Tim Rice takes the stage with My Life In Musicals - Guildford date

Tim will be sharing the anecdotes behind the songs, the hits and the misses, along with stories of his life at venues including Monday, April 14 at Guildford’s G-Live (0343 310 0055); Monday, April 28 at Worthing’s Pavilion Theatre (01903 206206); Tuesday, May 20 at Fareham Live (0343 310 0022); and Friday, May 23 at Eastbourne’s Congress Theatre (01323 412000). Tickets via www.sirtimricelive.com

Along the way, the Worthing date will be particularly special for Sir Tim, a former pupil at Lancing College: “I always remember that Worthing was seen as a very safe place for us lads to go. If you wanted to go to Brighton, you had to find an excuse like pretending to go to the library!”

As for the show: “It went so well when I did it last year that the producers wanted to do it again. I was a little bit wary but they've come back and given me a longer tour. But really I've been doing this kind of thing for a while. Over the years I've done this sort of show for charities or for entertaining at big dinners, and it's really just a chance to chat in a light-hearted but I hope intelligent way about my career and my experiences over the years!

“And we do include 20 odd songs. I don't mean songs that are odd! But 20 songs from my career and if you're a fan of musicals then I would say that you would probably know 15 of them pretty well. And then there will be several lesser known ones, maybe from shows that didn't quite make it for whatever reason. And then in between the songs I'll be chatting about the people that I have worked with, people like Andrew and Benny and Bjorn and Elton and Alan.”

More specifically Andrew Lloyd Webber, Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, Elton John, and Alan Menken. It really is quite some list.

“I do find myself getting more reflective when I'm doing this show. Things will occur to me that I hadn't thought of before or someone will say something that makes me think of something that I haven't thought of before. I'm not sure I'm going to have another mega hit at this stage in my career. But you never know. I've got various irons in the fire. But it is a nice chance to look back.”

Part of the fun has been that the people he has worked with have been so very different though they have always had one great thing in common, the fact that they write brilliant music: “There are maybe not quite so many people around that specialise in writing lyrics. A lot of composers write their own lyrics but I am basically a specialist lyricist. I didn't set out to be that but that's the way it has happened, and if there is a great tunesmith out there that would rather not write the words and for whom music is their forte, then that's maybe where I come in. I'm slightly unique or at least there are not that many people in my position.

“But the lovely thing is that you have to put yourself into a lot of different positions. If I'm writing a one-off pop song which I've done occasionally, then I don't know what the character is thinking or what their situation is or whether their life is going up or down at that point. But when you are writing for a musical, then you are writing from the position of knowing the story and knowing the situation. The story always comes first. I would never have written Don't Cry For Me Argentina if Andrew had given me the tune and said write me a pop lyric. The point is the context. And that's a big plus because you feel you know the character. I've never worn a dress or addressed 10,000 people in a square in Buenos Aires but you can put yourself in that position when you are writing a musical. If you're writing a pop song, then you don't have that context.”

Inevitably the people Tim has worked with have had very different working methods: “They are all great but Elton likes the words first. He is one of those composers that only works on a big project when he has got the words and then he is inspired by the lyrics. So with The Lion King you would write the lyrics and then explain to Elton ‘This is a song sung by a warthog and the warthog, as you can tell from the lyrics, has a few wind problems’, and then Elton would know how to write it.”

With Andrew and with Benny and Bjorn, it was the music first: “But before anything the thing that has to come first is the story. It has to fit the story. Like with Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Andrew knew that it had to be a strong powerful tune that could be sung tenderly but could be sung powerfully. So basically I got used to working with story, music, lyrics until I worked with Elton and then it was story, lyrics, music.”

Inevitably then on tour, there is going to be much to look back on for Sir Tim, not least Joseph: “I think Joseph is the one that will still be around in 100 years’ time if the world is around in 100 years’ time. I think it's a show that appeals to all ages, and there again it is the story that is most important thing. I also think Joseph has got some very funny lyrics if it doesn't sound too arrogant for me to say so. There are a lot of lyrics that really work although there are also obviously some very serious moments in there as well.”

Sir Tim will also reflect on the musicals that have slipped through the net including Heathcliff, the 1996 musical conceived by and starring Cliff Richard based on Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. The music was composed by John Farrar with lyrics written by Sir Tim.

“It didn't do so well. I love the songs but it never seemed to get staged in the right place at the right time. But you can't win them all. And you just never know. I never thought that Joseph would be anything other than a concert for children!”

The show will feature songs including Don’t Cry For Me Argentina (Evita), Any Dream Will Do (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat), A Whole New World (Aladdin) Can You Feel The Love Tonight (The Lion King), I Don’t Know How To Love Him (Jesus Christ Superstar) , Circle of Life (The Lion King), Chess, Hakuna Matata (The Lion King) Another Suitcase in Another Hall (Evita), I Know Him So Well (Chess), All Time High (Octopussy), Must Love Me (Evita), and A Night In Bangkok (Chess).