by Will Ramsey

Rewind the clock to the mid-'60s. A couple of new musicals, Mary Poppins and The Sound Of Music, have just been released in the cinemas.

And, somewhere in the suburbs, a precocious Andrew Lloyd Webber is starting his first full-length composition.

The Likes Of Us, a "lost gem" written when Lloyd Webber was 17, is being performed by the Hull Musical Society.

"There are some songs which have echoes of songs from The Sound Of Music and Mary Poppins," said Ian Start, the chairman of the society.

"But you can also see where he was developing his style.

"Our accompanist will say 'That was totally Lloyd Webber – six flats in a row.'

"You can hear echoes of his later work in some of the songs, perhaps not with the finish of Phantom Of The Opera but certainly the early signs of his creative genius."

The Likes Of Us, which also marked Lloyd Webber's first collaboration with Tim Rice, follows the work of Dr Thomas Barnardo.

This Irishman – who arrived in Victorian London on route to missionary work in China – set up his first children's home after witnessing the deprivation of the East End.

"It is quite rousing and Oliver-esque in its setting in Victorian London," said Ian.

"It fairly rattles along, with the narration linking the story."

Despite Lloyd Webber's ambitious plans for the show, including a West End staging, The Likes Of Us remained unperformed.

It wasn't until 2005, on its 40th anniversary, that the musical was finally presented at Lloyd Webber's annual Sydmonton Festival in the grounds of his Hampshire home.

While mostly in its 1965 state, the show was given fuller orchestrations and a new book by Tim Rice, who also played the character of an auctioneer.

And it might have vanished again, had it not been for the occasion of Lloyd Webber's 60th birthday last year.

"The National Operatic and Dramatic Association, of which he is president, asked him what he'd like as a present," said Ian.

"He said that he didn't want one – but would instead give them a present, the rights to the show."

After applying, Hull Musical Society – formerly The Hull Amateur Operatic Society – secured the rights for East Yorkshire.

The group's performances of the show next week, at Hornsea's Floral Hall and the Middleton Hall, University Of Hull, features live orchestration.

For the children's chorus, members have been drawn from The Beverley Offshoots, the junior section of Beverley Musical Theatre, and Bilton Amateur Dramatic Society's youth section – as well as relations of the cast.

And despite this being an early Lloyd Webber work, Ian said the composer's way with a tune was evident.

"There's a song in there called Have Another Cup Of Tea," he said.

"All the cast have found they can't make a cup of tea without singing it."

*The Likes Of Us is on Tuesday, October 27, and Wednesday, October 28, 7.30pm, at the Floral Hall, Hornsea; Friday, October 30, 7.30pm and Saturday, October 31, 2.30pm and 7.30pm, at Middleton Hall, University of Hull.

Tickets are £5-£10 and £25 for a family of two adults and up to three children. Call: (01964) 532239 for the Hornsea dates; (01482) 890997 for the Hull dates.