He hosted some of the most famous parties in the Mod London of the 1960s, with guests including Princess Margaret, the Rolling Stones, Noel Coward, Rudolf Nureyev, The Beatles. Joan Collins, Tom Jones, Muhammad Ali & groups of hippies. His London home was known as the ‘Fun Palace’.
Sometimes the host would join his guests, up to 600 of them, as they danced, drank & drugged. At other times, he preferred to lie in his sound-proofed bedroom behind a 2-way mirror, watching the party. On a table by the front door was a glass bowl stuffed with cash, to which his guests could help themselves. A second bowl contained cocaine, to which they were also welcome.
His generosity knew no bounds, his extravagance no limits. Lionel Bart, the son of an East London tailor, small, Jewish & gay, had made millions from songwriting.
In the 1960s, Bart was the epitome of London cool. His songs, including Little White Bull& Big Time, were at the top of the pop charts &he was responsible for the book, lyrics & music for the hit musical- Oliver! Yet, Bart ended up an impoverished addict living in shabby obscurity.
Lionel Bart was born to Jewish refugees in London’s East End. Growing up short, skinny, & with sticking out ears & a big nose, he got by entertaining with his quick wit, making up rude lyrics to well-known songs.
Bart won a scholarship to the prestigious St Martin’s School of Art in the West End of London & became part of the Soho crowd when he was just 16 years old.
In 1948, aged 18, he was called up for National Service with the RAF. On an outing from his airbase, he went to see David Lean’s film of Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist.
Bart discovered, groomed, & wrote #1 hits for Brit rockers- Tommy Steele & Cliff Richard. He could not read or write music; he sang into a tape recorder for someone else to transcribe, & he had no formal musical training. He believed in keeping melodies & lyrics simple. Bart: “I never spent more than an hour on a tune. Songs should be like sneezes… spontaneous.”
Despite his chart success, Bart dreamed of having his songs performed in the theatre. His break came at the Stratford Theatre in East London, writing songs for a play called Fings Ain’t What They Used T’Be, a Cockney comedy. The show was an immediate hit, transferring after a year to the West End. The Royal Family attended, despite its risque scenes & dialogue.
In 1959, Lionel began work on the songs and story for what would become his masterpiece, Oliver! But the tale of orphans & poverty was a hard sell to producers. Eventually, one producer agreed to stage it on a tiny budget. On opening night there were 23 curtain calls. The reviews were ecstatic. Oliver! ran for 6 years, a record for a British musical.
Bart became phenomenally wealthy. He spent his earning on tailored suits, custom shirts, & leather boots. He had his nose fixed. He collected cars: a Mercedes-Benz convertible with a built-in telephone (this was in the Sixties!), Bentley Continental, & a Facel Vega, the fastest, coolest sports car in the world. Bart mixed with the old showbiz: Judy Garland & Noel Coward became good friends, & the new: The Beatles, the Stones, Michael Caine, & Terence Stamp.
Oliver!moved to Broadway in 1963 to tremendous acclaim & terrific box office. He wrote the theme song for the second James Bond film- From Russia With Love.
But personal happiness eluded Bart. He had one steady boyfriend, then a series of casual lovers, but he did not publicly come out until 1971, 4 years after homosexuality was de-criminalized.
In 1962, he wrote another musical, Blitz!, based on his wartime childhood in the East End. It had an 18 month run, but neither Blitz! nor his next musical- Maggie May, came close to the success of Oliver!.
In 1967, Oliver!was made in to a hit film, winning 6 Oscars, including Best Film & Score. He was invited to Hollywood to write for films movies, but in Hollywood, his inspiration deserted him.
Bart resorted to making ridiculous demands, like having a giant teddy bear travel in the front seat of his chauffeur-driven car. He returned to London, to discover that his 21 year old lover, had stolen his expensive possessions including clocks, paintings,& antiques. Bart was devastated by the betrayal. He sold the Fun Palace, moving to a small mews house in South Kensington.
He wrote another musical- La Strada, based on the Fellini film. It opened on Broadway in December 1969 & closed after one performance.
The 1970s were a downward spiral for Bart. In January 1970, he was arrested for drunk driving. The death of his mother, to whom he was devoted, had a heartbroken Lionel drinking & drugging more heavily.
Broken & bankrupt, Bart sold the rights to his published music & the stage rights to Oliver!. Haunted by failure, Bart & his friend Keith Moon, were downing several bottles of vodka a day & ingested every illegal substance brought to them. In February 1971, he was arrested for possession.
In 1977, the producer Cameron Mackintosh brought Oliver! back to the West End. It was, again, a massive hit & was revived again in 1983. Though Mackintosh paid him as an adviser, it was not enough to save Bart, financially or emotionally. Having sold most of his possessions, he moved to a modest flat in West London, falling further into addiction.
In 1994, Cameron Mackintosh produced another revival of Oliver!, directed by the young director- Sam Mendes, which proved its enduring appeal.It made millions & Mackintosh generously gave Lionel a share of the royalties.
In 1999, however, the years of abuse finally caught up with Bart & he died of liver cancer, leaving the money to his friends & charities, a fraction of the millions he had been worth at his peak in the 1960s.
For Bart, it was never about making the money, as much as he loved spending it. Bart: “It’s the kicks that matter, nothing else. I just want to write musicals. I want to stand up & shout to the biggest audience I can get.”
Your host, far right, as Fagin in 1978
Oliver! was an obsession in my early teens. The role of Fagin was my most coveted part in my youth. I was consumed with a desire to do this role. I already had the part memorized by the time I was 15 years old. By the time I was actually cast, in 1978, at a mere 24 years old, I was ready to give the character my very best. Fagin remains the only true leading role I have ever performed, although he doesn’t appear in the first 35 minutes of the piece & in my production, the little lad who played Oliver received the final curtain call. I am told that I was rather revelatory in the role. Fagin is my favorite character in 55 years of performing. I loved working with the young cast & remain friends on The Facebook with the young actors that played the Artful Dodger & the title role, & with several of the boys, some of whom are now grandparents.
Depression & disappointment drove me to drink & drugs, but I hope I learned a lesson from a skinny little Jewish gay boy from rough East London who couldn’t even read music: money can’t buy happiness, but it sure can help.
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