DON BLACK’S FROM THE HEART
Concept, book and lyrics by Don Black
Director: Nick Winston
Music director: Joseph Church
Musical arrangements and supervision: Nick Barstow
Music by David Arnold, Gary Barlow, John Barry, Natasha Bedingfield, Mike Batt, George Fenton, Quincy Jones, Simon May, Geoff Morrow, Leslie Osborne, Alexander Rudd, Walter Scharf, Fraser T. Smith, Geoff Stephens, Andrew Lloyd Webber, and Gay-Yee Westerhoff
Pianist: Joseph Church
Double bass: Oliver Copeland
Vocalists: Frances Mayli McCann, Shona McGarty, Caroline O’Connor, Clive Rowe, and Michael D. Xavier
October 8, 2026
Garrick Theatre
London, England
PART 1: BARRY AND BLACK
I first discovered the genius of lyricist Don Black through the songs he wrote with my favourite composer, John Barry.
And I don’t mean the work they did on James Bond, which I discovered a bit later – rather, it was the work they did on stage and film musicals such BILLY, BRIGHTON ROCK, and ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND that really caught my attention.
Even a casual listen of these works shows that in addition to having unforgettable melodies, the lyrics paint a clear and compelling narrative with just a small and concise amount of words. And those words flow so naturally while perfectly hugging the contours of the melodies they were written for.
That in a nutshell is what I love so much about the lyrics of Don Black, and why I think he is one of the greatest lyricists of all time.
PART 2: FROM THE HEART
Originally premiering in 2025 to much acclaim, Don Black’s FROM THE HEART, a musical revue written as a love letter to New York and its many cabaret shows, returns to the West End in a strictly limited engagement at London’s Garrick Theatre from October 8th to 18th, 2026.
The music is performed by piano, double bass and five powerhouse vocalists who are all highly acclaimed professionals on the West End, Broadway, TV or film.
The revue is also part biography, as some of the lyrics touch deeply on Black’s life experiences including the passing of Shirley, his beloved wife of sixty years.
Coupled with the bare stage setup and raw performances by the vocalists of Black’s poignant lyrics, the show very much feels like an intimate chat with a close friend who bares all “from the heart.”
PART 3: THE MUSICAL NUMBERS
The show, which is played without intermission and includes pre-recorded anecdotes by Black between select pieces, features the following set list:
– THE MAIN PROGRAM –
- From the Heart (David Arnold) – Cast
- Doctors (Mike Batt) – Clive Rowe
- Me Too (George Fenton) – Michael D. Xavier & Shona McGarty
- Small Hands (Geoff Stephens) – Frances Mayli McCann
- The Reluctant Star (Geoff Stephens) – Caroline O’Connor
- How do you fall out of love? (Alexander Rudd) – Michael D. Xavier
- I’ve a hundred things to do before I die (Geoff Stephens) – Frances Mayli McCann
- No one’s looked at me this way in years (Gay-Yee Westerhoff) – Shona McGarty
- Fizzy or Still (Geoff Stephens) – Clive Rowe & Michael D. Xavier
- Life Goes On (Geoff Stephens) – Caroline O’Connor
- Everything but the blame (Gary Barlow) – Michael D. Xavier
- Straight men (Geoff Stephens) Frances Mayli McCann, Shona McGarty & Caroline O’Connor
- Guessing alone (Mike Batt) – Clive Rowe
- Things a lady shouldn’t do (Geoff Morrow) – Shona McGarty
- Love Changes Everything (Andre Lloyd Webber) – Michael Ball
- When no-one’s looking (Geoff Stephens) – Caroline O’Connor
- I’d go to bed earlier (Gay-Yee Westerhoff) – Clive Rowe
- Unhealable (Natasha Bedingfied / Fraser T. Smith) – Frances Mayli McCann
- From the Heart Reprise (David Arnold) – Cast
– THE CLOSING MEDLEY –
The closing medley featured snippets of music from:
- Thunderball (John Barry)
- Diamonds are Forever (John Barry)
- The World is Not Enough (David Arnold)
- The Man with the Golden Gun (John Barry)
- The Italian Job (Quincy Jones)
- EastEnders Theme: “Anyone Can Fall in Love” (Simon May / Leslie Osborne)
- To Sir with Love (Mark London)
- Ben (Walter Scharf)
- Tell me on a Sunday (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
- Sunset Boulevard (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
- Aspects of Love: “Love Changes Everything” (Andrew Lloyd Webber)
- Born Free (John Barry)
The set list above is slightly different from the one listed in the official program. As I saw the show twice on opening day, I took careful note of the correct order and have listed who I remember to be the main vocalists on each piece.
If I have made error, please let me know!
Allow me to now go through each musical number as I remember them:
The sounds of a police siren marked the beginning of the show as a familiar (pre-recorded) voice played over the loud speakers: it was Don Black, explaining that he had always been a “cabaret junkie” and that he would one day write a musical revue like the ones he had so often seen and loved off-Broadway.
This was followed by the first number for the night, the uplifting “From the Heart.” Composed by celebrated film composer David Arnold, this piece is bound to become a standard someday.
Next came the hilarious “Doctors” performed with mischievous delight by Clive Rowe. Singing about wanting to change doctors to someone who had less than ideal health standards themselves, this piece had the audience chuckling throughout.
The catchy “Me Too” followed, featuring Michael D. Xavier and Shona McGarty. Hearing this piece felt somewhat bittersweet as its composer, legendary film composer George Fenton, had died only a few days earlier.
“Small Hands,” a song lamenting the difficulties of having small hands, introduced us to the tremendous voice of Frances Mayli McCann, who delivered this technically difficult song to perfection.
The crowd-pleasing “The Reluctant Star” came next, a song about the pitfalls of success. Caroline O’Connor was the vocalist here, and as soon as I heard her voice, I knew I had heard it somewhere before – right after the performance I googled her and of course, she was one of the starlets in Baz Luhrmann’s MOULIN ROUGE!
Written in gentle waltz time, “How do you fall out of love?” was a gorgeous song that was nostalgic, romantic, and delivered with aching beauty by Michael D. Xavier. It was certainly one of my favourites of the night.
Next came two uplifting power ballads, “I’ve a hundred things to do before I die” and “No one’s looked at me this way in years,” performed with heart and conviction by McCann and McGarty. I could easily picture these pieces being used as huge emotional showstoppers in big Broadway or West End musicals.
One of the biggest crowd-pleasers for the night followed with “Fizzy or Still,” a hilarious duet between Rowe and Xavier about ditching the booze for fizzy or still water. The two played off each other so well during this piece that I could not help but smile.
Black then lamented the lack of recognition that lyricists receive. He recounted that he once asked Johnny Mercer, lyricist on “Moon River,” how he felt about it to which he replied, “There’s nothing you can do about it – it’s like being ugly.” 🙂
Next came the cheeky “Life Goes On” delivered with mischievous glee by O’Connor, then the short but lovely “Everything but the blame” by Xavier.
The wildly entertaining “Straight Men” followed with a fun performance from the three female vocalists.
Black returned to explain that if you write something you know about, then a kind of honesty shines through. This led to the touching “Guessing Alone,” which while not explicitly stated, was about what life was like after his wife had passed away.
Rowe did an amazing job making this piece feel honest and heartfelt.
McGarty then took centre stage to show off her tremendous vocal range with “Things a lady shouldn’t do.”
In ads for the show, it clearly states that each performance will feature one surprise special guest, and who better to bring for the opening performance than the tremendous Michael Ball who humourously explained to the stunned audience that he was “just passing (through the area)!” He then proceeded to give a truly unforgettable performance of the iconic “Love Changes Everything” from ASPECTS OF LOVE, the acclaimed Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. To hear the man that originally brought this song to life really was a privilege.
For the matinee performance, Ball had actually asked the audience to sing along with him. But for the press night performance later that day, he sung without the audience. If only Webber had been there himself accompanying Ball on the piano… now THAT would have been truly special!
The next three songs were about the love of Black’s life, Shirley.
