They’ve travelled the world and been seen by millions, now it’s the turn of eight classic British musicals to take centre stage on Royal Mail’s latest set of stamps.

Musicals, issued on 24 February, looks back at more than seven decades of popular stage musicals, featuring a combination of performance photography and promotional posters on four 1^st and four 97p stamps.

All of the musicals selected have enjoyed long runs in London’s West End, which has firmly established itself as the place to see a stage musical for millions of visitors, but it wasn’t always the case.

For many the turning point came in 1960 with Lionel Bart’s Oliver! which fought back against the relentless onslaught of American cinematic musicals and paved the way for other home-grown musicals to follow.

It’s fitting therefore that Oliver! was selected as the first of the four 1^st Class stamps alongside Blood Brothers, We Will Rock You and Monty Python’s Spamalot.  Completing the line-up, the musicals featured on the four 97p stamps are Rocky Horror Show, Billy Elliot, Return to the Forbidden Planet and Me and My Girl. 

Philip Parker, Royal Mail Stamps spokesperson, said: “Music in the theatre has a long and rich history, but it was in the second half of the twentieth century that the British musical really came into its own.

 “We have tried to offer a balance of different musicals covering this period and made a conscious effort to represent the evolving nature of our wonderful, and world famous, musical theatre.”

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published December 31st, 2010