David Ian
Encyclopedia
David Ian Lane is a former actor and now a theatre producer who The Stage
has called "the most powerful man in UK theatre".
’s global theatrical division, he was one of the judges in the BBC
TV series How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?
. In the 1980s, David took part in the A Song For Europe
contest twice, finishing in 2nd place on both occasions. In 1984, as part of the group First Division with the song Where The Action Is, and in 1986 as part of the group Jump, performing Don't Hang Up On Love.
The son of a Railway Fitter and a Personal Assistant, Ian started as an actor and starred in a number of UK theatre productions, including the musicals Time (musical)
, The Pirates of Penzance
, Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
, and Rocky in The Rocky Horror Show
. He is known professionally as David Ian as the name David Lane was already taken when he applied to actors union Equity.
In 1990 Ian met Paul Nicholas
while they were both starring in a production of The Pirates of Penzance
at the London Palladium
. The pair created a partnership, Paul Nicholas & David Ian Associates Ltd. The company has since produced shows, including:
In 2006 he founded David Ian Productions, based in London’s Covent Garden. It currently produces or co-produces and/or general manages The Sound of Music (UK Tour and Toronto), Grease (London and North American Tour), La Cage Aux Folles (London), Chicago (UK Tour), Flashdance (UK Tour), and 'Britain’s Got Talent – Arena Tour'. In 2008 DIP, together with Arlene Phillips
, Universal and ITV Productions, produced a new musical drama series for ITV 1 called Britannia High, with music by Gary Barlow
.
agreed to be co-producers on a production of the The Sound of Music
. After approaching and being turned down by actress Scarlett Johansson
to play the role of Maria von Trapp
, they approached the BBC
, and created the reality TV show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?
, hosted by Graham Norton
.
On 20 August 2006, it was reported that Lloyd-Webber had taken legal action against Ian. Lloyd-Webber reportedly wanted to take the show's format to the United States to cast a Broadway theatre
production of Grease
. Lloyd-Webber discovered that Ian had already brought the idea to NBC
, who announced they will look for unknowns to play Sandy Olsson and Danny Zuko, via reality TV show You're The One That We Want
with Ian and the BBC, leaving Lord Lloyd-Webber furious. Ian said "I don't understand the problem. Andrew has no connection with the stage show Grease, which I have successfully produced in the UK. There is a new production of Grease on Broadway in the spring of 2007, that's why I've been asked to judge on You're The One That We Want."
during Christmas
1990. The couple live in Buckinghamshire with their two children.
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
has called "the most powerful man in UK theatre".
Biography
Formerly the chairman of Live NationLive Nation
Live Nation is a live-events company based in Beverly Hills, California, focused on concert promotions. Live Nation formed in 2005 as a spin-off from Clear Channel Communications, which then merged with Ticketmaster in 2010 to become Live Nation Entertainment....
’s global theatrical division, he was one of the judges in the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
TV series How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? was a British television talent series, that was broadcast on Saturday evenings on BBC One between 29 July and 16 September 2006. It documented the search for a new, undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Maria von Trapp in the 2006 Andrew...
. In the 1980s, David took part in the A Song For Europe
A Song for Europe
A Song for Europe may refer to:*A Song for Europe, former name of British pre-selection competition for the Eurovision Song Contest, now known as Eurovision: Your Country Needs You...
contest twice, finishing in 2nd place on both occasions. In 1984, as part of the group First Division with the song Where The Action Is, and in 1986 as part of the group Jump, performing Don't Hang Up On Love.
The son of a Railway Fitter and a Personal Assistant, Ian started as an actor and starred in a number of UK theatre productions, including the musicals Time (musical)
Time (musical)
Time is a musical with a book and lyrics by Dave Clark and David Soames, music by Jeff Daniels, and additional songs by David Pomeranz.Derived from the 1970s musical The Time Lord by Soames and Daniels, it focuses on contemporary rock musician Chris Wilder, who has been transported with his backup...
, The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
, Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is an Andrew Lloyd Webber musical with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story is based on the "coat of many colors" story of Joseph from the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis. This was the first Lloyd Webber and Rice musical to be performed publicly...
, and Rocky in The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show
The Rocky Horror Show is a long-running British horror comedy stage musical, which opened in London on 19 June 1973. It was written by Richard O'Brien, produced and directed by Jim Sharman. It came eighth in a BBC Radio 2 listener poll of the "Nation's Number One Essential Musicals"...
