here - Samuel French, Ltd.

The
PROFESSIONAL
Catalogue
Samuel French
Samuel French Ltd
52 Fitzroy Street
London
W1T 5JR
© 2012 by Samuel French Ltd
This Professional Catalogue contains information on
plays and musicals in which Samuel French Ltd has professional rights
CONTENTS
Section 1
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and
Australian Playwrights
Page 1
Section 2
Full Length Plays by American Playwrights
Page 47
Section 3
Musicals
Page 71
Section 4
Pantomimes and Children’s Plays and Musicals
Page 91
Section 5
One Act Plays
Page 101
Author Index
Page 105
Title Index Parts 1-5
Page 119
AVAILABILITY OF SCRIPTS AND TERMS OF LEASING
Reading Copies
Samuel French Ltd will be pleased to supply reading copies of any titles contained
herein, subject to availability. Reading copies are available from Zena Choi, Samuel
French Ltd, 52 Fitzroy Street, London W1T 5JR. Telephone: 020 7255 4313. Email:
professional@samuelfrench-london.co.uk
Permission
to Perform
Please note that the appearance of a title in this catalogue does not necessarily
indicate its availability for professional production. It is important that permission to perform is obtained well in advance of any proposed production dates.
Terms
and Conditions
Terms and conditions of leasing, which may vary according to the play, will be
quoted on application.
Other plays
There may be plays in which Samuel French Ltd has professional repertory rights
which do not appear in this catalogue. Samuel French Ltd has extensive records of
plays, playwrights and their leasing agents and are willing, wherever possible, to
assist professional companies locate the appropriate agent.
Musicals
Samuel French Ltd will be pleased to supply perusal copies of libretti and vocal
scores, subject to availability. Band parts are available for most of the musical shows
listed herein. Rental fees for rehearsal materials are levied per playing week and
rehearsal period.
American plays
Many of the titles in Section 2 and some of the titles in Section 3 of this catalogue are
subject to specific clearance from America and this may involve some delay.
Section One
Full Length Plays by
British, Irish and
Australian
Playwrights
SAMUEL FRENCH
Professional Catalogue
Addendum
SECTION 1 – British / South African Plays
Just the Ticket by Peter Quilter
F1 (character can be split)
Susan, an eccentric sixty-year old, decides to
celebrate her brithday by repeating a journey to
Australia she made with a group of friends when
she was 20… this time she is travelling alone –
carrying the same hopes and dreams but with 40
years of extra baggage!
A poignant 90-minute journey through Susan’s
hilarious life, a unique comedy that can be
performed by one, three, four or six women!
“A funny modern-day Shirley Valentine… touching,
honest and comical”… SameSame
Cheshire Cats by Gail Young
M1-3 F5-7. Extras. Various simple settings
Grown women, aching feet and heaving bosoms!
Follow the Cheshire Cats team as they speedwalk
their way to fundraising success in the London
Moonwalk. Hilary, Siobhan, Yvonne, Vicky and
Maggie are attempting to walk 13 miles across the
capital in record time in their decorated bras and
posh new trainers, but the sixth member of their
team doesn't seem to meet the physical criteria!
Cheshire Cats is a cross between a girls' night out
and a real mission to support a cause close to
many hearts, with plenty of laughs and a few tears
along the way.
"... moving, emotional, poignant, and best of all it
makes you laugh ..." Chester Chronicle
Hotel Mystere by Bettine Manktelow
M4 F3
It’s a bad day for David Richmond and his team at
the hotel, Tony the Barman, porter Sean, barmaid
Tanya and ditzy waitress Lucy. First there’s a fussy,
demanding customer to contend with, and then
Russian Mafioso Boris Barushnikov checks in,
apparently convinced Tanya is prepared to offer
him more than just drinks during his stay. Worst of
all, rumours are circulating of a mystery guest who
has come to inspect the place. Then Lucy stumbles
upon a dead body in the annex...
Hotel Mystere is a clever comedy-thriller from the
author of Curtain Up on Murder, Murder Weekend,
and Proscenophobia.
SECTION 2 – American Plays
SECTION 3 – Musicals
Hands on a Hardbody
Book by Doug Wright Lyrics by Amanda Green
Music by Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green
M9 F6 Musical Dramatic Comedy
Inspired by true events and infused with a “fresh
roots-rock vibe” this is the hilarious hard fought
contest where only one winner can drive away
with the American dream.
10 contestants. 4 days. 1 truck.
“Hands down it’s musical theatre heaven!” – New
York Magazine
“You can hear the sound of America singing in this
daring new musical” New York Times
Kennedy The Musical
Book Music and Lyrics by Allan Jay Friedman
and Leslie Bricusse
M8 F2 + ensemble (flexible casting)
This is the story of John F Kennedy, starting in 1959
with his bid for US presidency and following events
through to his assassination in November 1963.
Originally performed under the title ONE SHINING
th
MOMENT. 2013 marks the 50 anniversary of the
death of President Kennedy.
“A theatrical treat that captures the wit, pathos
and problems of JFK, all set to stirring music.” –
Chicago Sun-Times
SECTION 4 Pantomimes & Children’s Plays
Pantomimes
LITTLE BOY BLUE by Paul Reakes
Young People’s
SECTION 5 One-Act Plays
LESSER MORTALS by Geoff Saunders
STRANGERS by Colin & Mary Crowther
STUBBS by Steve Harper
TITLES TO COME:
Chariots of Fire
Adapted for the stage by Mike Bartlett
Haggard
Eric Chappell & Michael Green
The Ladykillers by Graham Linehan
Robyn Hood of Deadwood by Richard Free
Same Time Next Year – Musical
Book by Bernard Slade
Music and Lyrics by Stan Daniels
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Abelard and Heloise
All For Mary
M12 F9. Extras.
Multiple skeleton set
M4 (young, 30s) F2 (20s, elderly).
A hotel room
Play. Ronald Millar
The famous love story of Abelard, the renowned teacher
who fell in love with Heloise, a girl half his age, had a
child by her, married her, was cruelly punished and was
eventually received into the Church, is told in flashback.
Throughout looms the presence of the Church, the
monasteries and convents of twelfth-century France, with
the monks and nuns who watch and silently comment
on the action.
Adam Bede
Play. Geoffrey Beevers.
Adapted from the novel by George Eliot
Flexible cast of up to 30 characters,
can be played by a minimum of M3 F3.
Various interior and exterior settings
In this rich and humorous portrayal of eighteenth-century
rural life, Geoffrey Beevers remains true to George
Eliot’s original novel. Adam Bede, a young carpenter
of integrity, loves Hetty Sorrel, a pretty and self-centred
dairymaid, who herself dreams of Arthur Donnithorne,
the young squire. Arthur cannot resist seducing her,
and their passion has tragic consequences for the whole
community.
The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn
Play. Adapted by Matthew Francis
from the novel by Mark Twain
M22 F8 (doubling possible).
Various interior and exterior settings.
Period 19th century
Huckleberry Finn’s adventurous journey along the
Mississippi is skilfully captured in Matthew Francis’
superb adaptation of Mark Twain’s classic novel.
First produced at the Greenwich Theatre, this exciting
approach to Twain’s epic thrives on the use of minimal
set and prop devices to illustrate the many locations.
A truly imaginative, both moral and humorous, tale of
discovery with flexible casting opportunities.
Albert Make Us Laugh
Play. Jimmie Chinn
M6 F8 or M4 F5 (doubling)
Various simple interior and exterior settings
Period 1940s-50s
Some would say Albert Nuttall, aged eleven, is backward
– but he is special. He is a poet and a visionary who, as
he grows into manhood, inspires unexpected depths of
emotion in other people, notably his classmate Primrose,
whose glorious future as an actress fails to materialize,
and the lost and lonely young schoolteacher, Janet
Partington. This strange, touching and uplifting story written to be enacted entirely by adults - is engaging and
theatrically innovative.
Farce. Harold Brooke and Kay Bannerman
In the Hotel Splendide three men successively take to
their beds with chicken pox. Nannie arrives at the hotel
expecting to nurse two sick boys, only to find herself
confronted with her erstwhile charge of long ago, now
on his honeymoon. It is doubly unfortunate that one of
the invalids should be the bride’s first husband, and that
the bride should take advantage of the situation to flirt
with the other, but it is soon apparent that Nannie can
handle the adults as capably as she does children.
’Allo ’Allo
Comedy. Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft
M8 F5. Extras.
Various interior and exterior settings
Period World War II
Based on the hugely popular TV comedy series, the stage
version of ’Allo ’Allo follows the adventures of René, the
hapless café owner in war-torn occupied France, as he and
his wife, Edith, struggle to keep for themselves a priceless
portrait stolen by the Nazis and endeavour to repatriate
two British airmen with the help of the Resistance. The
Fuhrer is to visit the town. René will need all the wit he
can muster to save his café and his life ...!
Alone It Stands
Comedy. John Breen
M5 F1 play multiple characters.
Various simple settings.
Period 1978
October 31 1978. Thomond Park, Limerick. The mighty
New Zealand All Blacks, on an Irish tour, take on the
none-too-mighty Munster team - and, to everyone’s
surprise, they lose 12-0. From this piece of Irish sporting
history John Breen has fashioned a funny, lively play in
which both teams, plus fans, children, relatives and even
a dog, are portrayed by a cast of six, with no props and
only a half-time change of shirt.
Amadeus
Play. Peter Shaffer
M12 (30s-70) F3 (20s, 30s). Extras.
Interior and exterior settings.
Period 1823 Vienna and in recall, 1781-1791
In old age, Salieri recalls his successful career as Court
Composer, his hatred of Mozart, and how he contrived
the brilliant young composer’s demise. A musical genius,
Mozart died neglected and impoverished while the
mediocre Salieri lived in a blaze of fame and praise.
The Amorous Prawn
Comedy. Anthony Kimmins
M7 (20s-50s) F3 (20s, 40s).
A living-room
HQ North Western District is a sumptuous mansion
copiously staffed by military personnel. The contrast of
a mean suburban villa when they retire is such a noxious
prospect that, when General Fitzadam is posted abroad,
Lady Fitzadam inveigles her staff into helping her run the
HQ as a luxury hotel. Suddenly the General returns, but
he is so exasperated by the War Office that he is prepared
to assist any scheme. Disaster threatens.
3
The Professional Catalogue
Anagram of Murder
Thriller. Seymour Matthews
M3 (40s, 50s) F3 (20s-40s).
A living-room
A tense, dramatic thriller containing plenty of twists.
Beautiful Veronica plots to murder her writer husband
Gus, but becomes alarmed when Gus discusses the plot
of his new novel, which is uncomfortably close to her
murder plans.
