Editing Flanders and Swann (section)

==Musical partnership==
Flanders and Swann both attended [[Westminster School]] (where in July and August 1940 they staged a revue called ''Go To It'')<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.donaldswann.co.uk/hatshow.html|title=Hat Shows|website=Donaldswann.co.uk|access-date=3 September 2019}}</ref> and [[Christ Church, Oxford]], two institutions linked by ancient tradition. The pair went their separate ways during [[World War II]], but a chance meeting in 1948 led to their forming a musical partnership writing songs and [[light opera]]. Flanders provided the words and Swann composed the music. Their songs have been sung by performers such as [[Ian Wallace (singer)|Ian Wallace]] and [[Joyce Grenfell]].

In December 1956, Flanders and Swann hired the New Lindsey Theatre, [[Notting Hill]], to perform their two-man revue ''At the Drop of a Hat'', which opened on New Year's Eve.<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=470}}</ref> Flanders sang a selection of the songs that they had written, interspersed with comic monologues, accompanied by Swann on the piano. An unusual feature of their act was that both men remained seated for their shows: Swann behind his piano and Flanders in a wheelchair (having contracted [[poliomyelitis]] in 1943).<ref name="Larkin"/> The show was successful and transferred the next month to the [[Fortune Theatre]], where it ran for over two years, before touring in the UK, the United States, Canada and Switzerland.<ref name="Larkin"/>

In 1963, Flanders and Swann opened in a second revue, ''At the Drop of Another Hat'', at the [[Haymarket Theatre]].<ref name="Larkin"/> Over the next four years they toured a combination of the two shows in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, [[Hong Kong]], the United States and Canada, before finishing at the [[Booth Theatre]] on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in New York City. On 9 April 1967, they performed their last live show together.<ref name="Larkin"/> Ten days later, they moved into a studio theater and recorded the show for television.

Over the course of 11 years, Flanders and Swann gave nearly 2,000 live performances. Although their performing partnership ended in 1967, they remained friends afterwards and collaborated on occasional projects.

===Timeline and venues of the revues===
{| class="wikitable"
|-  style="text-align:center; background:#b8268f;"
! Date<ref name=sleeve>Sleeve notes to the CD box set "The Complete Flanders & Swann"</ref> || Venue<ref name=sleeve/>
|- 
| 1953 || Royal Court Theatre, "Airs on a Shoestring"
|- <ref name="Program">Program</ref>
| 1954 || Saville Theatre, "Pay the Piper"
|- <ref name="Program"/>
| 1956 || Comedy Theatre, "Fresh Airs"
|- <ref name="Program"/>
| 1956 || New Lindsey Theatre, Notting Hill
|-
| 1957–59 || [[Fortune Theatre]] (suspended one month because of Flanders' pneumonia)
|-
| 1959 || [[Edinburgh Festival]] "At the Drop of a Kilt"
|-
| 1959–60 || [[John Golden Theatre|Golden Theatre]], [[New York City|New York]]
|-
| 1960–61 || 12-city tour of United States, plus [[Toronto]], Canada
|-
| 1961 || Switzerland
|-
| 1962 || 9-city tour of UK, plus Toronto, Canada
|-
| 1963 || 9-city tour of UK
|-
| 1963 || [[Haymarket Theatre]]
|-
| 1964 || 4-city tour of Australia, 5 New Zealand plus Hong Kong
|-
| 1965 || 3-city tour of UK
|-
| 1965 || Globe Theatre (now the Gielgud)
|-
| 1966 || 9-city tour of USA, plus Toronto
|-
| 1966–67 || New York
|}