For the first piece, “When no-one’s looking,” Black explained that it was the first one he wrote for the show and that the piece had really got to his wife. Given a heartfelt performance by O’Connor, it was hard not to shed a tear.
Black then returned to explain that every song he had written was for his wife. He followed this by proudly proclaiming that “a lot of men say they have the best wife in the world, but a lot of them are wrong.” This marked the beginning of “I’d go to bed earlier,” with Rowe giving a raw and heartbreaking performance of this song about how life had changed for Black after his lost his wife. Surely there was not a dry eye in the house.
Next came my favourite piece for the night, the stunning “Unhealable,” another piece vividly describing how the passing of his wife broke him. It was McCann who was tasked with bringing this song to life, and boy, did she knock it out of the park with a performance full of conviction and pain. Credit must also go to Natasha Bedingfield and Fraser T. Smith for composing the music for this beautiful song – I can only hope that it is commercially released someday so more can hear this gorgeous piece of music.
The main program then concluded with a reprise from the cast of the opening song, “From the Heart.” Starting slow and reflective, the arrangement soon changed to one of upbeat joy and positivity, with the words reminding us of the incredible power of songs.
PART 4: A CLOSING MEDLEY
Black’s voice returned one more time to explain that his illustrious career is in big part because of the work he did with Matt Monro, John Barry and Andrew Lloyd Webber. He explained that if it hadn’t been for them, he would still be living in a council flat in Hackney!
A medley of Black’s biggest hits was then performed, opening with a suite of Bond songs that included a fantastic mash-up of THUNDERBALL, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER, and THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH. This was followed by a fun performance of THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN led by O’Connor, who had the cast dancing along with her on stage.
It was now time for some brief snippets from Black’s legendary catalogue starting with that iconic clap chant from THE ITALIAN JOB and those iconic lyrics, “This is the self-preservation society!”
The vocal version of the EastEnders theme (“Anyone Can Fall In Love”) followed, with music from TO SIR WITH LOVE coming next. Rowe then took centre stage for a captivating performance of the Michael Jackson hit “Ben”, which was then followed by a sensational performance of music from TELL ME ON A SUNDAY, SUNSET BOULEVARD and a reprise of “Love Changes Everything” from ASPECTS OF LOVE.
The medley came to an end with Black’s most famous song, BORN FREE. With all singers assembling front stage, they delivered one final powerhouse performance for the night.
If that medley was not enough, one final surprise was in store: Don Black himself was in attendance and graced the stage to the wild applause and adulation of all.
It really was the perfect way to cap off a perfect evening.
PART 5: BARRY AND BLACK (REPRISE)
I know I should say that the sole reason I came to London from Japan was to see Don Black’s show.
But in actual fact, there was also another reason, and that was to fulfil a dream I’ve held since September 20th, 2004: to have Don Black add his autograph to a piece of sheet music that was signed by John Barry when I met him outside the Almeida Theatre at the press night of the Barry/Black musical, BRIGHTON ROCK.
That sheet music is their academy award-winning song BORN FREE, which has sat “incomplete” in my study for the last twenty-two years.
On the off chance that I would be able to catch Black at the performance, I knew I had to bring that sheet music with me, so I carefully packed it and prayed that I could meet him.
Well, the Gods were most definitely smiling on me as I spotted Black posing for a photo outside the theatre just before the matinee performance on opening day. Not wanting to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I approached Black and politely asked for a photo and for him to sign my “incomplete” sheet music.
Needless to say, he happily obliged and made this long-time fan the happiest person in the world. How could I not be?!
It is a gift that I shall forever treasure, with my memories of meeting them to last a lifetime.
PART 7: SHOW MERCH
The theatre was selling programs, pens, and Black’s autobiography in the lobby.
Black also held a book signing after the October 10th performance, which I unfortunately could not attend. By all accounts, it was a huge success with many long-time fans coming to show their love and appreciation for Black.
PART 8: OVER TO YOU
Did you go to this show too? How did you like it?
And what did you think of my report? Feel free to comment below or reach out to me directly in the “Contact Me” section.