Harold Lewis Fielding (4 December 1916
- 27 September 2003) was an
English theatre producer.
Fielding was one of Britain's foremost theatrical producers who produced several musicals, including ''
Mame'', ''
Charlie Girl'', ''
Half a Sixpence'',
''
Show Boat'', ''
Scarlett'', ''
Barnum'', ''
Sweet Charity
''Sweet Charity'' is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon alongside John McMartin. It is based on ...
'', ''
The Biograph Girl'', and ''Ziegfeld''.
He also produced "Music for the Millions", a touring variety show.
The son of a stockbroker, Fielding was born in
Woking, Surrey, England, and educated privately.
As a child prodigy, he studied violin with
Josef Szigeti
Szigeti József, ; 5 September 189219 February 1973) was a Hungarian violinist.
Born into a musical family, he spent his early childhood in a small town in Transylvania. He quickly proved himself to be a child prodigy on the violin, and moved t ...
.
He also handled
Tommy Steele's early career, and commissioned ''Half a Sixpence'' for him.
His office was Fielding House, 53-54 Haymarket, London.
He was interviewed by
Sue Lawley
Susan Lawley (born 14 July 1946) is a retired English television and radio broadcaster. Her main broadcasting background involved television news and current affairs. From 1988–2006, Lawley was the presenter of ''Desert Island Discs'' on BBC R ...
on ''
Desert Island Discs'' on BBC Radio 4 on 17 June 1990. In 1996, Fielding was awarded a Gold Badge from
BASCA in recognition of his special contribution to Britain's entertainment industry.
Fielding married Maisie Joyce Skivens in 1955, and was widowed in 1985. They had no children.
He suffered a series of
stroke
A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...
s in 1998, and retired to a private nursing home in
Kingston upon Thames, where he died.
''WhatsonStage'' obituary
/ref>
References
External links
''The Times'' obituary
*Th
Collection relating to Harold Fielding's production of Cinderella
is held by the Victoria and Albert Museum Theatre and Performance Department.
1916 births
2003 deaths
English theatre managers and producers
Impresarios
20th-century English businesspeople
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