Who wrote which show?
3 min 1 secIncludes on-screen subtitles. Read the written lesson.
The lesson
London’s West End is a major centre for theatre. The Mousetrap by Agatha Christie opened in 1952 and became known for its exceptionally long run. Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operas and the musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber are examples of British musical theatre.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe brings a wide range of theatre, comedy, and performance to Scotland. Pantomime is a popular seasonal theatre tradition. Together, these examples show that theatre takes place in both major venues and local communities.
Baron (Andrew) Lloyd-Webber, usually known as Andrew Lloyd Webber, is a composer of musicals including The Phantom of the Opera and Cats. Sir Tim Rice is a lyricist who collaborated with him on Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. A composer writes music; a lyricist writes the words of songs.
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 and died in 1616. He wrote tragedies, comedies, histories, and sonnets. Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, and Romeo and Juliet are tragedies; A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Twelfth Night are comedies.
London’s West End is known for theatre and musicals. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe hosts a wide variety of performance, including comedy and theatre. Pantomime is traditionally performed around Christmas and often features familiar stories, songs, jokes, and audience participation.
Gilbert and Sullivan’s nineteenth-century comic operas satirised society and politics. Their works include HMS Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. Professional companies and amateur groups continue to stage them. Pantomimes are Christmas family shows based on familiar stories; traditional characters include a Dame, played by a man, and animals played by two people in one costume.
The Laurence Olivier Awards recognise achievements in theatre, with categories for acting, directing and other stage work. They are named after Laurence Olivier, known especially for Shakespearean roles. The Edinburgh Festival includes several arts festivals; the Fringe is particularly associated with theatre, comedy and experimental performance.
London’s West End is a centre for musical theatre. Andrew Lloyd Webber composed Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. Les Misérables is another long-running musical staged in London. Tim Rice is a lyricist who worked with Lloyd Webber on shows such as Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita.