Editing Lionel Bart (section)

==Musical theatre==
Bart's first professional musical was 1959's ''[[Lock Up Your Daughters (musical)|Lock Up Your Daughters]]'', based on the 18th-century play ''[[Rape upon Rape]]'' by [[Henry Fielding]]. Following that, ''Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be'', produced by Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop, was noted for encouraging the use of authentic [[Cockney]] accents on the London stage and bringing an end to censorship of British theatre. ''[[Oliver!]]'' (1960), based on [[Charles Dickens|Dickens's]] ''[[Oliver Twist]]'', was a major success. The music for ''Oliver!'' was transcribed by [[Eric Rogers (composer)|Eric Rogers]], who wrote and composed 21 scores for the [[Carry On films|''Carry On'' films]]. Bart hummed the melodies and Rogers wrote the notes on his behalf as Bart could not read or write music.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.britishcinemagreats.com/scores/eric_rogers/eric_rogers.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041206160842/http://www.britishcinemagreats.com/scores/eric_rogers/eric_rogers.htm | url-status=usurped | archive-date=6 December 2004 |title=Eric Rogers &#124; Scores &#124; Themes &#124; Music from the classic movies |publisher=British Cinema Greats |access-date=2012-05-02}}</ref>

In 1968 ''Oliver!'' was made into a movie starring [[Ron Moody]], [[Oliver Reed]] and [[Shani Wallis]] that won several [[Academy Awards|Oscars]], including best film. It is estimated that around this time Bart was earning 16 [[Pound sterling|pounds]] a minute from ''Oliver!''<ref>{{cite news|author=Nosheen Iqbal |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/quiz/2009/jan/19/oliver-lionel-bart |title=Consider yourself an expert on Oliver!'s Lionel Bart? |newspaper=[[The Guardian]]| location=London |date=19 January 2009 |access-date=2013-02-19}}</ref>

Bart's next two musicals, ''[[Blitz!]]'' (1962) (from which came the song "Far Away", a hit for [[Shirley Bassey]]) and ''[[Maggie May (musical)|Maggie May]]'' (1964) had successful and respectable West End runs (''Blitz!'', at the time London's most expensive musical ever, had a run of 568 performances),<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Story.aspx?ci=516132 |title=Broadway Buzz |website=Broadway.com |access-date=19 February 2013}}</ref> but ''[[Twang!!]]'' (1965), a musical based on the [[Robin Hood]] legend, was a flop and ''[[La Strada (musical)|La Strada]]'' (1969), which opened on [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] after the removal of most of Bart's songs, closed after only one performance. By this time Bart was taking [[LSD]] and other drugs and was drinking heavily.<ref name="independent.co.uk"/>

Bart used his personal finances to try to rescue his last two productions, selling his past and future rights to his work, including ''Oliver!'' which he sold to the entertainer [[Max Bygraves]] for £350 (Bygraves later{{when|date=September 2015}} sold them on for £250,000)<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.thestage.co.uk/features/obituaries/feature.php/37286/max-bygraves |title=Max Bygraves – Obituaries |publisher=[[The Stage]] |access-date=2013-02-19}}</ref> to realise capital to finance the shows; Bart later estimated that this action lost him over £1 million.<ref name="independent.co.uk">{{cite web| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-lionel-bart-1085282.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220614/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/obituary-lionel-bart-1085282.html |archive-date=14 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Tom Vallance: Lionel Bart obituary, ''The Independent'', 5 April 1999| newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=6 October 2011| access-date=2014-09-22}}</ref> By 1972, Bart was bankrupt with debts of £73,000. A twenty-year period of depression and alcoholism ensued. He eventually stopped drinking, although the years of substance abuse seriously damaged his health, leaving him with diabetes and impaired liver function.<ref name="independent.co.uk"/>

He wrote ''Next Year in Jerusalem'' in 1975–1976, but it was not staged until 2021 in a virtual performance of the [[Jewish Music Institute]] featuring [[Maureen Lipman]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Thomas|first=Sophie|date=January 25, 2021|title=Maureen Lipman to sing lost Lionel Bart musical|url=https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/maureen-lipman-to-sing-lost-lionel-bart-musical|access-date=2021-02-17|website=London Theatre Guide}}</ref> In May 1977, an autobiographical musical called ''Lionel!'' opened in the [[West End theatre|West End]] at the [[New London Theatre]]. It was loosely based on Bart's early life as a child prodigy. Bart added some new songs for the show. The cast included [[Clarke Peters]], [[Marion Montgomery]] and [[Adrienne Posta]]. The role of Lionel was shared by a young [[Todd Carty]] and Chris Nieto. The show closed after six weeks.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}