Play on Words

Play On Words is a vibrant, genre-spanning musical tribute in which the multi-talented Hal Cazalet — performer, composer, and lyricist — takes audiences on an effervescent journey through the evolution of the American musical. At its heart lies a deeply personal homage to his step great-grandfather P.G. Wodehouse, one of Broadway’s earliest and most influential lyricists, whose collaborations with Jerome Kern helped lay the foundation for modern musical theatre.

Cazalet curates a rich and wide-ranging repertoire that celebrates more than 120 years of musical innovation. The programme features iconic works by Jerome Kern, George & Ira Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Stephen Sondheim, Noël Coward, Maury Yeston, Alan Jay Lerner, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Dudley Moore, Alan Ayckbourn, and many others — alongside Cazalet’s own compositions. Through deft storytelling, playful humour, and impeccable vocal performance, he illuminates how these writers shaped the sound, structure, and soul of musical theatre.

Part concert, part cabaret, and part historical tribute, Play On Words moves seamlessly between eras and styles, from witty patter songs to soaring ballads, from Golden Age classics to modern masterpieces. With warmth, intelligence, and effusive charm, Cazalet offers not just a concert, but a love letter to the art of lyricism and the legacy of the artists who transformed American theatre.