British-born theatre director, Sir Peter Hall (1930-2017), ran the Arts Theatre where, in 1955, he directed the English-language premiere of 'Waiting for Godot' by Samuel Beckett. He also founded the Royal Shakespeare Company when he was only 29, and directed the National Theatre from 1973 to 1988. He was at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-on-Avon for two season from 1957-1959. He also directed 'Akenfield' for London Weekend Television and ran the Peter Hall Company, which has 40 productions worldwide to its name. In 1963, he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and in 1977 was knighted for his contribution to the theatre. In 1999, he was also honoured with a Laurence Olivier Award.

Title: Musicals: 'nice escapist bilge'

Listeners: John Goodwin

Tags: Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Pal Joey, The Beatles, Gilbert and Sullivan

Duration: 1 minute, 7 seconds

Date story recorded: February 2006

Date story went live: 24 January 2008