2018 Speakers
Meeting of Tuesday 9th October 2018:
Richard Hall - 'History of Musicals'
The speaker, Mr Richard Hall, traced the history of musicals from “Oklahoma,” the first by Rogers and Hammerstein performed on Broadway in 1943, through to Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Evita”, first performed in the West End of London in 1978.
Richard played extracts – some very familiar and others less so - from some of the most famous musicals of the 20th Century. Would many supporters of Liverpool FC know that “You’ll never walk alone” was written for the musical “Carousel” first performed on Broadway in 1945 – and in the West End in 1950? The talented partnership of composer Richard Rogers and songwriter Oscar Hammerstein II was responsible for not only “Oklahoma” and “Carousel” but also other famous musicals such as “South Pacific”, “the King and I” and “the Sound of Music”, until it ended on Hammerstein’s death in 1960.
Another acclaimed partnership was between lyricist Alan J Lerner and composer Frederick Loewe – who were responsible for “Brigadoon” (1947), “Paint your Wagon” (1951) and “My Fair Lady” first performed on Broadway in 1956.
Irving Berlin - the famous American composer and lyricist – who wrote songs such as “God Bless America and “White Christmas” was also the composer of successful musicals, including “Annie Get your Gun” and “Call Me Madam.”
The musical “West Side Story” – based on the story of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet – was a collaboration between composer Leonard Bernstein and lyricist Stephen Sondheim – his debut on Broadway in 1957.
(M Tomkinson)
(M Tomkinson)
Meeting of Tuesday 11th September 2018:
Daniel Moss - 'Ghost Hunter'
A very entertaining and informative evening with Daniel Moss a professional ghost hunter. Daniel of Helsby in Cheshire and his team have been investigating haunted buildings across the North West and North Wales for about two years and claim to have encountered a number of spectres. Backed up with photographic evidence Daniel revealed some of the encounters he had had with spirits which fell into three categories. Firstly we were told about ghosts that inhabit a space and can regularly reenact a moment in time. This usually is connected to a life changing event that they have experienced. This phenomena does not interact with current events in time and often replay like a visual or audio recording. Secondly we heard about spirits that inhabit objects, an example being the Annabelle Doll in America which is possessed by an evil spirit and has to be locked up. Thirdly Daniel mentioned the spirits that interact with us such as Poltergeists.
Daniel's group likes to bring a scientific approach to paranormal investigations and use several gadgets during their investigations including cameras, K-II meters, EVP recorders, ouija boards, and temperature pods.
Meeting of Tuesday 12th June 2018:
Eric Newton - 'Life and Times of a Busker'
Coming from a family of six children, with an alcoholic for a father and living in a two up two down, Eric is a man who has led what can only be described as 'A Colourful Life!'
Mental health is an issue close to Eric's heart, as he himself and members of his family have suffered greatly with mental health problems over the years. Eric has raised more than £60,000 for mental health charities by running more than 38 marathons, taking his trusty clarinet along with him. He said: "I played 'When the Saints go Marching In' 648 times during the New Zealand marathon. 'It has short phrases, so I could breathe in between!'
Eric's passion for jazz started in Burslem, when he was 15 and went to hear 'The Ceramic City Stompers' play, and his grandfather, who was the stabling influence in his life, bought him a clarinet for £16, which he taught himself to play.
Eric has had numerous jobs during his lifetime, but also has been trained by the The Northern School of Music (although that's another story!), so he does have letters after his name!
A lovely tale was told to us of how a friend of Eric's once showed him how you could phone any number in the world and so long as you only stayed on the line for one minute, it cost you nothing. On a particularly depressing day, Eric decided to phone someone in Australia, a man named Dick Whittington answered and asked him for his address. This led to an extraordinary friendship and Eric has never spent a winter in the UK since he now travels to Australia and stays with this family every year and busks to make a living.
Now, no longer content to simply play in front of shoppers, this popular musician has launched yet another new career as a speaker. Shoppers needn't worry though — he's not hanging up his clarinet just yet. He'll be in Leek and a few other high streets for many years to come. He has no plans to stop playing, as the retirement age for buskers is 'a funeral!'
Meeting of Tuesday 10th July 2018:
Christine Lee Jones, Former High Sheriff of Manchester
Christine is a Non Executive Director of the Walton Centre for Neurology and Neurosurgery, an NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool, a post to which she was appointed following her retirement as Head Mistress of Manchester High School for Girls in 2008. She continues her voluntary service as a Justice of the Peace: a governor of the University of Manchester serving on the Audit Committee and the Awards and Honours Committee; a trustee of the Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Charity; trustee of the Greater Manchester High Sheriff Trust and trustee of the Henshaw Society for the Blind. She was made a Deputy Lieutenant in 2007 and High Sheriff of Greater Manchester 2011.
