This is the podcast in which we ask a special guest the big, BIG question that nobody ever needed to ask. 

If there was a huge asteroid hurtling toward Earth threatening to destroy life as we know it and you could see one more show before you die, what would it be? It can be anything you want - a show you’ve seen before, one that you wish you’d seen, or something you’ve made up entirely. What would be YOUR Last Show on Earth?

Our guest this episode is Richard Maltby Jr.

Richard Maltby Jr is an award winning American theatre director and producer, lyricist, and screenwriter.

He conceived and directed the only two musical revues to win the Tony Award for Best Musical: Ain't Misbehavin' and Fosse and is one half of the musical theatre writing partnership Maltby and Shire - who created shows like Starting Here, Starting Now; Baby; Take Flight; Closer Than Ever and Big. 

The son of Richard Maltby Sr, a well-known orchestra leader, he is probably best known to modern musical theatre audiences as the co-lyricist for blockbuster musical Miss Saigon.

He also conceived and directed the Johnny Cash musical Ring of Fire, was director/co-lyricist for the American version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song and Dance, was co-bookwriter/lyricist for The Pirate Queen and was most recently represented on Broadway as the director of the new, original musical The Story of My Life by composer/lyricist Neil Bartram and book writer Brian Hill. The list goes on but there isn't room to write it all out here!

He is the recipient of numerous awards that include Tony Awards, Outer Critics Circle Awards and Olivier Awards and was even nominated for a Grammy Award in 1977.

Since the 1970s he has constructed the monthly cryptic crossword puzzles for Harper's Magazine.

He is 85 years old - and as busy as ever.

Interesting links:

Alistair Brammer performing in Miss Saigon on the The Royal Variety Show https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdPrMlL1E6w

The OBC recording of Ain't Misbehavin' https://open.spotify.com/album/2Nitaklr8978vRVrARLz76?si=68wQImv7RQiD7D510RqtIw

Richard Maltby Jr's puzzles in Harper's Magazine https://harpers.org/puzzles/

Hosted by John Owen-Jones and Alistair Brammer

Music written by John Owen-Jones and Alistair Brammer

Music performed by John Owen-Jones and John Quirk

Recorded and edited by John Owen-Jones and Alistair Brammer

Artwork by Martin Ball, John Owen-Jones and Alistair Brammer

This podcast is a 2022 John Owen-Jones Associates Production

www.johnowenjones.com/podcast

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