''A Spoonful of Sherman'' is a musical revue which premiered on January 6, 2014 at the St. James Theatre in London and which is currently poised for its first UK/Ireland tour. Originally produced, written and emceed by Robert J. Sherman, ''A Spoonful of Sherman'' first served as the UK book launch for Sherman's

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

's (posthumously released) autobiography: '' Moose: Chapters From My Life'' for which Sherman was also the book's editor. After each performance of that original run, Sherman participated in a book signing after the show. The show was billed as "A Celebration of the Life, Times and Songs of

Robert B. Sherman Robert Bernard Sherman (December 19, 1925 – March 6, 2012) was an American songwriter, best known for his work in musical films with his brother, Richard M. Sherman. The Sherman brothers produced more motion picture song scores than any ...

" and was received extremely well by the crowd and the critics alike. The cast consisted of four rising

West End theatre West End theatre is mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres in and near the West End of London.Christopher Innes, "West End" in ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998), pp. 1194–1 ...

stars including Charlotte Wakefield, Emma Williams,

Stuart Matthew Price Matthew Price (born 6 August 1983 in Kidderminster, England) is a British actor, dancer and West End stage and concert singer known for playing Riff Raff in three European tours of ''The Rocky Horror Show''. He is also a composer, having writt ...

and Greg Castiglioni. Musical Direction was provided by Colin Billing and the show was directed by

Stewart Nicholls Stewart Nicholls is a British stage director and choreographer. His credits include productions of: ''A Spoonful of Sherman'' ( 2018 UK/Ireland tour, St James' Theatre and Live At Zédel),''Bumblescratch'' (Adelphi Theatre), ''Bar Mitzvah Boy'' (Ab ...

. Lighting was designed by the show's Stage Manager Andrew Holton. In the 2017 version of the show, focus of the show's narrative shifted to both Sherman Brothers' lives as well as to the life of their father, Al Sherman.

Productions

2014 Productions

The show was originally produced by MusicWorld (UK) in association with the St. James Theatre, James Albrecht, Creative Director. Joanne Benjamin and Clive Chenery of The Entertainment Business provided General Management. ''A Spoonful of Sherman'' received outstanding notices, garnering four stars from Clive Davis of the

London Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (f ...

Davis, Clive
"A Spoonful of Sherman at the St. James Theatre, SW1"
''The Times'', January 15, 2014 as well as four and five star reviews from dozens of other papers and online reviewers.Shenton, Mark
"A Spoonful of Sherman"
''The Stage'', April 22, 2014Honoré, Patrick
"A Spoonful of Sherman – St James Studio Theatre"
''Musical Theatre Review'', January 19, 2014 The show covered ninety years of Sherman songwriting (including material written by the Sherman Brothers' father, Al Sherman (who began writing music in the early 1920s.) Songs written by the younger Robert Sherman were also included in the show as well) but the focus of the evening was the music and lyrics of Robert B. Sherman and the Sherman Brothers. "In deciding what songs to select, particular emphasis was put on material that would propel the narrative of Robert B. Sherman's life story forward. My narration would then fill in the gaps. Of course almost all of the famous stuff made it in. ''

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'', '' Chitty Chitty Bang Bang'', ''

Winnie the Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character w ...

'' , ''

The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, w ...

'' and " It's A Small World (After All)" were represented, but I'm particularly pleased that we were able to include some unexpected gems in the mix as well." ''A Spoonful of Sherman'' was so successful in its own right, that further shows were scheduled for April 2014.

2017 Production

''A Spoonful of Sherman'' returned to London, playing August 7–20, 2017 at "Live at Zédel".

