Julian Penkivil Slade (28 May 1930 – 17 June 2006) was an English writer of

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

, best known for the show ''

Salad Days "Salad days" is a Shakespearean idiom referring to a period of carefree innocence, idealism, and pleasure associated with youth. The modern use, chiefly in the United States, describes a heyday, when a person is/was at the peak of their abilitie ...

'', which he wrote in six weeks in 1954, and which became the UK's longest-running show of the 1950s, with over 2,288 performances.

Biography

Born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, in 1930, he moved with his family in 1940 to

Painswick Painswick is a town and civil parish in the Stroud District in Gloucestershire, England. Originally the town grew from the wool trade, but it is now best known for its parish church's yew trees and the local Rococo Garden. The village is mainly ...

, Gloucestershire, where he spent his formative years, becoming a young member of the village dramatic society. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI of England, Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. i ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge or Oxford. ...

, where he was the first Footlights Vice President. After leaving Cambridge he went on to the drama school at the Bristol Old Vic. During his time at the Old Vic, Slade wrote incidental music for several productions including ''

Two Gentlemen of Verona ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1589 and 1593. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as showing his first tentative steps in laying ...

'' and '' The Duenna''. In 1954 ,he was asked to write a musical for the

Old Vic Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Ma ...

Summer Season. It was then that he came up with ''

'' with Dorothy Reynolds. The show was such a success that it moved to London, where it ran for over 2,288 performances - a record at the time. It was in London that a young Cameron Mackintosh saw the show with his aunt and decided to become a

theatrical producer A theatrical producer is a person who oversees all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The producer is responsible for the overall financial and managerial functions of a production or venue, raises or provides financial backing, and hire ...

. Slade and Mackintosh stayed close friends throughout his life. Slade's second most successful musical was '' Free as Air'', written with Dorothy Reynolds, which opened at the Opera House in Manchester in 1957, before moving to the Savoy Theatre, London, where it ran for 417 performances.

Death

Slade died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

on 17 June 2006, aged 76.

Personal life

He had two brothers, Adrian Slade CBE ( Liberal Party President) and Sir Christopher Slade (

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Justic ...

, 1982–1991), and a sister. Julian and Sandy, the polari-speaking homosexual thespians of the radio show ''Round the Horne'', were named after Slade and fellow musical playwright

Sandy Wilson Alexander Galbraith "Sandy" Wilson (19 May 1924 – 27 August 2014) was an English composer and lyricist, best known for his musical '' The Boy Friend'' (1953). Biography Wilson was born in Sale, Cheshire, England, and was educated at Harrow S ...

Shows

* ''Christmas in King Street'' (1952) * ''The Merry Gentleman'' (1953) * ''

'' (1954) *''The Comedy of Errors'' (1954 television, 1956 stage) * '' Free As Air'' (1957) * ''Hooray For Daisy'' (1959) * ''

Follow That Girl ''Follow That Girl'' is a musical adapted by Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds from their original Bristol Old Vic production ''Christmas in King Street''. The story centers on a girl named Victoria Gilchrist, whose parents want her to marry one ...

'' (1960), adapted from ''Christmas in King Street'' * ''Wildest Dreams'' (1960) * ''Vanity Fair'' (1962) * ''Nutmeg and Ginger'' (1963) *''The Pursuit of Love'' (1967) *''Winnie the Pooh (''1970) * ''Trelawny'' (1972) * ''Out Of Bounds'' (1973)

References

External links

JULIAN SLADE - the new authorised 2009 websiteFootlights WebsiteSalad Days Original London Cast Recording on Amazon
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Slade, Julian 1930 births 2006 deaths English musical theatre composers English male composers People educated at Eton College Musicians from London Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Deaths from cancer in England 20th-century British male musicians