Anybody for Murder?
Play. Brian Clemens and Dennis Spooner
M3 (30s, 40s) F3 (30s, 40s).
A converted farmhouse on a Greek island
Max and his lover Suzy have concocted a plot to kill
Max’s wife Janet, with ten thousand pounds insurance
money as an added bonus. Their plan is for Janet to
have a sailing “accident”. Then two unexpected visitors
arrive with murder plans of their own. Thus begins an
intriguing round of plot and counter-plot, with a final,
unexpected twist.
Are You Being Served?
Comedy. Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft
M10 (young to elderly) F6 (young to middle age), or M7
F4, 1M extra with doubling.
A department store and hotel settings
To the delight of its fans everywhere, this popular TV
comedy series is brought to the stage by its creators in all
its original glory. Double entendres, misunderstandings
and mistaken identities non-stop as the motley crew of
the Grace Brothers department store prepare for a sale
of German goods, then depart for their staff holiday at
a one-star hotel in Spain.
Ask for the Moon
Play. Shirley Gee
M1 (40s) F6 (16, 20s (1 Asian),
40s (1 West Indian), elderly).
Split set: Victorian cottage and modern sweat-shop
A moving play showing the plight of women workers
in the rag trade, separated by almost 150 years but still
sharing a tragic fate. Times have not changed much —
everyone must still keep up or face the sack.
The Aspern Papers
Comedy of Letters
Adapted by Michael Redgrave from
the story by Henry James
M2 (40s) F4 (40s, 55, old).
The sala of a Venetian house.
Period 1890
Henry Jarvis, a scholar, fanatical about the work of the
late Jeffrey Aspern, pursues his quest to own Aspern’s
letters with single-minded determination: not even
romance can stand in his way ... Michael Redgrave’s
masterly adaptation of Henry James’ classic novel
captures all the irony and charm of the original.
4
At the Sign of the “Crippled
Harlequin”
Thriller. Norman Robbins
M3 F5
The lounge of a guest house
A case of mistaken identity leads to tragedy in this
engaging thriller. In a snowbound guest house in the
Peak District, Marjory Pike is wrongly identified by
another guest as the author of a book declaiming certain
mediums, one of whom had committed suicide as a
result. The son of the deceased medium is staying at the
guest house, so when he arrives in the lounge bloodied
and bruised, and Marjory is found dead, the finger of
suspicion naturally points at him. But the guest house
may be haunted, other guests have their own secrets,
and even the proprietors are not above suspicion ... In
true Norman Robbins fashion the deepening mystery
is rich with shocks and laughs as the play moves to its
unexpected close.
Audacity
Play. Simon Mawdsley
M3 F2.
A bedsit
Philip is going through a messy divorce. To make himself
some money and give his life a boost of adrenalin, he
devises a cunning scheme to rob the London department
store Jarvis and Klein of its daily takings. He needs
help, however, so he enlists John, an ex-stationery
salesman sacked for fiddling his expenses, and Dave,
another salesman with a hugely expensive lifestyle, as
his partners in crime. The plot seems to be going well —
until John’s and Dave’s wives join forces to investigate
their husbands’ odd behaviour …
Audience with Murder
Thriller. Roger Leach and Colin Wakefield
M2 F2. 1 male voice
A living-room
This intriguing and multi-layered, witty thriller is full
of unexpected twists. A Russian doll of a play, it moves
from a seemingly innocuous domestic playreading,
through a murder mystery in the classic style, to a final
terrifying and violent climax. It was first produced at the
Edinburgh Festival in 2004 and subsequently presented
to critical acclaim at the Jermyn Street Theatre, London,
in 2006.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Bad Blood
A Bedfull of Foreigners
M3 (19, 40s) F2 (19, 40).
A living-room
M4 (30s, middle age) F3 (20s, 30s).
A hotel bedroom
Thriller. Richard Stockwell
Years ago, Tom had an affair with Catherine who became
pregnant and had an abortion — or so he thinks. Now he
is married to Vic and their relationship is on the rocks
because she cannot conceive and Tom is desperate to be
a father. Enter Smokey, a nineteen-year-old tearaway
whose girlfriend is none other than — Catherine’s and
Tom’s daughter Belinda. Tom’s wish to be a father is
fulfilled, but remember the saying: be careful what you
wish for — you might just get it. Tom’s past catches up
with him in a terrifying sequence of events involving
deception, plots and murder. Then a final tragic twist
saturates his life with the bitterest irony. Fast-moving,
bloody and savage, this modern thriller from the author
of Killing Time will keep audiences on the edges of
their seats as the mystery deepens and the body-count
multiplies … The first production starred Gillian
Taylforth.
The Banana Box
(Alternative title: Rising Damp)
Play. Eric Chappell
M3 (20s (1 Black), 40s) F2 (young, 30s (Black)).
A flat
This play was the inspiration for the successful hit TV
show Rising Damp, which starred Leonard Rossiter.
When Noel Parker, a young student, arrives to take up
residence in digs he is somewhat disillusioned, both
with the rooms and with the landlord, Rooksby. His
disillusionment increases when he finds he is to share
with a young black man, Philip. A working relationship,
however, develops between them. Philip, reputedly the
son of a chief, is an object of interest to Rooksby, who
enjoys picturing wild ideas of his life and tribal habits.
There are also two girls, Ruth (white) and Lucy (black),
who have their part in his life.
Barnaby and the Old Boys
Play. Keith Baxter
M6 (16, 20s (1 Black), 30s-50s) F4 (30s, 40s).
A sitting-room
A family Christmas in Wales — the last to be held
in the Morgan family’s childhood home — becomes
a battlefield of recrimination and prejudice. The
long-awaited homecoming of the youngest brother,
accompanied by his lover, who is both male and black,
sets the scene for inevitable tragedy.
The Bed Before Yesterday
Comedy. Ben Travers
M4 (young, 35-50) F4 (21, 40s, 50).
A living-room.
Period 1930
Alma, a rich but physically far from lovely widow,
has had no sexual experience since the sole occasion
on her wedding night twenty years ago. She marries
impoverished Victor on the understanding that their
marriage will be based on friendship. But intervention
from Victor’s son, his unconventional girlfriend and
Alma’s free-and-easy cousin warm up her long-cooled
fires with unexpected results. Period 1930
Comedy. Dave Freeman
On the eve of a local festival in a French village Stanley
and Brenda think themselves lucky to obtain a hotel
room. But in less than an hour Stanley finds himself
lowering an attractive girl, stark naked, from the window.
The girl’s husband arrives and by the second hour almost
everybody is in the wrong bed, figures dressed as nuns
and monks rush in and out, seductions and confrontations
run rampant!
The Bedwinner
Comedy. Tony Lesser
M4 (young, 25, 40s, elderly) F1 (30).
A luxury flat
Hilary and Pat are successful business executives. Hilary
wants a baby and when she is offered a large salary
increase at the same time that Pat has a row with his boss
it is decided that she should continue working whilst
Pat babyminds. Hilary’s assistant, Brutus, complicates
matters by falling in love with her, and Pat returns to his
job as he believes Hilary to have been fired. But it looks
as if Hilary’s wish is to be granted and the problem of
housekeeper is solved in the shape of Pat’s dad.
Before the Party
Play. Rodney Ackland
Based on a story by W. Somerset Maugham
M2 (20s, middle age) F4 (20s, 30, 60s) 1 girl (12).
A bedroom
Recently widowed Laura is a misfit in her snobbish
family who despise her fiancé, David, for his lack of
caste. The family is horrified to discover Laura murdered
her husband, but ignore the despair that drove her to it.
They self-righteously force her to write a confession but
there is an abrupt volte-face when they discover David is
the heir to Lord Wraysbury. Laura and David find their
hypocrisy nauseating and leave.
Being of Sound Mind
Play. Brian J. Burton
M2 (40s) F3 (30s).
A farmhouse kitchen
Susan is particularly looking forward to her usual holiday
in a rented cottage in France as she is recovering from
a nervous breakdown. John leaves her to go to the local
shop and a stranger turns up purporting to be John and
thus begins a series of confusing and terrifying events
for Susan. It transpires that Susan will inherit her father’s
money if she is “of sound mind” but John, and Judy her
sister, wish to prevent her from doing so.
Betzi
Play. William Douglas Home
M11 F5.
A garden, a drawing-room.
Period: 1820s
Set in St Helena, the play tells of Napoleon’s arrival,
his stay in the pleasant house of William Balcombe,
his encounters with the grim, overbearing Governor Sir
Hudson Lowe, removal to the unpleasant Longwood, and
reception of the final blow — the failure of his bother
Joseph’s plot to effect his rescue. Prominent in the story
is his relationship with Balcombe’s daughter Betzi.
5
The Professional Catalogue
Beyond Reasonable Doubt
A Bolt from the Blue
M11 F3.
The Central Criminal Court, a London house
Flexible casting. M2 F2 minimum.
Simple settings.
Play. Jeffrey Archer
A West End success for this international best-selling
author in 1987. “... It’s much more than a courtroom
drama. It’s a compelling love story and it’s got the lot
— laughter, tears and tension ...” TV-am.
Birthday Suite
Comedy. Robin Hawdon
M3 (30, 40) F2 (30).
Two adjoining hotel rooms
Geoff Tippet has arranged a special birthday treat for his
old friend, Bob. The treat is a hotel room for the night, a
double-bed which folds up into the wall and an attractive
girl called Mimi. Add shy Kate who anxiously awaits
her computer agency date — Dick, who has been shown
into the wrong room; Bob’s wife Liz, who believes she
is dining with Geoff, and a connecting door between the
two rooms and you have the recipe for a fast-moving and
hilarious comedy.
A Bit Between the Teeth
Play. Michael Pertwee
M3 (middle age) F2 (young).
A flat
Fogg arrives home prepared to spend a peaceful night. He
has not allowed for the antics of his philandering partner,
Reaper, who has not only been using Fogg’s name in
his affair with the sexy Mrs Barker, but also borrowing
his car. When the car is stolen a frantic chain of events
is set in motion involving the over-inquisitive Inspector
Ruff, and Reaper’s wife and mistress — both called
Diane — and what follows is a hysterical nightmare of
confusion.
Comedy. David Tristram
Edward Jones was just an ordinary man doing ordinary
things — until the day before his fortieth birthday. What
happened next was, quite literally, incredible. It defies
belief, it defies logic, it defies the fundamental laws of
science and nature. But it happened, and it came like a
bolt from the blue. Adapted from his novel of the same
name, David Tristram brings his trademark hilarity to
every page, but with a poignant and unusual story that
tingles every nerve ending and jangles each human
emotion before reaching its extraordinary conclusion.