Helena Blackman Helena Blackman (born 10 December 1982 in Southampton) is a British musical theatre actress, best known for being the runner-up in the hit BBC1 Reality TV programme '' How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?''. She trained at the Guildford Sc ...

and

Daniel Boys Daniel Boys (born 26 March 1979) is an English musical theatre actor, who was a contestant on the BBC talent series '' Any Dream Will Do'' in 2007 before becoming known as a stage actor in various musicals including ''Avenue Q'', ''Spamalot'' an ...

starred alongside pianist/singer Christopher Hamilton. Narrating the show once again was Robert J. Sherman. While the book for the two 2014 productions largely remained the same, in the 2017 version, Sherman modified his script, removing emphasis on his father,

's life and making the story more about both Sherman Brothers (Robert and

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

) and their Tin Pan Alley era songwriter father, Al Sherman. New musical arrangements were provided by Rowland Lee. Robert J. Sherman explained that changes had to do with the evolution of the show's purpose for being. In 2014 the show was designed merely to serve as a "happy memorial" to his recently deceased songwriter father, Robert B. Sherman. But as the show grew, it began to take on a life of its own, the purpose, and therefore, the focus of the show needed to change as well.

2018 UK/Ireland Tour

On December 20, 2017, producers

James Yeoburn James Yeoburn (born 30 December 1989) is an English producer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of international theatre production company United Theatrical Early life and education Yeoburn was born in Exeter, Devon and grew up on the Harefi ...

of United Theatrical and Robert J. Sherman announced the launch of the first ''A Spoonful of Sherman'' UK/Ireland tour. The tour premiered on February 14, 2018 at the EM Forester Theatre in

Tonbridge, Kent Tonbridge ( ) is a market town in Kent, England, on the River Medway, north of Royal Tunbridge Wells, south west of Maidstone and south east of London. In the administrative borough of Tonbridge and Malling, it had an estimated population ...

with its press night held on March 27 in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

. The tour production was a radical departure from the previous three incarnations of the show. The evolution was described as a morphing from a clever cabaret to a fully realized stage musical. Cast members for the tour include Sophie-Louise Dann, Mark Read, Glen Facey, Jenna Innes and Ben Stock. Directing and choreographing is

. A new book was devised by Robert Sherman. Stage and costume design was by Gabriella Slade, Lighting Design was by Chris Withers and new musical arrangements and musical supervision is by Rowland Lee. The tour played in 25 different cities, in as many venues. Tour dates included: Pavilion Theatre ( Bournemouth)
Theatre Royal
( St. Helens); Tivoli Theatre (

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

); Eden Court ( Inverness);

Hippodrome The hippodrome ( el, ἱππόδρομος) was an ancient Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words ''hippos'' (ἵππος; "horse") and ''dromos'' (δρόμος; "course"). The term is used i ...

( Darlington)
Chequer Mead
( East Grinstead);

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre is a theatre located in Guildford, Surrey, England. Named after the actress Yvonne Arnaud, it presents a series of locally produced and national touring productions, including opera, ballet and pantomime. The theatre ...

( Guildford); Theatre Royal (

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);

Greenwich Theatre Greenwich Theatre is a local theatre located in Croom's Hill close to the centre of Greenwich in south-east London. Theatre first came to Greenwich at the beginning of the 19th century during the famous Eastertide Greenwich Fair at which the Ric ...

(

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 ...

Buxton Opera House
(

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Swansea Grand Theatre
( Swansea);
Harrogate Theatre
(

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...

);
Atkinson Theatre
(

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Iris ...

)
Queens Theatre
(

Hornchurch Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed a l ...

);
Shanklin Theatre
(

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...

)
Riverfront Center Theatre
( Newport)
Octagon Theatre
(

Yeovil Yeovil ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of South Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2011) was 45,784. More recent estimates show a population of 48,564. It is close to Somerset's southern border with ...

)
Wyvern Theatre
( Swindon)
Theatre Royal
(

Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...

)
Playhouse Theatre
(

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...

