Letras de Introduction

Thank you very much. How kind. Thank you. Thank you. Bless you. Thank

You. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to a truly

Remarkable revival. I think only the appearance live on this stage
Here this morning of Lord Lucan or possibly the reenactment of the
Battle of Culloden naked could excite more attention than this
Which is the 40th anniversary performance and yet world premiere of
The Likes of Us. This, as you may know, was the first musical written
By two young men who have since gone on to become two middle-aged
Men. Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber. They met on April the 25th
1965, At the South Kensington residence of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and
It was at 2:30 in the afternoon that they first shook hands, and at
2:45, They had begun work on the show that you are about, gaspingly

To witness. The subject is the dramatic story of Dr. Thomas Barnardo
The founder of the famous Victorian children′s homes. It's told in
Song, dance and spoken word, as was the unbreakable fashion in
Musical theatre in those far-off days. These bright boys, brimming
With hope, optimism and energy, followed all the golden showbiz rules
Of the day with unmistakable devotion, and as a result, their first
Collaboration, for all its virginal charm, got precisely nowhere
Of course, this wasn′t the only reason for the show's failure to make
A mark, but this really is not the place for recrimination or blame

Goodness knows there'll be plenty of opportunity for that later. The
Show kept nearly being signed up, but none of the changes made any
Difference, and therefore the Sydmonton Festival, in all its
Traditional wisdom, has decided to make no fresh demands on the
Writers for this indisputably momentous occasion. What you are
About to see and hear is the pre-Joseph, pre-cassette, pre-internet
Pre-Cameron Mackintosh version from a far-off time when really
Useful theatre meant necessary surgery, and the only famous Rice

In Britain went snap, crackle and pop. There is one addition
However. It′s a number whose lyrics were handed in recently, 39
Years and 11 months late, a record even for this lyricist. And a
Small prize will be given to the first person unconnected with the
Production to spot the new lyric. There was a book, which is to

Say the bits of dialogue and so on between the songs, but for legal
Reasons it appears not to have survived. My task this evening
Therefore, is to fill in the gaps in between the numbers so that
Your understanding of the plot will be at least as rudimentary as

That of the authors. Ladies and gentlemen, the Sydmonton Festival
With beaming pride, presents The Likes of Us, Overture and Beginners