The Hunting of the Snark (musical)

The Hunting of the Snark is a musical based on Lewis Carroll's poem "The Hunting of the Snark", written by composer Mike Batt.

The musical began life in 1984 as a costumed concert with the London Symphony Orchestra at the Barbican, conducted by Mike Batt and starring Paul Jones as the Baker and Christopher Casenove as the narrator.

It was released as a concept album in 1986 but withdrawn from sale after a dispute with the issuing record label. The recording featured Roger Daltrey, Art Garfunkel, John Gielgud, Stephane Grappelli, John Hurt, Julian Lennon, Cliff Richard, Captain Sensible, Deniece Williams, and the London Symphony Orchestra. Later that year it was performed as a concert at the Barbican. "Midnight Smoke" was released as a single on 17 November 1986.

A further (costumed) production took place at the Royal Albert Hall on April Fool's Day 1987, with Justin Hayward taking Art Garfunkel's role of the Butcher from the original recording and Billy Connolly replacing Cliff Richard as the Bellman. Other performers recreated their roles from the concept recording. This concert was filmed and screened as a television special in some countries.

In 1990 The Hunting Of The Snark was successfully presented, again by Batt, as a dramatised concert in Australia, at Sydney's State Theatre with the Elizabethan Symphonia, and Philip Quast starring as the Bellman.

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