)
Northcott Theatre
( Exeter)
Queens Theatre
( Barnstaple)
Theatre Royal
( Dumfries); Beacon Arts Centre, ( Greenock)
Everyman Theatre
( Cork) an
Pavilion Theatre
(

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

2019 Licensed Productions

In late 2018 the previous year's UK/Ireland tour version was made available for professional license. In April 2019 ''A Spoonful of Sherman'' made its U.S. premiere in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

. The San Jose run played for five weeks at the 3Below Stages featuring veteran Bay Area performers, Shannon Guggenheim, Stephen Guggenheim, Susan Gundunas, F. James Raasch, Teresa Swain and pianist Barry Koron. In July 2019 it was announced that a licensed production of ''A Spoonful of Sherman'' would be presented by Sing'Theatre at School of the Arts in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

starring

Hossan Leong Hossan Leong (; born 10 July 1969) is a Singaporean stage and screen actor, television host, radio deejay and comedian. Personal life He was born 10 July 1969 in Singapore, Leong was educated at Anglo-Chinese School and Anglo-Chinese Junior Col ...

, Mina Ellen Kaye, George Chan, Aaron Khaled and Vanessa Kee.

Origin of the Name

''A Spoonful of Sherman'' is derived from the title of the popular song " A Spoonful of Sugar" from the successful 1964

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

musical motion picture, ''

''. The song was written by the Sherman Brothers.

Critical praise for ''A Spoonful of Sherman''

* Pete Shaw of Broadway Baby gave the show 5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ writing: "There’s a light bulb moment in A Spoonful Of Sherman when you realise its magic lies not within its high production values, exquisite lighting, fantastic set, immaculate choreography or supremely talented cast, but with the memories these songs ignite...Ultimately, A Spoonful Of Sherman is a feel-good musical journey executed with polished flair." * Clive Davis of The London Times gave the show 4 Stars ★ ★ ★ ★, writing that it was: “A show that strings together one joyous hit after another, delivered by a first-rate quartet of singers.” *

Mark Shenton Mark Shenton (born 12 September 1962 in Johannesburg, South Africa) is a London-based British arts journalist and theatre critic. Between April 2002 and December 2013 he was chief Theatre Critic for the '' Sunday Express''. He formerly wrote a da ...

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

wrote, "There’s plenty to both surprise and delight here." * UK Theatre Web gave the show 5 Stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ writing: “It really was supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Riffs and mash-ups on Winnie The Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins and a smashing Al Sherman Medley made the evening all too short, all too few songs, all the more memorable. I feel privileged to have been there. A truly scrumptious smorgasbord of smash hits by the Sherman Brothers.” * North West End gave the show 5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ writing: "The Sherman Brothers might have said that a song must be Singable, Sellable and Sincere. But, A Spoonful Of Sherman is Stylist, Slick and Superbly Sang throughout." * Bargaintheatreland gave the show 5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ writing: "Something magical happened at St James Theatre – it was a night of revelation, emotion and sheer joy." * Jonathan Baz gave the show 4 Stars ★ ★ ★ ★ in 2014 writing: “It is a wonder that this charming show has not been staged before. Amidst all of Broadway’s giant songwriting partnerships, none reaches out to the child within us quite like the legacy of the Sherman Brothers. Cleverly crafted songs that speak of hope against adversity, written in verses that talk to every age. This show deserves to tour and when it comes to your town, don’t miss it!” In 2017 Baz reviewed the show again, and once again gave the show 4 Stars ★ ★ ★ ★ writing: "...but for all the family’s multi-generational talent, this show lives and breathes the genius of the Sherman Brothers. Love, laughter and history – it’s all here in a charming evening’s entertainment." * Rhiannon Lawson of What's On Stage gave the show 4 Stars ★ ★ ★ ★ and wrote: "If you love a bit of nostaligia, enjoy flying a kite, singing with orangutans, feeding the birds or wondered what the wonderful thing about Tiggers is, you will have a Truly Scrumptious evening at A Spoonful of Sherman. Leaving the theatre with a spring in my step, I don't expect my sugar rush from this evening to be over for some time. *

