George Stiles

George William Stiles (born 9 August 1961) is an English composer of musicals for the stage.

George Stiles and Anthony Drewe were commissioned by Cameron Mackintosh and Disney to write additional material augmenting the Sherman Brothers' original Academy Award winning Disney's classic 1964 film song score for Mary Poppins.

The stage musical featured a new book by Downton Abbey writer and Academy Award winner Julian Fellowes.

From 1974 to 1979, he was educated at Gresham's School in Norfolk.

Stiles studied music at Exeter University, where he met his writing partner Anthony Drewe.

He graduated in 1983.

For more than 30 years, Stiles has worked with the lyricist Anthony Drewe.

Together they have written eleven shows (see below).

Projects currently in development include: Soap Dish; an adaptation of Graham Greene's Travels with My Aunt; and a new project with the director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell.

Tutankhamun was first performed at the Northcott Theatre and Imagination Buildings in 1984.

Just So was co-produced by Cameron Mackintosh at the Watermill in 1989 where it was directed by Julia McKenzie.

A further production was mounted in 1990 directed by Mike Ockrent at the Tricycle Theatres in the UK.

Honk! was commissioned by the Watermill Theatre (1993).

The Goodspeed Opera House in Connecticut produced a new version of the show in 1996.

Under the direction of Julia McKenzie it was developed at the Stephen Joseph Theatre (1997) in a production designed by Peter McKintosh and choreographed by Aletta Collins.

Peter Pan: A Musical Adventure won both Best Song (When I Kill Peter Pan, performed by Denis Quilley) and the Orchestra's Award for Best Musical at the 1997 International Musical of the Year.

In 1999, during Trevor Nunn's time as artistic director at the National Theatre, Julia Mackenzie was invited to restage her production in the Olivier Theatre.

It was the first new British musical to be produced in the history of the National Theatre.

It premiered in 1999 at the Ny Theater, Copenhagen.

Honk! won three Best Musical awards – the 2000 Laurence Olivier Award, the FNB VITA Award in South Africa, and the Elliot Norton Award in the United States.

In 2001, Anthony Drewe directed an extensively reworked version at Boston’s North Shore Music Theatre in the USA, with designs by Peter McKintosh and choreography by Stephen Mear.

The National Theatre production toured the UK in 2001.

It is frequently produced by schools and community theatre groups.

Honk! has been seen by more than 6 million people all over the world in over 8,000 productions in more than 20 languages.

In 2001, it was performed at the Royal Festival Hall, starring John Thaw, Jenna Russell, Joe MacFadden and Sheila Hancock accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra.

The performance also boasted a first in that Wendy, Michael and John were played by three real-life siblings, Laura Michelle Kelly and her brothers Jorim and Nathan.

The BBC broadcast the concert on New Year's Eve 2001.

Following the concert’s success, a fuller semi-staged version, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, ran for 6 weeks at the Royal Festival Hall over Christmas 2002 starring Richard Wilson and James Gillan, with Susannah York as the Storyteller and Lottie Meyer as Wendy.

With the same team, Anthony directed the 2004 Chichester Festival Theatre production.

The stage version of Mary Poppins opened at the Prince Edward Theatre in December 2004 where it had a hugely successful 3-year run before embarking on a UK national tour in 2008.

It opened on Broadway in 2006 where it ran for 6 years at the New Amsterdam Theatre.

In 2007, the show was given its British theatrical premiere in a fully-fledged production at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre as directed by Rachel Kavanaugh.

A US tour hit the road in 2009, touring for over 2 years.

In the summer of 2011, it made its American premiere at the Tri-County Performing Arts Center in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, recently renamed Steel River Playhouse.

The production made its Canadian premiere with the St. Albert Children's Theatre in St. Albert, Alberta in November 2011.

Betty Blue Eyes opened at the Novello Theatre in April 2011 produced by Cameron Mackintosh, starring Sarah Lancashire and Reece Shearsmith.

It received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike and received nominations for ‘Best New Musical’ in the 2012 Laurence Olivier Awards, The Evening Standard Awards and the WhatsOnStage.com Awards.

A new production opened at the Ronacher Theatre in Vienna in 2014.

In October 2015 a concert version directed by Jonathan Butterell was performed at London's Adelphi Theatre starring Bradley Walsh as Hook, Ray Quinn as Peter Pan, Sheila Hancock as The Storyteller and Jenna Russell as Mrs Darling.

In the autumn of 2015 it embarked on a new UK Tour.