Stiles & Drewe on bringing Half a Sixpence back to life

As Half a Sixpence prepares to open at Chichester Festival Theatre, we spoke with the show's composer and lyricist, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, to find out more about the rebooted version of David Heneker's 1963 musical.

Based on the HG Wells novel Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul, the new version of Half a Sixpence has original musical by Beverley Cross and David Heneker with a book by Julian Fellowes and new music and lyrics by Stiles and Drewe.

Co-created by Cameron Mackintosh and directed by Rachel Kavanaugh, the musical centres around Arthur Kipps, an orphan and over-worked draper's assistant at the turn of the last century who unexpectedly inherits a fortune that propels him into high society.

Half a Sixpence runs at Chichester Festival Theatre until 3 September.

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