Half a Sixpence is a musical comedy, written as a vehicle for British pop star Tommy Steele. Musical theater (or theatre) is a form of theater combining music, songs, dance, and spoken dialogue. ... Tommy Steele (born December 17th, 1936) is a British entertainer. ...

It was based on H.G. Wells's novel Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul. Steele played Arthur Kipps, an orphan who unexpectedly inherits a fortune, and climbs the social ladder before losing everything and realizing that you just can't buy happiness. The novel is somewhat autobiographical, being inspired by the rapid changes in Wells's own life when his early novels brought him financial security. H. G. Wells at the door of his house at Sandgate Herbert George Wells (September 21, 1866 - August 13, 1946) was an English writer best known for his science fiction novels such as The War of the Worlds and The Time Machine. ... DeFoes Robinson Crusoe, Newspaper edition published in 1719 A novel (from French nouvelle, new) is an extended fictional narrative in prose. ...

David Heneker (who had also worked on Irma La Douce and Charlie Girl) wrote both music and lyrics. Steele's importance to the show was made evident by his appearance in twelve of the musical's fifteen-song score. Much of this musical seems to be tailored as a star vehicle for Steele's particular talents. This is especially evident in the musical number "Money to Burn": when Arthur Kipps realizes that he is about to become wealthy, he decides that the first thing he will buy is ... a banjo. This is the cue for someone to hand Tommy Steele a banjo so that he can demonstrate his skill on the instrument. But, in fact, in Wells's novel, one of the first things that Arthur Kipps purchases with his newfound wealth is, indeed, a banjo. Irma la Douce is a 1956 French stage musical whose book and lyrics were written by Alexandre Breffort with music by Marguerite Monnot. ... Charlie Girl is a musical first produced in the West End in 1965. ... Wikibooks Wikiversity has more about this subject: School of Music Look up Music in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Wikisource, as part of the 1911 Encyclopedia Wikiproject, has original text related to this article: Music Meta has a page about this at: Music markup MusicNovatory: the science of music encyclopedia The... Lyrics are the written words in a song. ...

Half a Sixpence later transferred to Broadway in 1965, playing at the Broadhurst Theatre for 511 performances. This production also starred Steele. In the cast was John Cleese in the small but crucial role of Walsingham, the stockbroker from a respectable family who embezzles Kipps's fortune. Half a Sixpence was the last West End show to transfer successfully to New York before the late 1970s and early 1980s musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber. Broadway theatre is often considered the highest professional form of theatre in the United States. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link goes to calendar). ... John Cleese as Q in Die Another Day. ... West End is the name of some places in the world, including: The West End of London, England West End Theatre, is where many of Londons major theatres are located and premier cinema screenings take place. ... State nickname: The Empire State Official languages English Capital Albany Largest city New York City Governor George Pataki (R) Senators Charles Schumer (D) Hillary Clinton (D) Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 13. ... The 1970s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1970 and 1979. ... The 1980s in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1980 and 1989. ... Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born March 22, 1948) is a highly successful British composer of musical theatre. ...

A film version, also starring Steele, followed in 1967. 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...