“inventive, mischievous and thrilling”

The Times *****

on Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear the Musical! for the National Theatre

Jim is a composer and song-writer who loves music from Bach to Bebop, from Blues to Bowie. Growing up above a pub in Soho, he went on to study Philosophy down the road at UCL. After graduating, he embarked on a singing career that took him around the world. He now works in theatre, music and television and is as happy writing a three minute pop tune as he is a score with a more filmic ambition. He is also a specialist vocal-arranger and studied the flute with John Francis (professor at RCM) and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.

Recent Musical credits include:

Pericles and Mr Gum and the Dancing Bear The Musical! (Olivier Award Nomination 2020) both for the National Theatre. The Beautiful Cosmos of Ivor Cutler (Vanishing Point and National Theatre of Scotland) for which he won Best Music and Sound at the Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland.

Jim is delighted to be writing his second musical with Chris Bush for the National Theatre’s Public Acts company. The Odyssey will be on in the Olivier in August ‘23.. https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/the-odyssey/