Borders of Paradise
Play. Sharman Macdonald
M5 (young) F2 (young).
A beach
Ellen and Rose have arrived from Scotland and set
up their tent on a Devonshire clifftop. Down on the
beach Rob, David, Charlie, Cot and John are enjoying
a surfing break. A touching and humorous piece with
seven excellent roles for young actors. “No-one writes
about the mysteries of young adulthood with more
truth … combines warm and funny naturalism with an
appropriate touch of the mystic.” The Times
Breaking the String
Play. Frank Vickery
M5 (20s, middle age) F2 (20s, middle age).
A sitting-room
Biting the Bullet
To add to her own and her family’s problems, Iris
nurtures an intensely possessive love for her only
child, Simon. Simon comes home, accompanied by a
girlfriend, Deryn, and Iris’s joy quickly turns to jealousy
and suspicion. Confronted with an increasingly difficult
situation Simon finally announces that he and Deryn are
married and expecting a baby. Iris cannot be reconciled
to the news and the play closes with Iris alone, her world
shattered, unable to acknowledge her own folly.
M2 (late 20s, 55) F3 (young, middle age, 58).
A living-room
Farcical Comedy. Ronald Millar
Play. Frank Vickery
Ted, undergoing a mid-life crisis, leaves the house he
and home-loving wife Beryl have shared for thirty-two
years. At first Beryl is shattered, but gradually works
back from the edge of despair, helped by her exuberant
daughter Angie and down-to-earth neighbour Dawn. A
holiday abroad, a complete make-over — not to mention
a platonic friendship with the young handyman, who
gives her new ways of looking at life — rescue her from
the nightmare of separation.
Blood Money
Thriller. The Heather Brothers
M1 (40s) F3 (20s-40s). 1F extra. 1M 2F voices only.
A lounge
Seven years ago, Mike Mason, star of TV’s “Bargain
Basement”, and his wife Liz killed young Carol Mitchell
in a hit-and-run car accident — and now it seems they
have at last been found out. A mysterious telephone caller
claims to be Carol Mitchell and her name appears in
blood on the wall; Liz is certain she has been followed;
then a car draws up outside the house and shots soon
ring out ...
6
The Bride and the Bachelor
M3 (32, middle age, 50s) F5 (16, 24, 40s, 50).
A lounge hall
On the eve of her wedding, Serena Kilpatrick is having
cold feet. Among her wedding presents is a magic bowl
which can bring aid to a distressed bride. The aid turns
out to be Sir William Benedick Barlow, lately dead,
but earthbound until he can soothe a troubled bride. He
discovers that Serena, abandoned as a baby, is really his
own daughter, while her mother arrives from Heaven to
settle matters.
The Bride Comes Back
Comedy. Ronald Millar
M3 (30s, 50s, 60s) F5 (18+, 20s, 50s).
A living-room
The sequel to The Bride and the Bachelor. The magic
bowl is needed again for Serena and her baby. Her
marriage is in ruins. Because she told her husband Jason
about the bowl, he considers her insane. A Young Woman
appears who possesses literally destructive charm. Smith,
the psychiatrist, is immediately fascinated. The deserted
husband then arrives and the Young Woman is discovered
to be an old flame of Jason’s. Isabel exorcises the demon,
but not before another surprising revelation.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Brief Lives
John Aubrey
Adapted for the stage by Patrick Garland
M1 (71) M and F voices only.
A Jacobean chamber
John Aubrey (1626-97) has come to be recognized as
England’s first serious biographer. Patrick Garland’s
adaptation of Aubrey’s writings represents a day in the
latter part of Aubrey’s life. “It is as if one is paying a visit
to the house of an old man, who makes up for the absence
of friends by bringing to life reminiscences of people,
remembering them and telling stories about them.”
Bums on Seats
Comedy. Michael Snelgrove
M6 (20s, 40s-60s, any age) F10 (20s-40s, any age) can
be played by M3 F6 with doubling. Extras.
A stage, an auditorium
In a tatty provincial theatre, a new play, “Fecund”, is
being staged. Bums on Seats introduces us to everyone
involved in the production: in a series of hilarious
scenes, linked by a chorus of usherettes, we meet
the stage manager, the leading actors, the lecherous,
unscrupulous author, and others. In the second act, set
in the auditorium, attention focuses on the audience, an
equally mixed and unharmonious group.
The Business of Murder
Play. Richard Harris
Café Brosse
Comedy. Jean McConnell
M4 F4
A café
George and Seraphine run a café in a small French town.
Seraphine is fed up with the drudgery of her daily l ife.
George seeks solace with his mistress, Yvette, who is
longing for a comfortable housewife’s existence. George’s
fr iend, Aramix, suggests the two women swap lives for a
while … Add a mysterious foreign couple and George’s
Aunt Mar ie and things are set for a merry mix -up!
Caramba’s Revenge
Play. William Norfolk
M1 (late 30s) F6 (20, late 60s, 70s)
A highly entertaining and ingenious black comedy. Four
elderly ladies have been sharing their lives in Violet’s
rented house, pooling their pension books and sharing
chores. After a mugging Violet dies, but Marge, Lottie
and Doris omit to tell the authorities and leave Violet’s
body peacefully in the cemetery. However, Violet’s
granddaughter, Ronnie, arrives from Australia in search
of her relative ...
Cash on Delivery
Farce. Michael Cooney
M6 F4.
A living-room
A psychological thriller on the theme of revenge centres
on the interlocking triangular relationship between
Dee, a successful TV playwright, Hallett, a detective
superintendent and Stone, “a humourless, rather prissy
man”. The Business of Murder had a very successful
West End run. “How refreshing to welcome that rarity
of the West End: a well-written, skilfully crafted tale of
mystery and suspense that pays dividends from start to
finish.” Sunday Express
Michael Cooney’s riotous farce, which had a very
successful run at the Whitehall Theatre, has all the
ingredients for rib-tickling hilarity and offers a colourful
selection of character roles. Eric Swan (aided by his
Uncle George and unbeknown to his wife, Linda)
has pocketed thousands of pounds through fraudulent
DSS claims. When Norman Bassett (the lodger) opens
the door to Mr Jenkins, the DSS Inspector, deceptive
mayhem follows — as do the undertaker, bereavement
counsellor, psychiatrist, Norman’s fiancée, a corpse, the
ominous Ms Cowper and a rather rebellious washingmachine!
A Busy Day
Caught in the Net
M7 F7. Various settings.
Period 1800
M4 (16, 40s, 43, 80s) F3 (15, 40s).
A living-room
M2 (40s) F1 (20s).
A first-floor flat
Play. Fanny Burney, adapted by Alan Coveney
A love story and a witty and wonderfully observed
satire on class and greed, A Busy Day wowed West End
audiences in 2000 in an hilarious production starring Sara
Crowe and Stephanie Beacham. The scene is London,
summer 1800. In the course of a busy day we are tumbled
gleefully into a world of frustrated love, mistaken
identity, snobbery, and downright vulgar bad manners.
Actor and director Alan Coveney has streamlined and
clarified the original, somewhat repetitive and overwritten script into a fast-moving, side-splittingly funny
example of English theatrical comedy.
Farce. Ray Cooney
This is the sequel to Run for Your Wife. Two teenagers
arrange a date over the internet, which seems harmless
enough; so why is a London taxi-driver thrown into a
quandary? Because the mothers of the two lovebirds are
both married to the taxi-driver and he has no desire to
allow them to meet … As one would expect from a Ray
Cooney farce, the chaos is only just beginning!
7
The Professional Catalogue
Chance Visitor
A Coat of Varnish
M2 (27, 45) F7 (20s-55, 70).
A veranda/garden, an open-air restaurant, a roadside
M9 (29, middle age) F1 (30s).
An open stage
Play. Aleksei Arbuzov
Translated by Ariadne Nicolaeff
Play of Murder. Ronald Millar.
Suggested by the novel by C. P. Snow
This subtle, complex play was premièred in this country
in 1984. After twenty-two years of marriage, Turkovsky
announces that he has fallen in love with someone
else. His wife, Lubya, a remarkable woman, insists on
meeting the other woman who turns out to be nothing
like one would expect. At the end Lubya, despite her
pain, still wishes Turkovsky happiness — unafraid to
face the future.
The elderly Lady Ashbrook is brutally murdered in her
London home. Chief Superintendent Briers discovers the
murderer but has no proof and his ultimate dilemma is
how to convict the man he knows to be guilty. This play
was premièred at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, London,
in 1982. “A thriller with a conscience.” Standard
The Charlatan
Comedy. John Goodrum
Play. William Norfolk
M4 (40, 50s) F4 (18, 50).
Composite setting: a coffee house, a study, a parlour.
Period 1777 Vienna
Maria-Theresa Paradies is sent to Doctor Mesmer to cure
her blindness. Mesmer’s treatment is based on what he
terms “animal-magnetism”. Maria is asked to stay in his
house for the duration of the treatment. Inevitably gossip
follows and the treatment ends in scandal. Maria returns
to her parents’ home and resumes her career as a blind
pianist while most of Vienna is convinced that Mesmer
is nothing more than a charlatan.
Chase Me Up Farndale Avenue, S’Il
Vous Plaît!
Please see the entry under Farndale Avenue Comedies.
Cheshire Cats
Comedy. Gail Young
M1-3 F5-7. Extras
Various simple settings
Grown women, aching feet and heaving bosoms! Follow
the Cheshire Cats team as they speedwalk their way to
fundraising success in the London Moonwalk. Hilary,
Siobhan, Yvonne, Vicky and Maggie are attempting to
walk 13 miles across the capital in record time in their
decorated bras and posh new trainers, but the sixth
member of their team doesn’t seem to meet the physical
criteria! Flexible casting means it can be played by a cast
of five women and one man with doubling, or by a larger
ensemble using the alternative dialogue provided.
“ ... a genuinely funny and even touching ensemble
piece ...” Claire Black, Edinburgh Fringe Review, The
Scotsman
Children’s Day
Play. Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall
M3 (30s, 40s) F4 (19, youngish, 30s).
A kitchen
A hectic children’s birthday party provides a noisy
background to a series of domestic crises. Robin has left
Emma and Emma has become friendly with her solicitor,
Tom; both Tom and Robin arrive for the celebrations.
The mishaps of the party spill over into the kitchen
situation, the behaviour of the young visitors affecting
the adults. By the end of the party however, things look
a little brighter for Robin and Emma. “Waterhouse is
one of the greats.” Independent
8
The Comedy of Terrors
M1 (30s) F1 (30s).
An empty stage
Jo Smith arrives at her local theatre for an audition
with the director Vyvian Jones. It transpires that Jo has
actually been invited there by Beverley, Vyvian’s twin
brother, who wants her to impersonate her own twin
sister Fiona in order to scotch the rumour that Beverley
has slept with Fiona. Jo reluctantly accepts this unusual
acting job and pretends to be Fiona to Vyvian. But then
the real Fiona arrives and thinks Vyvian is Beverley —
and then Vyvian, who is a member of the local Sons of
Satan Association, takes Jo captive to use as a human
sacrifice — and then ... A fast-moving madcap comedy
of multiple mistaken identity.
Conjugal Rites
Comedy. Roger Hall
M1 F1.
Interior
A sharply observant and wry play about wedlockdeadlock. Celebration and reflection turns to doubt as
a couple, celebrating their 21st wedding anniversary
in bed, dissect the past and express their fears for the
future.
Couples
A Play in Three Acts. Bettine Manktelow
M2 (20s, 30s, 40s) F2 (18, 20s, 30s, 60s),
with doubling. A bedroom
Act 1 Party Games, Act 2 The Brighton Line,
Act 3 Squatters’ Rights
The action takes place in a hotel bedroom over a period
of ten years. Each act forms a separate story linked by
the setting, which is seen to deteriorate gradually as
the hotel becomes first a boarding-house and then an
empty property up for sale. The theme of the play is the
changing sexual attitudes over a decade, illustrated by
encounters between a bachelor MP and an unmarried
party worker, a failed pop singer and a sad young
woman, and an intellectual hippy and a sophisticated,
“respectable” married woman.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Cure For Love
Dad’s Army
M5 F6.
Two interiors.
Period Second World War
Large, flexible cast.
A church hall and office, other simple settings
Comedy. Walter Greenwood
Jack Hardacre, home on leave after three years service,
finds pretty Milly, a Londoner, billeted on his mother. He
falls for her, but finds himself trapped in an engagement
to Janey and in contention with Milly’s other admirer. He
asks beery old Mrs Dorbell for a cure for love and she
advises him to get married! At the height of an argument
Jack announces that the child Milly is carrying is his so
he has found his cure in a “fate accomply”.
Curtain Call
Comedy. Bettine Manktelow
M3 (35, 50, middle age) F5 (25-30. 30s-50s).
An office
An amusingly chaotic day in the life of Alec Partridge,
Manager of the Thurlow Playhouse. He has a lot to deal
with: Doreta Mason, director of Oklahoma, upsets the
stage crew with her demands for real horses in the show;
Ms Murdstone, the far-from genial agent from the Arts
Council, arrives to assess the theatre’s eligibility for a
grant; the Front of House manager’s flirty ways upset
Alec’s secretary Val and, worst of all, Doreta’s fearsome
husband Clarence, Chairman of the Board of Trustees,
appears on the scene …
Curtain Up on Murder
Thriller. Bettine Manktelow
M3 (35, 40, elderly) F5 (18, 20, 28, 40, 50s).
A stage
An amateur drama company is rehearsing in the theatre
at the end of the pier. Storms rage overhead and the
doors are locked — they are trapped! Then a mysterious,
ghostly presence passes across the stage, and when the
Assistant Stage Manager falls to certain death through a
trapdoor, the remaining actors are thrown into disarray.
Their panic increases when one of the actresses is
poisoned and it becomes evident that a murderer is in
their midst ...
Cut and Run
Comedy. Peter Horsler
M4 F5.
A doctor’s surgery
The young, altruistic Dr Glow is perturbed when his
National Health Clinic is hired out to Dr Boxclever,
a private consultant who extorts outrageous fees from
his patients by prescribing unnecessary treatments and
useless medicines. Boxclever persuades Dr Glow to
impersonate an eminent specialist and so begins a slide
into malpractice. The denouement, though, is not as
straightforward as it would appear for, by another twist
of the plot, all ends happily. This is a hilarious comedy
painting large the dangers in private health care.
Three comedies. Jimmy Perry and David Croft
The classic BBC TV comedy series of the Home Guard
of Walmington-on-Sea who battle daily against the
Germans and local ARP Warden Hodges, comes to
the stage in these three hilarious episodes. The Deadly
Attachment and The Godiva Affair were presented on
stage and as part of a Royal Command Performance,
while Mum’s Army is made available in a stage version
for the first time. All the well-loved characters are here
including: “stupid boy” Pike, “Don’t panic, don’t panic”
Jonesey, “Doomed, we’re all doomed!” Fraser, “May I
be excused, sir?” Godfrey, and all under the command
of the redoutable Captain Mainwaring and his effacing
deputy Sergeant Wilson. Also included in the volume is
the Floral Dance Sketch.
The Dame of Sark
Play. William Douglas Home
M7 (young, middle age, 50) F2 (50, middle age).
A drawing-room.
Period Second World War
Based on Sibyl, the Dame of Sark’s autobiography, the
play follows the course of events on the island during
the German occupation. Determined though she is in
her patriotism, she yet finds a mutual understanding
growing between herself and the German Colonel von
Schmettau. At the close of the play, a tragic occurrence
involving a young German soldier drives home the
realization that war is an evil that falls hard on friend
and enemy alike.
Dangerous Obsession
Play. N. J. Crisp
M2 (30, 40) F1(20).
A conservatory
John Barrett appears at the home of Sally and Mark
Driscoll. It emerges that Barrett is “dangerously
obsessed” with pinning the blame for his wife’s accident
on someone. Barrett strips away the conflicting facets of
the Driscolls’ lives. As suddenly as he entered Barrett
slips away leaving behind shattered faith, broken trust
and a marriage that will never heal. This play had a very
successful run in the West End.
Darkness Falls
Double bill. The Monkey’s Paw, adapted by
Jonathan Holloway from the short story by
W. W. Jacobs. The Dark by Jonathan Holloway
M4 F1, or M3 F1, with doubling.
A kitchen/living-room, an elegant living-room.
Period 1940s/modern
The perils of ambition lie at the heart of these
supernatural tales. In The Monkey’s Paw, a workingclass family in the 1940s is granted three wishes, all of
which come true, but in a macabre and unexpected way.
In The Dark a successful novelist who has committed
himself wholeheartedly to furthering his career meets
his Mephistopheles and is despatched to an uncertain
and sinister fate.
9
The Professional Catalogue
Darling, I’m Home!
Play. Jack Popplewell
M4 (30, 40) F4 (young, 20, 40).
A drawing-room
With Celia Johns growing more and more frustrated by
staying at home, and her husband Rupert proving more
and more inefficient as a businessman, it seems a good
idea that they should change places; and indeed Celia
soon starts Rupert’s firm on a profit-making course, while
Rupert runs the house with equal effiency. Matters are
brought to a head by the arrival of daughter Karen to
take up residence—with two babies, but, for the moment,
no husband.
Darling Mr London
Farce. Anthony Marriott and Bob Grant
M3 (20-40) F6 (20, 30, 50).
A living-room
Mild Edward works at the Continental Telephone
Exchange and has been in the habit of chatting up
his co-telephonists, all female, in various Continental
exchanges. These affairs-by-proxy have caused no
complications until the occasion of a Miss Europhone
Contest brings the girls to London. Four of the most
glamorous turn up at his home anxious to meet the
flirtatious “Mr London” in the flesh. The complications
that ensue result in an evening he will never forget!
David Copperfield
Play. Matthew Francis, adapted from the
novel by Charles Dickens
M19 F10. Extras. Minimum cast of 13.
Various interior and exterior settings.
Period 1820s-1840s
Following the adventures of its eponymous hero from
birth through three decades, this acclaimed stage
adaptation presents a plethora of brilliant characters
from the original novel: the Peggottys; ’umble Heep;
eccentric Aunt Betsey and Steerforth, young David’s
champion. Two actors play David Copperfield: one
the young David, the other David’s older self, each
interacting throughout. This clever device moves the
play effortlessly from scene to scene, ensuring a vigorous
momentum for the narrative. Period 1820s-1840s
Dead Man’s Hand
Thriller. Seymour Matthews
M3 F3. A lounge
This captivating thriller employs a play within a play
theme in a singularly exciting manner. At first it seems
to be the usual Agatha Christie-type play — two couples
lured to a remote Italian villa to be murdered one by one.
It is only when this play is well advanced that we learn
we are watching actors rehearsing their own murder
mystery. An intriguing final twist unravels the real reason
for the whole charade.
10
Dead Ringer
Comedy thriller. Charles Ross, adapted from
The Prime Pretender by Logan Gourlay
M5 (50s) F2 (40s).
A study
When the Prime Minister drops dead from an apparent
heart attack on the eve of a General Election, two
members of the Cabinet, fearing defeat without the
charisma of the PM, hire an out-of-work actor, a “dead
ringer” for the deceased, to take his place until the
election is won. However, the actor grows to like his role
until he discovers the real PM was poisoned. Thereafter
this thriller plunges us forcibly from the early amusing
fantasy world into murder and dark plots.
Dead-Lock
Thriller. Hugh Janes
M3 (middle age) F2 (30s, middle age).
A large country house
When her husband dies in a car crash, Diana is
determined to succeed as the new head of his successful
company. Her son Alec believes the position should
be his, while her younger son demands more of the
family fortune. When strange events start happening
in the house and a voice haunts her, Diana’s fears and
uncertainties increase. Just as she feels she knows who
is responsible, events take a dramatic turn as her real
enemy is revealed.
Death Walked In
Play. Bettine Manktelow
M3 (30, 60s) F4 (teens, 20, 30, 40).
A hotel lounge
Celia, lonely and highly strung, is struggling to run her
small country hotel. Her charming, rakish step-son, Rex,
is no help. Joan and her tearaway sister, Eva, are staying
at the hotel which represents something of a romantic
pilgrimage for Joan who, after ten years, still believes
herself in love with Rex. Events lead to a suicide (or is
it murder?). The climax involves mistaken identity and
mislaid cyanide!
Deckchairs I
Five short plays. Jean McConnell
F2.
A seaside promenade
These five twist-in-the-tail playlets for two women — all
set on a seaside promenade — are by turns funny and
poignant. In Shoppers, two well-to-do shopaholics have
a rather surprising secret. Early Blight is a heart-breaking
exploration of a doomed mother/daughter relationship.
