It moved ahead of Cabaret, staged six years ago – an achievement all the more remarkable for the fact The Music Man still has three weeks to go before the end of its run.

Tough economic conditions for pretty much everyone else have failed to dent the CFT's rising star.

CFT artistic director Jonathan Church significantly increased audiences in his first summer season at the venue two years ago – and he built on the increases last year. This year he looks set for similar success.

"I am really pleased with the whole season. One day I will say I am so depressed I am going to throw myself off the end of the pier, but not yet. We have had another season where more and more people are coming.

"Of course we are worried about the economy. But I talked to an American friend of mine who runs three theatres in New York. He said 'If I am honest, people have stopped moving house and buying new cars, but they are still coming to the theatre' – and America has been in this recession longer than we have.

"To a degree, our audiences here are going to be affected less. Most of our audiences have their mortgages well paid or paid off by now. And we have been very fortunate again this summer the work at the theatre has been of such high quality again."

The Music Man, starring Brian Conley, has now surpassed everything as the best-selling show in the CFT's history.

To see a photo gallery going behind the scenes at The Music Man at Chichester Festival Theatre click on the green button.


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