George Hall at 100 is a special series celebrating the life and career of one of the most important, influential and inspirational acting teachers in the history of British theatre.
To mark George’s 100th birthday on February 5th 2025, his friends recorded new, fascinating and often very funny conversations with him, resulting in five episodes full of big names and fabulous anecdotes.
In this final episode, George chats with musical director and conductor Nigel Lilley about his love of musicals and cabaret. Nigel was taught by George at the Royal Academy of Music 20 years ago, after the launch of a new course for musical directors. Nigel is then joined by director and fellow RAM teacher Matt Ryan to get George’s take on a century of shows, songwriters and legendary performers, with memories of stars like Judy Garland and Noel Coward.
George has been with the Royal Academy of Music for 35 years and continues to deliver weekly Zoom lectures on the history of musical theatre. He talks about RAM, about his many years working with students at Yale University and also about teaching at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for more than two decades.
This episode contains special contributions from Zoe Wanamaker, Dave Clark, Wendy Allnutt, Freddie Fox, Mary Hammond, Tom Read Wilson and Michael Grandage.
George studied alongside Joan Plowright and Prunella Scales at the Old Vic School 1949–51, and during his subsequent eight-decade career, he has also been an actor, cabaret artist, BBC television music director, voice coach, writer, theatre director, music hall performer, international lecturer and a composer of film and TV scores. He even wrote a song with Clive Dunn that was produced by George Martin and then banned by the BBC!
George was Director of the legendary acting course at Central for nearly a quarter of a century and his former students Sir Tony Robinson, Neil Pearson, Leonie Mellinger, Belinda Lang and Nickolas Grace have also recorded conversations with him for the other four episodes in this series.
And across the episodes you’ll hear contributions from Tessa Peake-Jones, Peter Davison, Kevin Whately, Lalla Ward, Fern Britton, Johanna Adams Farley, Janet Ellis, Peter Guinness, Sara Kestelman, Priscilla Morgan, Lindsay Duncan, Rufus Sewell, James Purefoy, Peter Chelsom, Harriet Thorpe, Christopher Eccleston, James Nesbitt, David Horovitch, David Robb and Amanda Barrie.
George Hall at 100 is produced by Square Elephant Productions with Danny Garlick.
The series has been generously supported by Steve Moreschi whose great uncles, the theatrical agents Sonny and Hyman Zahl, worked with George in the 1950s.
For more information please contact info@electric-owl.co.uk
Or follow the show on Instagram @GeorgeHallat100
Music by Maksym Malko from Pixabay