Dancers wittily dissects the tea-dancing world of two
skittish widows. Late Frost is a drama on which a
woman finds out her best friend had an affair with her
late husband. And Doggies is an hilarious tale about two
very different types of dog-owner. These delightful plays
run for approximately fifteen minutes each and may be
performed as a set or individually.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Deckchairs II
Deckchairs IV
Day Trippers. F2. A seafront. Confident Beryl and
prudish Doris, on an annual works outing, learn a little
more about themselves and their work colleagues than
they perhaps ought to. When they discover that they have
come to a nudist beach, the result is a brilliantly funny
scene of hilarious antics.(Comedy)
Garden Pests. F2. A garden. A comedy which focusses
on two keen gardeners meeting in a magnificent garden
from which neither intends to go home empty-handed.
Four plays. Jean McConnell
The Guilt Card. F2. A seafront. Marion discovers, by a
cruel twist of fate, that her life has been blighted by the
machinations and emotional blackmail of her sickly elder
sister, Deborah.(Drama)
Short Changed. F2. A garden. Miss Westlake, a retired
headmistress, tries to retire peacefully to the prestigious
residential home of Merrywinds, but finds that her earlier
misdemeanours as a headmistress still haunt her. Julia, a
social service official and ex-pupil of Miss Westlake has
the ideal opportunity for revenge and justice. (Drama)
Theatrical Digs. F2. A seafront. Pascaline Holbein, a
glamorous and conceited actress, who is playing in the
end of pier show, meets her challenge in the elderly and
eccentric Maggie Festoon. When Pascaline discovers
that Maggie is also an actress, the result is a comical
and farcical battle of work, agents and mobile phones.
(Comedy)
Deckchairs III
Three plays. Jean McConnell
Cupboard Love. F2. A seaside esplanade. Peggy and
Jane come to rest after jogging on the seafront. As they
chat they find to their delight that they have much in
common: both are excellent cooks; both are fighting
the flab acquired through preparing rich meals for a
new gentleman friend. But when they discover, to their
horror, they share a passion for the same man, the two
women devise their culinary revenge on the deceiver.
(Comedy)
Last Post. F2. A garden.When the widow of a muchrespected Army Colonel discovers that his past seems
to include a secret child for whom he was paying
maintenance, she is naturally very distressed. But she
is determined to protect his reputation and retain her
own dignity. Not so easy when the mother of the child
in question arrives on her doorstep. (Drama)
Cruise Missile. F2. When Janet embarks on her first
cruise, she finds herself overwhelmed by the array of
delights on offer. However, there is a fellow passenger
who is only too willing to be her guide and mentor. It
is the flamboyant Goldie who is familiar with all the
wrinkles and most of the crew. But her instant friendship
is something of a mixed blessing. (Comedy)
Four plays. Jean McConnell
Grannies. F2. A seafront. A drama which introduces us
to Jenny, reluctantly looking after her teenage daughter’s
baby, and to Barbara, whose deep grandmotherly feelings
have led her into a very strange situation.
Outdoor Pleasures. F2. A large garden. A comedy
which finds long-suffering Deirdre waiting for an
outdoor production of Much Ado About Nothing to start,
accompanied by her awkward and far-from-enthusiastic
Aunt Tottie.
Remember Me. F2. A garden. A drama which takes place
in a corner of a garden at a wedding reception. Elizabeth
and Sarah, who shared a flat many years before, meet
for the first time since then, and Sarah seizes her chance
to let Elizabeth know what she feels about her actions
in the past.
Deliver Us From Evil
Thriller. J.D. Robins
M3 F4
A sitting-room.
Ben Seaton is the new rector of Wychcombe Magna and
is slowly gaining acceptance with the locals. His wife,
Diana, feels undecidedly out of place and even rather
threatened owing to a strange woman, Jessy, who keeps
walking into the house without any invitation and the
church bells suddenly ring at odd times. When a statue
is vandalized and a placard depicting a swastika is found
in the graveyard, Diana’s uneasiness escalates. Then the
unthinkable happens - there is a murder at the rectory.
Skeletons surface from the village’s recent past - the
death of a young girl, the involvement of a local man
in a bullion robbery - and it becomes apparent that not
everyone in the village is who they say they are. And
then a second person is attacked...
The Devil at Midnight
Thriller. Brian Clemens
M2 (20s, 40s) F2 (26, 40s), M2 F1 voices only.
A living-room
Liz Burns, a psychoanalyst, receives an unexpected
visitor — Nicki, a deeply troubled young woman who
is visited in her dreams by a bearded devil. Liz sees
immediately that her visitor is a victim of child abuse
and, as the details of Nicki’s past life emerge, clues mount
up that point to Liz’s husband Jack as the perpetrator.
Nicki is out for revenge and, with her brother Billy, she
attacks the Burnses; eventually, fully convinced of his
guilt, Liz turns on her husband too. The truth is finally
revealed as this gripping, topical and morally searching
play reaches its shattering conclusion.
11
The Professional Catalogue
Diana of Dobson’s
Direct Action
M4 F9
Various simple settings
Period 1908
M3 F5
A living-room
Period 1930s
Play. Cicely Hamilton
Comedy. Githa Sowerby
A popular success in its day with its realistic picture
of women’s work in a drapery store and anti-romantic
attitude to love and marriage. Hamilton, herself a
pioneering radical feminist, shocked many with her
play when it opened in 1908. It explores the extreme
financial and sexual inequalities of a supposed golden
age, offering a protest against the poor treatment of
female shop workers. Caroline Smith directed a revival
of this Edwardian play in 2007 at Richmond’s Orange
Tree Theatre.”Cicely Hamilton’s charming romantic
comedy [is] spiked with a dash of feminist polemic.”
British Theatre Guide
Widowed, hard-working and straight-laced Elizabeth
has three teenage children and a suitor, Sir James, who
constantly hovers about trying to turn their friendship
into a relationship. When her divorced sister, Stella,
returns after eighteen years abroad, confusion and havoc
ensues as people interfere with the lives of others. This
play comments on the older generation’s attempts to
impose a worldview on their chidren in a society that is
rapidly changing.
Diary of a Nobody
M1 (middle age) F4 (teenage, 20, 30, middle age).
A studio flat
George and Weedon Grossmith. Arranged for the
stage by Basil Dean and Richard Blake
M10 (20s-40s) F5 (young, 20s-40s).
A parlour
The quietly hilarious everyday tales of Mr and Mrs
Pooter have delighted readers for over a century. This
stage adaptation has all the charm and sardonic wit of
the original and will win the stories yet more lifelong
fans.
Diary of a Scoundrel
Comedy. Alexander Ostrovsky. Translated by
Rodney Ackland
M9 F7. Interior.
Period Moscow 1860.
An indigent Russian youth begins his ambitious ascent to
social esteem. He progresses by wit, guile and rhetoric;
and, pitting one stupid person against another, he soons
gains his ends. But he is tripped up by his uncle’s wife, to
whom he has made passionate love on his way to success,
for it is she who discovers the scoundrel’s diary ...
A Different Way Home
Play. Jimmie Chinn
M1 F1.
A living-room
A deeply moving, astutely observed play which consists
of two monologues from a middle-aged estranged brother
and sister in a closely-knit, north of England town. Leslie,
who has lived always with his mother, narrates the events
leading up to his mother’s death, unwittingly revealing
the extent of his loss. From Maureen we hear that Leslie
had succumbed to his grief, and we hear her side of the
story: feeling rejected because she married a Jew, she
also feels betrayed for not being asked to help.
12
Do Not Disturb
Comedy. Michael Pertwee
Jay wants to leave his past behind and start a new life.
When he moves into his new flat his only wish is solitude,
but the girl next door plagues him with her suicide
threats, his ex-wife insists on leading him to Jesus, and
his secretary declares her undying passion. Jay’s women
pursue, attack, seduce and harrass him and he only wants
to be alone — or does he? A very funny, witty play with
fast and well-timed comic action.
Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something
Farce. Michael Pertwee
M5 (30-old) F4 (20s).
A town hall stage, a London flat
Sir William is leading a campaign against permissiveness.
In order to counter this a group of hippies abduct Barry
Ovis, a young Parliamentarian and take him, drugged, to
a wild party. He escapes and takes refuge in Sir William’s
flat. He finds the great man is far from unpermissive
himself. The pleasant evening of dalliance Sir William
has arranged is upset by a series of complications. The
mounting frenzy culminates in a whirlwind of frenetic,
panic-stricken plans and counter-plans.
Don’t Tell Father
Comedy. Harold Brooke and Kay Bannerman
M4 F2.
In the well-furnished office of an industrial magnate,
his delightful, nearly-grown-up daughter arrives from
boarding school in a flurry of feminine determination.
She is not going back for anything, but father prevails,
and returns her under escort. Tansy is not to be
underestimated, however, and she mysteriously
vanishes before reaching the school gates. The publicity
which ensues is not a good thing for father’s business.
Information reaches him that she is on the run in Scotland
with a young business rival. Of course, the young couple
turn the harmless tables on the older ones and all ends
well in a riot of laughter.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Double Vision
Easy Terms
M2 (40s, 50s) F1 (40s).
A living-room
M2 (early 20s, early 30s) F2 (young, mid 50s)
1 girl (non-speaking).
Various simple interior and exterior settings
Comedy. Eric Chappell
Ex-boxer Spinks is myopic, poor and lonely, his one
companion being the alcoholic Kingsley with whom
he has a rather tetchy, exasperated friendship. To gain
attention, Spinks pretends to win the National Lottery
and he starts receiving freebies and handouts from people
hoping to get a share of his fortune. Plain Dawn Pringle,
who loves Spinks for himself, not his money, warns him
against her maneater identical twin sister Donna, who
then turns up and seduces him. Just in time he makes an
important discovery about his new-found loves …
The Dragon’s Tail
Play. Douglas Watkinson
M2 (20, 40) F2 (17, 40). A Welsh lakeside
The play enjoyed a successful run in London with
Penelope Keith and Mark Kingston. Mary, the insensitive,
harsh-talking but vulnerable “dragon” of the title is
touring Wales with her lover, Frank. They inadvertently
back their van over a tent. Fearing the worst they are
relieved to find the tent empty. The young owners return,
not to apologies, but to a stream of Mary’s invective. The
interaction of these four diverse personalities provides a
constant flow of highly-charged entertainment.
Duet for Two Hands
Play. Mary Hayley Bell
M2 (young, middle age) F3 (young, middle age, old).
A castle living-room
This macabre tale of ghostly revenge opens in the
Orkneys where Stephen Cass, a young poet, is the guest
of surgeon Edward Sarclet. Cass has lost his hands in a
mountaineering accident and his new hands have been
grafted on by Sarclet. The hands often seem to have a
peculiar will of their own. Cass presses Sarclet to tell
him something about the previous owner of the hands
and, in a drunken rage one night, Sarclet blurts out the
dreadful explanation.
The Duke in Darkness
Play. Patrick Hamilton
M10. 1 interior. Period 1850
After fifteen years of imprisonment, during which the
Duke has deceived his jailors into believing he is blind,
he finds an opportunity for escape. He is bewildered by
the near prospect of freedom. But accepts his chance for
the sake of his people.
The Earl and the Pussycat
Comedy. Harold Brooke and Kay Bannerman
Comedy. Frank Vickery
A year ago Vi Davies suffered a stroke and her son
Howard gave up his college course to nurse her. Vi is
now capable of looking after herself but cannot let go of
her son. Howard finds this situation extremely difficult,
not least because he has a secret — he is gay, and has
been seeing Bernard Fowler, Vi’s insurance agent, for
some time. A caravan holiday does nothing to relieve
the tension ...
The Edge of Darkness
Play. Brian Clemens
M3 (30s-50s) F3 (20s, 50s). Extra 1M.
A living-room. Period 1900
After her disappearance several years ago, Emma finds
that her memory is damaged; there is much she does not
recognize or understand. Why does she appear familiar
with certain Russian phrases; why has she such a horror
of a harmless silver bell, of a portrait on the wall, of
knives? Is she, in fact, Emma Cranwell? Behind these
questions looms a menacing mystery which finally erupts
into violence and horror.
The Editor Regrets
Play. William Douglas Home
M6 F2.
A room in the House of Commons,
the Editor’s office at the Daily Star
Rosemary, daughter of Sir Eric Brown, MP, has been just
a little foolish and indiscreet — and a gossip columnist
from the Daily Star has written a very damaging article
about her. Rosemary appeals to her father for his help in
suppressing the article — which will affect his political
career as well as her reputation — and the subsequent
machinations are hilarious!
84 Charing Cross Road
Helene Hanff. Adapted for the stage by James
Roose-Evans
M3 F4 or 5. Extra 1M.
Split set: an apartment and bookshop.
Period 1949-1969
In 1949 a struggling American writer started a
correspondence with a firm of British antiquarian
booksellers that was to last for twenty years. The warm,
compassionate and very human exchange of letters was
published as a book and is here skilfully and lovingly
adapted for the stage.
M5 (16, young, middle age, 60)
F2 (young West Indian, middle age).
A drawing-room.
Junior Minister David Thornton finds that his daughter’s
wedding photographs include another set of photos
showing David in a compromising situation with a
prostitute. Threatened with blackmail, David offers his
resignation, but his father-in-law comes up with a scheme
which brings the lady herself to the house, indignant
at what she considers an insult to her profession. A
revised plan proves satisfactory to everyone, not least
the father-in-law.
13
The Professional Catalogue
Elsie and Norm’s “Macbeth”
Comedy. John Christopher-Wood
M1 (late middle age) F1 (late middle age). Extra 1M.
A living-room
Elsie and Norm have decided to have a bit of a bash
at culture by staging a production of Macbeth in their
living-room. After a spot of judicious re-writing by Norm
to make it snappier and more punchy, and undaunted by
the large cast, Elsie and Norm set out to act “one of the
greatest pieces of literature what has ever been wrote
in the English language”, playing all the characters
between them.
Emma Bovary
John Wiles
A production of Equus, under the direction of Thea
Sharrock, ran throughout 2007 at London’s Gielgud
Theatre to sell-out audiences. It starred Harry Potter’s
Daniel Radcliffe and Richard Griffiths. It then toured
the UK in 2008 with Simon Callow as Dysart and Alfie
Allen as Strang.
“Gripping and theatrically skilful.” Benedict Nightingale,
The Times
Erogenous Zones
Play. Frank Vickery
M3 (20s, 30s). F2 (30s).
Composite set: a kitchen, a bedroom-sitting room,
a sitting-room
Enjoy
This ingeniously constructed play is set in three
separate flats over a bank holiday weekend. Shifting
backwards and forwards in time it depicts a triangle of
relationships: Michael, a homosexual, who is in love
with his flatmate Andrew, who in turn is having an affair
with Lesley, whose husband Tom seeks respite from their
disintegrating marriage in the arms of Alison.
M6 (teenage, 20s, middle age, 60s)
M4 (non-speaking) F3 (20s, 60s).
A living-room
False Pretences
Enjoy is Bennett’s 1980 brutal and hilarious study of a
Big Brother culture and the power of the state over the
individual. In a squalid back-to-back in Leeds, Wilfred
and Connie Owen are visited by a mysteriously elusive
woman who has come to observe and record how they
live. She turns out to be their homosexual son Terry
in drag who has left home a while back and is now
part of a sinister social scheme to re-house his parents’
estate. Terry calmly notates as secrets are revealed
about Wilfred’s relationship with his daughter, Linda,
a hotheaded prostitute, and family tensions come to
a boiling point to the accompaniment of approaching
bulldozers.
BAFTA award-winning creator of Rising Damp delivers
the hilarious goods again with this madcap comedy.
Estate agent Kevin and his wife Valerie are to be
subjected to an extended visit from her brother Victor, a
rather unsuccessful con artist who has just been released
from prison. Victor is delighted to hear that wealthy
widow Lucy is also staying with them and he starts
planning. Will nothing stop the incorrigible Victor ...?
M8 F3
An adaptation of the classic novel by Flaubert.
Play. Alan Bennett
Enjoy has recently been revived by Christopher
Luscombe for the Theatre Royal Bath to five star reviews.
It starred Alison Steadman and David Troughton, and
transferred to the West End in 2009.
“Bennett’s rich and wondrous play.” Michael Billington,
Guardian
“A neglected modern classic.” Charles Spencer, Daily
Telegraph
Equus
Play. Peter Shaffer
M5 (17, middle age) F4 (20s, middle age). Extras M.
An open stage
Alan Strang, a seventeen-year-old stable hand, has
blinded six horses with a hoof pick. Martin Dysart, an
overworked and ageing psychiatrist, works with Alan
to try and decipher what lies behind his desire to harm
the horses. Delving into Alan’s past, Dysart realises
his patient is a confused hippophile, sexually excited
by horseflesh. But the psychological puzzle for Dysart
turns into a confrontation with himself, as well as with
Alan, as he comes to an inescapable view of man’s need
to worship and the distortions forced on that need by
so-called civilized society. Shaffer’s psychologically
complex work won the Tony Award for Best Play in
1975.
14
Comedy. Eric Chappell
M5 F2. A living-room
Family Planning
Comedy. Frank Vickery
M3 (young, 21, 40s) F4 (teenage, 40s, old).
Composite setting: a living-room, bedroom, a hallway
When young Tracy discovers she is pregnant she doesn’t
know how to tell either her parents — solid, dependable
Elsie and hypochondriac Idris — or her boyfriend,
Bobby. Gran, permanently ensconced in bed (on stage),
knows all and sees all, and helps to pave the way for her
announcement. Unfortunately, Idris, overhearing Tracy
and Elsie, jumps to the wrong conclusion and believes
he has but a short time to live.
The Farmer’s Wife
Comedy. Eden Phillpotts
M10 (10, young, middle age, elderly, ancient)
F11 (child, young, middle age).
A parlour, a dining-room
Samuel is a prosperous farmer and a widower. He is
ready to marry again and asks his housekeeper, Araminta,
to make a list of eligible ladies. Rather complacently,
he proposes to them all in turn. One after the other the
ladies refuse him. At last he realizes that the pick of the
bunch is Araminta and he humbly proposes.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Farndale Avenue Comedies:
David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Jnr
•
Chase Me Up Farndale Avenue, S’Il Vous
Plaît!
M1 F4 (late 20s, 40s-50s).
Two adjoining rooms
The Farndale Avenue ladies tackle French farce.
•
The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society
Murder Mystery
M1 F4 (20s-50s).
A drawing-room.
The scenery collapses, cues are missed, lines forgotten,
as the F.A.H.E.T.G.D.S. ladies present their ambitious
evening’s entertainment with the cunning whodunit
Murder at Checkpoint Manor.
•
The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s
Production of A Christmas Carol
M1 F4 (20s, 40s, 50s). M and F voices.
Various simple settings.
In festive mood, the F.A.H.E.T.G.D.S. ladies mount yet
another assault on the classics with their stage version
of A Christmas Carol.
•
The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s
Production of Macbeth
M3 F7 (20s-50s), with doubling. M1 F2 voices only.
Simple settings
This uproarious comedy introduces the ladies of
F.A.H.E.T.G.D.S., their producer, Plummer, and stage
manager, Henry. Their startlingly original production
of Macbeth should get them to the Welwyn Garden
City Finals, but, under the carefully mascara’d eye
of adjudicator George Peach, events conspire against
them ...
•
The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Operatic Society’s
Production of The Mikado (libretto)
M2 F7, Chorus F12, Conductor F1.
A courtyard, a garden
Devotees and newcomers to the Farndale ladies will
thoroughly enjoy this fun-filled romp, their most
ambitious project to date, but if you hear the hum of a top
it will be Gilbert and Sullivan spinning in their graves!
•
The Haunted Through Lounge and Recessed
Dining Nook at Farndale Castle
M1(20) F5 (20-50).
A through lounge, car, bedroom
The F.A.H.E.T.G.D.S. ladies make yet another spectacle
of themselves in this sinister, spine-chilling mystery of
murder and mayhem that is guaranteed to bring the house
down, or at least a substantial part of the set.
•
They Came from Mars and Landed Outside
the Farndale Church Hall in Time for the
Townswomen’s Guild’s Coffee Morning
M1 F4. 2 female voices.
A vicarage, Mars
The Farndale Avenue ladies and their long-suffering
stage manager Gordon attempt lift-off with their dramatic
society’s unique production of this sci-fi thriller that will
have the hysterical audience on the edge of their seats.
•
We Found Love and an Exquisite Set of
Porcelain Figurines Aboard the SS Farndale
Avenue
M2 (20s, any age) F3 (20s, 40s, 50s).
Various simple settings
Flushed and following on from their previous successes
(?), the stalwart veterans of the F.A.H.E.T.G.D.S. are
poised to conquer another dramatic idiom. In romantic
vein aboard an ocean-going liner for their excursion
into the world of thirties’ musical comedy à la Noël and
Gertie, the ladies prove that the age of elegance, glamour
and enchantment is not dead ... well, not quite anyway.
Feed
Play. Tom Elliott
M1 (old) F2 (20s, middle age).
