hookbeard's Theme" (Reprise pt. 2) – Hookbeard, Melbourne, Ravenous Rats
 * 29. "The Present Tense" / "Ain't That Just The Whiff" – Melbourne
 * 30. "Nightmare" – Company, Melbourne, Perry, Judge Satan
 * 31. "Long Long Road" – Widow MacGregor, Company
 * 32. "We Will Live To Be Free" – Squabbler, Socrates
 * 33. "Socrates' Grand Ploy" – Socrates
 * 34. "Dance Dance Dance" – Melbourne, Perry, Hookbeard
 * 35. "Blackness Fills The Night" – Company
 * 36. "All The Rats Are Dead" – Company
 * 37. "Plague Rat!" – Melbourne, Bethesda
 * 38. "Epilogue" – Melbourne

Cut Musical Numbers
The following is a list of numbers (or partially written numbers) either for the 2013 workshop or for the 2016 Adelphi this.

Act I
 * 1. Everybody Hide – Fats, Charmer
 * 2. Ring-A-Ring-A-Rosy – Thamesa
 * 3. Go To Sleep, Sweet Plague Rat – Melbourne
 * 4. Bring Out Your Dead – Body Collector, Chorus
 * 5. I Want To Believe In Love – Perry
 * 6. Where Did He Go? – Melbourne, Bethesda
 * 7. Really Rather Strange – Melbourne, Bethesda
 * 8. I'm Faithful (To All My Lovers) – Melbourne, Bethesda
 * 9. Always A Test – Hookbeard, Melbourne
 * 10. Good At Being Gruesome – Perry, Thamesa
 * 11. The Plague's The Thing – Ponchus, Judas

Act II
 * 12. Oh What A Lovely Plague! – Chorus
 * 13. The Sun Is Shining In My Head – Mordekai (aka Squabbler)
 * 14. Bethesda's Drunken Lament – Bethesda
 * 15. It's Depressing – Socrates
 * 16. Many Different Ways To Skin A Rat – Socrates, Caspian

Orchestration

 * Reed 1: Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone
 * Reed 2: Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone
 * Trumpet/Flugelhorn
 * Trombone
 * Violin


 * Cello
 * String Bass/Electric Bass
 * Guitar/Banjo/ Electric Guitar
 * Drum Kit/Timpani/Tuned percussion (Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Chimes)
 * Keyboard

Original (Edinburgh) Cast Recording
thumb|right|Love Birds CD Cover The Love Birds Original Edinburgh Cast Recording was recorded on July 30, 2015 and mixed on July 31 and August 3. The CD was produced by Robert Sherman. The music was produced by Richard Healey, Neil MacDonald and Nick Taylor and recorded, mixed and mastered by Nick Taylor at Porcupine Studios in South London. The CD was released by SimG Records on August 17, 2015, with pre-orders and advance copies available from August 13. The recording was released digitally on iTunes on September 14, 2015.

Track listing
Track list information according taken from the CD liner notes.

Differences Between the Show and the CD Running Order
Slight modifications were made to the running order of the CD. "On Cloudy Days" was re-introduced into the running order after having been cut during rehearsals for Edinburgh. (It had been cut so the show would comply with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe's one-hour compliance rule.) The "Crunchy Crackers" brief reprise was also cut from the show for that reason, but was not included in the recording. "Old Fashioned Guy" (brief reprise) which is sung by Armitage to Veronica, was also left out of the recording. A number of songs which did not have endings in the context of the show, including "The Flipper Flap" and "Love Birds" were given "button" endings for the purposes of the cast recording.

Critical Response
The critical response meeting both Love Birds during its Edinburgh run and its simultaneous "Original Edinburgh Cast Recording" release was very positive. In The Stage's wrap-up edition of the festival, on September 3, 2015 reporter Paul Vale declared Love Birds his "Critic's Pick" of the Fringe.

2018 UK and Ireland Tour
On December 3, 2017 it was announced that A Spoonful of Sherman would tour the UK and Ireland in 2018.

14 – 17 February 2018 (Tech/ Dress/ Previews) EM Forster Theatre TONBRIDGE, KENT 20 – 23 February 2018 Pavilion Theatre BOURNEMOUTH 26 – 28 February 2018 Theatre Royal ST HELENS 5 – 7 March 2018 Tivoli Theatre ABERDEEN 8 – 10 March 2018 Eden Court Theatre INVERNESS 12– 14 March 2018 Hippodrome DARLINGTON 16 – 17 March 2018 Chequer Mead EAST GRINSTEAD 20 – 21 March 2018 Yvonne Arnaud GUILDFORD 22 – 24 March 2018 Theatre Royal WINDSOR 26 – 30 March 2018 Greenwich Theatre LONDON 2 – 3 April 2018 Opera House BUXTON 5 – 7 April 2018 Grand Theatre SWANSEA 10 – 11 April 2018 Harrogate Theatre HARROGATE 12 – 13 April 2018 Atkinson Theatre SOUTHPORT 15 – 17 April 2018 Queens Theatre HORNCHURCH 18 – 20 April 2018 Shanklin Theatre ISLE OF WIGHT 24 – 26 April 2018 Octagon Theatre YEOVIL 30 April – 1 May 2018 Wyvern Theatre SWINDON 19 – 25 May 2018 Queens Theatre BARNSTAPLE 16 – 18 May 2018 Northcott Theatre EXETER 23 May 2018 Theatre Royal DUMFRIES 24 –26 May 2018 Beacon Arts Centre GREENOCK, Nr GLASGOW 28 – 30 May 2018 Gardyne Theatre DUNDEE 31 May – 1 June 2018 Everyman Theatre CORK, IRELAND 2 – 3 June 2018 Pavilion Theatre DUBLIN, IRELAND 5 – 6 June 2018 National Opera House WEXFORD, IRELAND 8 – 9 June 2018 Sands Centre CARLISLE 11– 13 June 2018 Lyric Theatre BELFAST