FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Don Black
What are you working on at the moment?
Mrs Henderson Presents, the musical. We open on 9 February and it’s going great. We opened in Bath in August and it was a huge success, so we’re trying to repeat that. It’s a great cast; it’s a lovely show.
When are you at your happiest?
Going to the Hackney Empire with my mother. When I was a child she used to take me to the Empire once a week.
What is your greatest fear?
Climbing a ladder. I’m just uncertain. I’m fine on the Empire State Building, when I’ve got things in front of me, but not at the top of a ladder.
What is your earliest memory?
Watching my dad play snooker.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I get bored easily.
Who has been your greatest influence?
Irving Berlin.
What is your most treasured possession?
Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers bought me a ring when I was travelling with him and we were on our way to Manila. We stopped in the airport and he bought me a ring that I’ve worn ever since. I’ve had it for 35 years.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Long-windedness. Being a lyric writer, I can’t stand it. Writing lyrics is all about compression and economy of words, and people take so long to say everything.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My uncanny resemblance to Johnny Depp.
What is your favourite book?
Act One: An Autobiography by Moss Hart, a famous director. He directed My Fair Lady, so it’s all about his love of the theatre. If you read it you’ll say, ‘I’ve got to get into the theatre.’
What is your favourite film?
A Burt Lancaster picture called Atlantic City.
Don's delights: Crime drama Atlantic City, Louis Armstrong’s version of La Vie En Rose, Act One by Moss Hart....and chicken soup
And your favourite piece of music?
The song La Vie En Rose. I like Louis Armstrong’s version.
What is your favourite meal?
Home-made chicken soup.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Oscar Hammerstein and Woody Allen. You must come – bring a bottle.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
I was a stand-up comedian and I was playing at an American base when they were over here in the 1960s. I was doing great; everything I said was hilarious. And I heard an American guy say, ‘How about this kid? He believes us!’, so they were all taking the mickey. It’s a terrible thing.
Do you believe in aliens?
Not yet.
What is your secret vice?
Going to the cinema in the afternoon.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Mostly.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘What does it all mean?’
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Wings.
Tell us something people might not know about you.
I don’t play any instruments. Being a composer, people think I must be brilliant on the piano or something.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘There must be some mistake.’
The musical Mrs Henderson Presents opens at the Noël Coward Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2 on 9 February: 0844-482 5140, www.mrshenderson.co.uk
Mrs Henderson Presents, the musical. We open on 9 February and it’s going great. We opened in Bath in August and it was a huge success, so we’re trying to repeat that. It’s a great cast; it’s a lovely show.
When are you at your happiest?
Going to the Hackney Empire with my mother. When I was a child she used to take me to the Empire once a week.
What is your greatest fear?
Climbing a ladder. I’m just uncertain. I’m fine on the Empire State Building, when I’ve got things in front of me, but not at the top of a ladder.
What is your earliest memory?
Watching my dad play snooker.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I get bored easily.
Who has been your greatest influence?
Irving Berlin.
What is your most treasured possession?
Phil Everly of The Everly Brothers bought me a ring when I was travelling with him and we were on our way to Manila. We stopped in the airport and he bought me a ring that I’ve worn ever since. I’ve had it for 35 years.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Long-windedness. Being a lyric writer, I can’t stand it. Writing lyrics is all about compression and economy of words, and people take so long to say everything.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My uncanny resemblance to Johnny Depp.
What is your favourite book?
Act One: An Autobiography by Moss Hart, a famous director. He directed My Fair Lady, so it’s all about his love of the theatre. If you read it you’ll say, ‘I’ve got to get into the theatre.’
What is your favourite film?
A Burt Lancaster picture called Atlantic City.
Don's delights: Crime drama Atlantic City, Louis Armstrong’s version of La Vie En Rose, Act One by Moss Hart....and chicken soup And your favourite piece of music?
The song La Vie En Rose. I like Louis Armstrong’s version.
What is your favourite meal?
Home-made chicken soup.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Oscar Hammerstein and Woody Allen. You must come – bring a bottle.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
I was a stand-up comedian and I was playing at an American base when they were over here in the 1960s. I was doing great; everything I said was hilarious. And I heard an American guy say, ‘How about this kid? He believes us!’, so they were all taking the mickey. It’s a terrible thing.
Do you believe in aliens?
Not yet.
What is your secret vice?
Going to the cinema in the afternoon.
Do you write thank-you notes?
Mostly.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘What does it all mean?’
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Wings.
Tell us something people might not know about you.
I don’t play any instruments. Being a composer, people think I must be brilliant on the piano or something.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘There must be some mistake.’
The musical Mrs Henderson Presents opens at the Noël Coward Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, London WC2 on 9 February: 0844-482 5140, www.mrshenderson.co.uk