A sitting-room and other simple settings
In the Havencrest Nursing Home, Harry Troop insists
he is not the humble Harold of his childhood, but Harry,
the music hall entertainer. His flashes of comic talent
intrigue nurse Stephanie and she helps him revive his
memories. Through flashbacks of singing, dancing and
laughter, we learn of Harry’s modest success, much
helped by his talented but tragic partners. The actresses
playing Stephanie and Harry’s daughter Edith double
all the other parts.
Fiddlers Three
Two one act plays. Eric Chappell
(We Don’t Want to Lose You and Cut and Dried)
M5 (mid-20s, mid-30s, 40s, mid-50s).
F2 (early 20s, mid-30s).
Two adjoining offices
In the offices of Multiple Holdings, Rex, Harry and
Osborne form an uncomfortable alliance against the
management ... These two hilarious one act plays see
the trio battling as hard as ever — sometimes against
each other!
Fish Out of Water
Comedy. Derek Benfield
M3 (young, 40s, 50s) F4 (20, middle age, 50s).
A hotel lounge
The peaceful atmosphere of an hotel on the Italian
Riviera is shattered by the arrival of Agatha, an
outspoken widow, and her timid sister, Fiona. Agatha
crushes all protests as she rounds up the guests into
communal games, her unflagging spirit of togetherness
invading the private lives of the other characters. All the
ingredients of package holidays — late flights, double
bookings, foreign food etc. — provide an evening of
uproarious and innocent fun.
15
The Professional Catalogue
Five Finger Exercise
Frost at Midnight
M3 (19, 20, 40s) F2 (14, 40).
A weekend cottage.
Period 1950s
M8 (16, 40s, elderly) F1 (young). A hall.
Period 1499
Play. Peter Shaffer
Walter, a sensitive young German, has been engaged as
tutor to Pamela Harrington. He has fled to England from
a Nazi father hoping to find a new home and nationality.
His stay in the Harrington family begins propitiously,
but the Harringtons are a desperately unhappy family.
As Clive says, “This isn’t a family. It’s a tribe of wild
cannibals”. It takes a near tragedy to shock them into an
awareness of their cruelty to each other.
“Shaffer’s plays traverse the centuries and the globe,
raising questions that have perplexed minds from Job
to Samuel Beckett.” Benedict Nightingale, New York
Times
Forget Me Knot
Comedy. David Tristram
M2 F2.
Split set
Robert Zeinfeld is found wandering the streets of
Leicester at 4 a.m. without even the slightest clue how
he got there. Total amnesia. And only a bruised head and
a suspicious policeman for company, But then again,
you have to see it from the policeman’s point of view.
Perhaps this Zeinfeld character’s not what he seems.
Perhaps he’s got something to hide. Perhaps he hasn’t lost
his memory at all. Trouble is, the deeper the policeman
digs, the more confused he gets ...
Forty Years On
Play. Alan Bennett
M5 F2. Schoolboys (minimum of 6). A public school
assembly hall
At a public school, now past its prime, the annual
school play is being prepared. The progress of the
play is severely impeded by the conflicts between the
Headmaster and the play’s producer, Franklin, and by the
behaviour of the boys. Forty Years On is original, witty,
erudite, moving and frequently hilariously funny.
Fresh Fields
Comedy. Ivor Novello
M3 (20s, middle age) F6 (young, middle age).
A morning-room
Two sisters, Lady Mary Crabbe and Lady Lilian
Beworthy, inherit a luxurious Belgravian mansion, but no
money. According to the will, money will be forthcoming
only when Lady Mary’s son, Tim, gets married which,
at the moment, he declines to do. Tim’s initial dislike
of Una, the Australian visitor, turns to love. Moreover
the very downright Tom Larcombe makes violent love
to the apathetic Lady Lilian, and actually sweeps her
off her feet. Left to their own devices, Lady Mary and
Mrs Pidgeon, Una’s mother, plan to go round the world
together.
“Ivor Novello, the ‘Last Great Romantic’, has a legacy
in song and in the theatre that lives on many years after
his death.” BBC Wales
16
Play. André Obey. Translated by Warren Tute
One bitter December night, a group of men meet to
rehearse their Christmas Mystery play. For two of them
at least this is an act of deep personal devotion. Only
Greene can suggest a replacement “Virgin Mary” as
glowingly beautiful as the virgin herself, but when he
introduces her, she is discovered as Alice, the tavern
slut. Alice is so humble and so radiant in rehearsal that
they are won over. For one evening, there is a kind of
Christmas miracle.
Full House
Ivor Novello
M8 F4.
A drawing-room
A light comedy first produced at the Haymarket Theatre,
London, in 1935.
Funny Money
Comedy. Ray Cooney
M6 F2. A living-room
Good friends Betty and Vic arrive for Henry’s birthday
dinner and Jean is frantic because Henry is late. When he
eventually arrives he wants to emigrate immediately, and
with good reason: the briefcase he accidentally picked up
on the Underground is stuffed with £735,000! When two
police inspectors call, Henry, Vic, Betty and a bemused
and tipsy Jean are forced into a frantic game of cat and
mouse. Hilarious innuendo and cruelly funny turns of
fate ensue as the two couples assume various identities
in their battle to keep the money.
The Game
Comedy, Harold Brighouse
M7 F5.
A library, an office, a kitchen/living-room
Period 1914
The Centre forward of a Lancashire football club,
Blackton Rovers, is sold to rival club for a record
transfer fee.
The Garden Party
Play. Jimmie Chinn and Hazel Wyld
M4 (30s, 50-70) F4 (30s-70s).
A garden
It’s Richard’s seventieth birthday. To his Isle of Wight
home come his children, Sam, unhappily married, and
bringing her autistic son Miles; Charlie, a discontented
alcoholic with numerous chips on his shoulder; and
Ben, whose generosity and sense of fun draw attention
away from a mystery at the heart of his life. With Ben
comes Brice, an unexpected addition to the party and,
in some quarters, an unwelcome one; for Brice was the
first husband of Richard’s wife Jan, and is the real father
to her children. The scene is set for a day and a night of
revelations, arguments and moments of tenderness as
the family seeks to resolve its difficulties and put the
past behind it.
Full Length Plays by American Playwrights
Gaslight
The Ghost Train
M2 (45, 60s) F3 (19, 34, 50).
A living-room.
Period Victorian
M8 (young, 20s, 60, elderly) F4 (20s, elderly).
A station waiting-room.
Period 1920s
Victorian thriller. Patrick Hamilton
Drama. Arnold Ridley
This classic Victorian thriller was first produced in
1935 and has been filmed twice. Jack Manningham is
slowly, deliberately driving his wife, Bella, insane. He
has almost succeeded when help arrives in the form of a
former detective, Rough, who believes Manningham to
be a thief and murderer. Aided by Bella, Rough proves
Manningham’s true identity and finally Bella achieves a
few moments of sweet revenge for the suffering inflicted
on her.
Arnold Ridley’s classic drama was first produced in
1925 and filmed no less than three times. A very silly
young man accidentally strands six passengers at a
small Cornish wayside station. Despite the pyschic
stationmaster’s weird stories of a ghost train, they decide
to stay the night in the waiting-room. Soon they regret
this decision as ghostly and not so ghostly apparitions
materialize before the young man reveals the true reason
behind the night’s events.
The Geometry of Love
Ghost Writer
M9 F8 or M4 F3 with doubling.
Various simple interior and exteriors.
Period circa 1812
M3 (20s-30s) F3(20s-30s).
A bedsit
Peter Dunne
This is the story of the “mad, bad and dangerous to know”
Lord Byron, his ever-increasing notorious reputation and
his steps to appease Society by marrying respectably.
He loves his married half-sister Augusta but marries
Annabella Milbank, with disastrous consequences. With
the debtors at his heels and facing the ignominy of his
sexual life being dragged through the Courts,Byron
agrees to a formal separation from Annabella, parts
broken-hearted from his beloved Augusta and quits
England for good.
Getting On
Play. Alan Bennett
M4 (17, 19, middle age) F3 (30s, 50s, 60s).
A basement flat
We see George Oliver, disillusioned by the passing years
and the changing world, middle-aged in his middleclass home where he lives with his children and his
second wife, the bustling attractive Polly. Polly falls
mildly in love with handsome young Geoff, who in his
turn forms an association with the cynical homosexual
Conservative, Brian. George is out of touch, or at any rate
out of sympathy, with present-day youth, as personalized
in his feckless, argumentative, unpleasant son by his
first marriage, with his domestic surroundings, with his
friends and neighbours, with the world which he has
tried to do his share to improve.
Ghost on Tiptoe
Comedy. Robert Morley
and Rosemary Anne Sisson
M4 (young, 20s, middle age)
F4 (young, middle age, elderly).
A living-room
When Barnstable finds out that he is suffering from
“Blum’s disease” and has only about eighteen months
to live he hopes that the announcement will have a
shattering effect on his family. In this he is somewhat
disappointed — nevertheless the limit to his life does
have its effect. Roger, his son, changes from a longhaired trendy to a sober young business man, while
Barnstable himself bursts out as an avant-garde painter.
The chance arrival of pretty, ultra-modern young Poppy
leads to what he imagines will be a last fling. When the
fatal diagnosis is proved wrong after all, an even odder
metamorphosis takes place.
Comedy-thriller. David Tristram
At the last-night party for a new production of Hamlet is
one Edward Pinfold, a promising young playwright, and
husband of the talented but tempestuous actress Ruby.
Tragically, that very night, Ruby is found dead in bed:
an overdose of naughty pills and booze. Edward, unable
to face the emotional torment of living in the house he
shared with Ruby, has moved into the attic room of one
of his oldest actor friends, Alex. We join the story on the
first anniversary of the death of Ruby Pinfold …
The Gift of the Gorgon
Play. Peter Shaffer
M4 (20s, middle age, elderly)
F5 (20s, middle age, elderly).
Composite set
The death of a famous playwright occasions a visit to
his widow by an American academic who wishes to
write his biography. This man is the playwright’s son,
whom he had refused to acknowledge. The widow will
agree, but only if everything is told. First produced by
the RSC at the Barbican Theatre, London, in 1992, later
transferring to Wyndham’s.
The Gioconda Smile
Play. Aldous Huxley
M5 (45, 55, elderly) F5 (22, 35, 45).
Interiors
Emily Hutton has been a complaining chronic invalid and
her husband, Henry, a rich and still comparatively young
man, has found consolation elsewhere. For years, he has
shared his intellectual and artistic interests with Janet
Spence, valuing her Gioconda-like inscrutability, but
Janet’s surface calm hides an intense passion for Henry
and she poisons Emily. When, after several months’
separation, she finds Henry has married someone else
she determines to wreak havoc on their lives.
