William David Brohn - Orchestrator

The Palladium production in 1994 of Oliver! was the second orchestration commission from Cameron Mackintosh for William David Brohn – the fi rst being Miss Saigon in 1989. He has happily continued the role of orchestrator for 20 years, with Mary Poppins (2004) the latest and now, once again, in this new production of Oliver! Other musicals he has orchestrated for the West End and Broadway include Crazy for You, The Secret Garden, Martin Guerre, Hey, Mr Producer!, The Witches of Eastwick, Ragtime and Wicked, as well as the transfers from the NT of Carousel, Oklahoma! and, at Drury Lane, My Fair Lady. In the ballet, concert and symphonic realms he has enjoyed collaborations with singers Placido Domingo and Marilyn Horne, choreographers Agnes de Mille, Kenneth Macmillan, Susan Stroman and Matthew Bourne, the violinist Joshua Bell and conductors André Previn and John Williams.

"Making the orchestration work is something that can only be done through experiencing it; how it sounds and how the cast react to it – orchestration happens not in meetings or on the page, but in the rehearsal room. One of the most fascinating things was working with Rowan Atkinson [this production’s original Fagin] on his song ‘I’m Reviewing the Situation’. He wanted to try a solo violin rather than a clarinet – Fagin’s reaction to the solo instrument in the piece is crucial to the song working well. The rehearsal experience was fantastic: Rowan and the violinist played off each other brilliantly, and the song is knockout. Choosing the right instrument makes all the difference – as in the case of the violin in ‘I’m Reviewing the Situation’. A violin solo gives a really old-world Jewish flavour to the song, that makes it that much more poignant. I love working at Drury Lane. It’s an acoustic gem, which was designed to work perfectly in an age before microphones."