TO BE A MAN – a song originally intended for S4K’s Hamlet – was a highly commended runner-up in the Stephen Sondheim/Stiles & Drewe song competition held on Sunday 31 May 2009 at The Playhouse Theatre in London’s West End.

The joint competition is designed to recognise the best student performer and the best song in a new British musical.

RADA’s Michael Peavoy won the Sondheim competition with Finishing the Hat from Sunday in the Park With George and raised the roof of the Playhouse Theatre with his sensational performance of JC & Matt’s To Be a Man from S4K’s Hamlet.

Judging from the reaction the song and its performance received in the theatre, it would have been a clear winner if chosen by an audience vote. The judges, George Stiles and Antony Drewe, had previously seen “anonymous” lyric and piano vocal sheets of each piece and were able to spend some time before the day of the event pondering the lyrical and musical merits of each candidate.

Commenting on the song on behalf of the judges in his on-stage remarks, George Stiles said “We were very impressed with Matt Gimblett and Julian Chenery’s To Be a Man from Shakespeare 4 Kidz Hamlet. Here was a powerful ballad in a traditional format and you should remember that it is written for a young target audience who would clearly connect to it. It certainly hit the mark!”

The winner of the Stiles & Drewe prize was Olly Ashmore with Wake Up TV, a Two Ronnies-style comedy patter number from the new musical Hot Flush 2.

Ironically To Be a Man was cut from the recent UK and international tour of the production as the show’s running-time was slightly too long.

The Stephen Sondheim Society Prize for the Student Performer of the Year was judged by Edward Seckerson, Richard Balcombe, Kim Cresswell, David Babani and Stuart Piper; and the Mercury Musical Developments Stiles & Drewe Prize was judged by George Stiles and Antony Drewe.

The event was hosted by Rosemary Ashe.

CLICK BELOW to listen to Chenery & Gimblett's TO BE A MAN by Johnny Barr will appear here soon