Phil Willmott Phil Willmott (born 26 January 1968) is a British director, playwright, arts journalist, teacher, and founder of London based theatre production company The Steam Industry. He was the Artistic Director of the Finborough Theatre in London's Ear ...

of London Box Office gave the 2017 Zedel production 5 Stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ commenting: "Sherman himself has a charming and unassuming stage persona and when he's joined by the glossily accomplished trio of

, and singer/accompanist Christopher Hamilton the four have an enjoyably quirky chemistry on stage. Helena Blackman has a soaring gorgeous voice and is adept at conveying every nuance of a lyric. Aspiring musical theatre performers really should study her technique and Daniel Boys combines a rich and sumptuous vocal range with a delightful playfulness." * Edward Seckerson wrote: “A cavalcade of Sherman, three generations, no medicine, just charm, and one or two genuine surprises...to demonstrate that the legacy lives on – “Music of the Spheres” by Robert J. Sherman (given a real sheen by Stuart Matthew Price). I want to hear that again, as I do “The Whistle Tune” from Busker Alley.” * Traffic Light Theatregoer wrote "Robert J.

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s more recent works such as "

Music Of The Spheres The ''musica universalis'' (literally universal music), also called music of the spheres or harmony of the spheres, is a philosophical concept that regards proportions in the movements of celestial bodies – the Sun, Moon, and planets – as a fo ...

"...made ''A Spoonful Of Sherman'' a full-bodied experience for us. Helena Blackman soaring soprano easily encompassed a range of 20th century song styles from perky 1920s to near operetta to the limpid notes and musical hall idiom of Sherman Brothers' songs. Meanwhile Daniel Boys put his own Eastenders stamp on chimney sweep Bert's songs from Mary Poppins and the doowop jazzy Jungle Book numbers" * Remotegoat gave the show 5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ writing that it was: "Supercalifragilistic-expialidocious! An evening of magic and delight." * Musical Theatre Review wrote: "I predict a great future for A Spoonful of Sherman. Don’t miss this great cast!" * West End Wilma gave the show 5 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ writing: "The audience were on the edge of their seats yearning for more." * The Public Reviews called the show: "Irresistible" giving it 4 stars ★ ★ ★ ★ “A delightful way to spend a couple of hours - great fun." * The Leighton Buzzard Observer wrote: “Walt Disney may have built a magical ‘toon empire but it was the Sherman Brothers who gave the mouse maestro his voice. A Spoonful of Sherman is a night of pure indulgence.” * Stagey Secrets wrote: “Truly scrumptious. The overwhelming power of their music is inescapable.”

Original London Cast Recording

The double CD, Original London Cast Recording was recorded between July 2014 and February 2015. It was produced by Nicholas Lloyd Webber and mixed and engineered by Matthew Weir at the Palace Studios, located in London. Mastering was produced by Simon Grieff and engineered by Sam Featherstone at Price Recording. The executive producer of the album was Robert Sherman who also wrote and performed the narration and co-conceived the show with musical director, arranger and pianist, Colin Billing. It was released by

SimG Records SimG Records is an independent record label, dedicated to the promotion of new musical theatre and new writers to the British audience. It was founded by London-based director/producer Simon Greiff in 2009. Its affiliate company, SimG Production ...

on July 13, 2015. The cast recording was released digitally o
iTunes
September 7, 2015.

References

External links

''A Spoonful Of Sherman'' Official Website

''A Spoonful Of Sherman'' UK/Ireland Tour (2018 Promotional Video)

''A Spoonful Of Sherman'' at West End Live 2018

Emma Williams sings "Mother Earth and Father Time" from the Original London Cast Recording

''A Spoonful of Sherman'' at Live At Zedel - 2017 Preview Video

Dress Circle Of London
{{DEFAULTSORT:A Spoonful of Sherman Sherman Brothers Musicals by the Sherman Brothers Musicals by Robert J. Sherman Revues Cabaret in Europe West End musicals 2014 musicals