. He is known professionally as David Ian as the name David Lane was already taken when he applied to actors union Equity.
In 1990 Ian met Paul Nicholas
Paul Nicholas
Paul Nicholas is an English actor and singer who has had considerable success on stage, screen and in the pop charts.-Biography:Nicholas was born as Paul Oscar Beuselinck in Peterborough, England...
while they were both starring in a production of The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance
The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. The opera's official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 1879, where the show was well received by both audiences...
at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
. The pair created a partnership, Paul Nicholas & David Ian Associates Ltd. The company has since produced shows, including:
- Jesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ SuperstarJesus Christ Superstar is a rock opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The musical started off as a rock opera concept recording before its first staging on Broadway in 1971...
- GreaseGrease (musical)Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
- Rocky Horror Show
- Ain't Misbehavin'
- Singin' in the RainSingin' in the Rain (musical)Singin' in the Rain is a musical with a book by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, lyrics by Arthur Freed, and music by Nacio Herb Brown.Adapted from the 1952 movie of the same name, the plot closely adheres to the original...
- Evita
- ChessChess (musical)Chess is a musical with music by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, formerly of ABBA, and with lyrics by Tim Rice. The story involves a romantic triangle between two top players, an American and a Russian, in a world chess championship, and a woman who manages one and falls in love with the other;...
- Happy DaysHappy DaysHappy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
- Saturday Night FeverSaturday Night FeverSaturday Night Fever is a 1977 drama film directed by John Badham and starring: John Travolta as Tony Manero, an immature young man whose weekends are spent visiting a local Brooklyn discothèque; Karen Lynn Gorney as his dance partner and eventual friend; and Donna Pescow as Tony's former dance...
In 2006 he founded David Ian Productions, based in London’s Covent Garden. It currently produces or co-produces and/or general manages The Sound of Music (UK Tour and Toronto), Grease (London and North American Tour), La Cage Aux Folles (London), Chicago (UK Tour), Flashdance (UK Tour), and 'Britain’s Got Talent – Arena Tour'. In 2008 DIP, together with Arlene Phillips
Arlene Phillips
Arlene Phillips OBE is an English choreographer, theatre director, talent scout, TV presenter, TV judge and former dancer, who has worked in many fields of entertainment...
, Universal and ITV Productions, produced a new musical drama series for ITV 1 called Britannia High, with music by Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
.
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?
In 2006, Ian and Andrew Lloyd-WebberAndrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
agreed to be co-producers on a production of the The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers...
. After approaching and being turned down by actress Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model and singer.Johansson made her film debut in North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo . She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World...
to play the role of Maria von Trapp
Maria von Trapp
Maria Augusta von Trapp , also known as Baroness Maria von Trapp, was the stepmother and matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers...
, they approached the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, and created the reality TV show How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?
How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? was a British television talent series, that was broadcast on Saturday evenings on BBC One between 29 July and 16 September 2006. It documented the search for a new, undiscovered musical theatre performer to play the role of Maria von Trapp in the 2006 Andrew...
, hosted by Graham Norton
Graham Norton
Graham William Walker, known by his stage name Graham Norton , is an Irish actor, comedian, television presenter and columnist...
.
On 20 August 2006, it was reported that Lloyd-Webber had taken legal action against Ian. Lloyd-Webber reportedly wanted to take the show's format to the United States to cast a Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of Grease
Grease (musical)
Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
. Lloyd-Webber discovered that Ian had already brought the idea to NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, who announced they will look for unknowns to play Sandy Olsson and Danny Zuko, via reality TV show You're The One That We Want
You're The One That We Want
Grease: You're the One that I Want! was an NBC reality television series designed to cast the lead roles of Sandy Dumbrowski and Danny Zuko in a $10 million Broadway revival of the musical Grease to be directed and choreographed by two-time Tony Award-winner, Kathleen Marshall...
with Ian and the BBC, leaving Lord Lloyd-Webber furious. Ian said "I don't understand the problem. Andrew has no connection with the stage show Grease, which I have successfully produced in the UK. There is a new production of Grease on Broadway in the spring of 2007, that's why I've been asked to judge on You're The One That We Want."
Personal life
David Ian met his actress wife Tracy in pantomimePantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
during Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
1990. The couple live in Buckinghamshire with their two children.