I was lucky enough to see Tim Rice on stage recently, as the musical legend toured the country to talk about his life, career and achievements. It was worth every penny of the entry price, with the famous lyricist sharing great stories and surprising facts, and a quartet of singers showcasing some of the songs that have littered his illustrious career so far.

I don’t usually attend events like this, where it is one or two people just talking about their lives, but I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to see a musical legend in the flesh. I had expected Rice, 80 years old this year, to be chatting with a presenter/interviewer and share small tidbits of interest. But the guy was solo on stage (apart from the band and singers) and talked at length for two halves of the two hour show.

There was stuff I knew, his relationship with Lloyd Webber of course, but stuff I didn’t - that they had met Elvis, that he had picked up Aladdin after the death of the previous lyricist, that he was now working with Gary Barlow. We got a glimpse of the trophies that make up his EGOT status, and we got to hear some great (and not-so-great) versions of songs from his back catalogue. It’s a mixed bag, obviously, so I didn’t like everything presented, but the good stuff was really good.

I’m in awe of anyone that has had such success in the musical theatre business, but even more so now there is context behind the man, the myth, the legend. I believe the tour has come to a close for now, but hopefully he will reprise it at some point so that if you haven’t seen him talk, you will get another chance.