17
The Professional Catalogue
Good Grief
Play. Keith Waterhouse
M2 (35, 50s) F2 (32, middle age).
A living-room, hall and landing, a pub
A sensitive, wryly humorous study of a middle-aged
widow who finds the courage to break with the past. June
keeps a diary in the form of private conversations with
her late husband Sam, a national newspaper editor. Her
stepdaughter, Pauline, determines to keep an eye on June.
Likewise, Eric Grant, an ex-colleague of Sam’s. But June
strikes out on her own and befriends Duggie, who, like
June, is lonely. June, however, discovers that Pauline,
Eric and Duggie have their own hidden agenda.
Goodnight Mrs Puffin
Play. Arthur Lovegrove
M5 (19, 20s, 50) F5 (20s, 45, 50).
A drawing-room
The Fordyces are preparing for the wedding of their
daughter, Jacky, to Victor Parker. Then in walks Mrs
Puffin who announces that she saw in a vision that Jacky
would not marry Victor, and that she will in fact marry
Roger Vincent, a young business associate of, and friend
to, the Parker family. The oracle proves accurate, but no
wonder — Mrs Puffin has been carefully primed for her
role as suburban seer.
The Governess
Play. Patrick Hamilton
M6 3 extras F6 (1 girl)
2 interior settings
Period Victorian
The eponymous governess, Miss Fry, is a nasty piece of
work with a penchant for stealing babies. She has taken
a position in the house of boorish capitalist Drew where
she proceeds to terrorise his young daughter. When Mrs
Drew’s infant baby vanishes the house is thrown into
confusion and it takes Detective Inspector Rough (who,
when retired, solves the Gaslight case some years later)
to locate the culprit.
A Gown For His Mistress
Farce. Georges Feydeau.
Translated by Barnett Shaw
M4 (30s, 40s) F6 (20s, 30s, 50s).
A living-room, a furnished apartment
A wild and saucy matrimonial mix-up in the best
Feydeau tradition. Dr Moulineaux stays out all night
after a futile attempt to meet his mistress, Suzanne. His
alibi proves useless and he is upbraided by his motherin-law. He rents an apartment to meet Suzanne but her
husband walks in as he is courting her. The apartment
once belonged to a dressmaker so Moulineaux pretends
to be fitting Suzanne when his wife and mother-in-law
walk in. Although his house is in an uproar, Moulineaux
manages to lie his way out of trouble with the use of a
photograph that his friend Bassinet provides.
18
The Graduate
Comedy. Adapted for the stage by Terry Johnson.
Based on the novel by Charles Webb, screenplay
by Calder Willingham and Buck Henry
M5 F4. Extras.
Various settings.
Period 1960s
California in the 60s. Benjamin’s got excellent grades,
very proud parents and, since he helped Mrs Robinson
with her zipper, a fine future behind him ... This
successful stage version of the cult novel and classic
film premièred at the Gielgud Theatre, London, in
March 2000 with Kathleen Turner as Mrs Robinson and
Matthew Rhys as Benjamin.
Grenfell, Joyce
Various Sketches
Please enquire for details.
Habeas Corpus
Play. Alan Bennett
M6 F5.
A bare stage
Simply staged, this play introduces the Wicksteeds, a
family for whom the determination to put sex and the
satisfaction of the body before everything else is the
ruling passion of their lives. Permissive society is taken
to task in this farcical comedy in which the characters
move in and out through a maze of mistaken identities
and sexual encounters. As Wicksteed says, “He whose
lust lasts, lasts longest”.
The Happiest Days of Your Life
Farce. John Dighton
M7 (12, 20-50s) F6 (14, 20-50s).
A masters’ common-room
The masters of Hilary Hall School for Boys are told that
St Swithin’s, a girls’ school, will be billeted upon them.
The staff try desperately to conceal the fact that boys
and girls are housed together, but in vain, for the parents
find out. They are about to remove their offspring when
a message arrives: a third school is to share Hilary Hall.
Against this common enemy, both staff and parents unite
to barricade the gates.
Happy Days
Farce. Wilfred Massey
M4 (young, 20s, middle age, 50s)
F7 (young, middle age).
A sitting-room
Reggie Blougham cannot inherit his mother’s fortune
till he is thirty. Meanwhile, his Uncle Bagshot has to
make him an allowance. Uncle Bagshot wishes him to
marry Agnes Kilpoop (of Kilpoop’s Pork Sausages),
but Reggie is already in love with Leslie Royston and
refuses to look at Miss Kilpoop. Then he wins £500
for an essay on “The Happy Home” in a competition
organized by the Daily Comet; but before the prize is
rewarded, the editors insist on investigating Reggie’s
home life and demand to see the perfect wife of whom
he wrote so touchingly. Reggie’s efforts to produce this
mystical creature and the ensuing entanglements provide
the chief fun in this farce.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Haunted
Holidays
M4 (30s, 40s, middle age) F2 (30s).
A study
M2 (30s, 40s) F1 (40s).
A stone cottage
Eric Chappell
Nigel Burke, aspiring playwright, is neurotic and
agoraphobic and hasn’t written a word for three months,
to the chagrin of his wife, agent and friends. He is visited
by the mysterious Potter, who knows of Nigel’s interest
in Byron and gives him a goblet used by the poet.
Drinking from the goblet brings about subtle changes
in Nigel’s confidence and manner — and then, out of
nowhere, Byron himself appears! Haunted is a flippant
and exciting play from the author of Natural Causes,
Haywire and others.
The Haunted Through Lounge and
Recessed Dining Nook at Farndale
Castle
Please see the entry under Farndale Avenue Comedies.
Haywire
Comedy. Eric Chappell
M2 (20s, 50s) F4 (20s, 30s, 50s, 70s).
A living-room
Alec Firth is having an affair with his assistant, Liz,
and hasorganized his domestic life so that they can go
to Spain on holiday without making Alec’s wife Maggie
remotely suspicious. What could possibly go wrong?
The answer: plenty. On the doorstep, in dizzyingly
rapid succession, are: Phoebe, Alec’s mother, who has
discharged herself from her old people’s home; Alec’s
son Jamie, with a broken ankle; and his daughter Mandy,
heavily pregnant and not planning to marry the child’s
father ...
Heatstroke
Comedy. Eric Chappell
M4 (30s, 50) F2 (20s, late 30s), 1F voice. 2M extras.
A living-room/terrace
Assumed identities, breakneck pace and hilarious
mishaps of farce mix with the tension and startling plot
reversals of a thriller in this clever, amusing play. The
Spencers arrive for a peaceful holiday in a luxurious
Spanish villa, closely followed by actor Howard Booth
and his girlfriend. Unfortunately, Sam and Howard have
matching holdalls which have become mixed up. Yet a
third, identical holdall, full of money, brings the sinister
Raynor to the villa ...
Hobson’s Choice
Lancashire comedy. Harold Brighouse
M7 (26, 30, 50s, elderly) F5 (20s, elderly). Three
interiors. Period 1880
Henry Hobson, widower and boot-shop proprietor, twits
his daughter Maggie on her being past the marrying age.
Maggie retaliates by marrying Hobson’s best boot-hand,
Will Mossup, and turning this retiring youth into a sturdy
fellow whose new confidence makes him a real business
rival to Hobson. Bowing to the circumstances, Hobson
has no choice but to accept Will as partner in the new
firm of “Mossup and Hobson”.
Play. John Harrison
Rose, faced with a further spread of cancer, has come,
on her counsellor’s advice, to a Yorkshire cottage.
For a week she will live alone, without the aid of her
smothering husband, and make some decsions about
where she is going. Embracing her solitude avidly, she
nevertheless reckons without Ralph, a very unusual oddjob man, who proves to be not the solution she seeks but
the catalyst to her ultimate decision.
Home at Seven
Play. R. C. Sherriff
M5 (middle age, 50s, 70s) F2 (young, 40s).
A sitting-room
Quiet, home-loving Mr Preston arrives home as usual
at seven o’cock, thinking that it is a normal Monday
evening, to find his wife distracted because it is in fact
Tuesday evening and he has been absent for twenty-four
hours. His doctor diagnoses temporary amnesia. The
president of the local club where Mr Preston is treasurer
calls to enquire about some missing sweepstake money.
Robinson, the club steward, who had told the president
that Mr Preston had removed the money from the safe
is then found murdered. Mr Preston begins to wonder
if he had indeed spent the past day committing horrible
crimes. Fortunately for him, other evidence soon proves
that he is quite innocent.
Home Before Dark,
or the Saga of Miss Edie Hill
Play. Jimmie Chinn
M12 (teenage-40s, 2 black)
F9 (teenage-middle age). Extras.
Various simple settings
Period 1946-1964
In this portrait of a small cotton mill town in Lancashire,
Edie Hill is essentially portrayed as a tragic heroine.
She works hard, raises an illegitimate son, and loses
her family one by one as they fall victim to the cotton
dust from years spent at the mill. However, Edie is a
very funny character, and the tragic points in her story
are interspersed with moments of great warmth and
humour.
Home Is Where Your Clothes Are
Comedy. Anthony Marriott and Bob Grant
M4 (20s-50s) F4 (20s, 40s).
A garden flat
When his wife runs off with another man, the Major
solves his debt problem by letting the basement of his
wife’s house — to two different tenants simultaneously!
Jill only uses the flat at weekends, while Philip lives
there during the week, and the Major swaps their
belongings at the beginning and end of each week.
But then Jill unexpectedly gets a week off work and a
whole set of complications, wild confsion and awkward
confrontations follows!
19
The Professional Catalogue
The House of Dracula
If We Are Women
M7 F5, extra 1M; or M6 F5, extra 1M, with doubling.
A castle hall
F4 (18,40s, 60s).
A beach-house veranda, a kitchen and dining area
Comedy-horror. Martin Downing
Play. Joanna McClelland Glass
Hailed as “A Monster Hit” by the Yorkshire Evening Post,
this clever spin-off from The House of Frankenstein!
sees the Baron, Baroness and their repulsive retainers,
Ygor and Frau Lurker, going to stay at a macabre
Transylvanian fortress. Excitement turns to terror,
however, when they are greeted by more than a few of
their mortal (and immortal) enemies. A wickedly funny,
fast-moving horror farce.
Jessica, a writer approaching middle age, her mother
Ruth (who is unable to read or write) and her Jewish
mother-in-law, Rachel, find themselves emotionally
stranded in Jessica’s Connecticut beach home. Weighing
the choices each have made as women, as daughters,
as mothers, their recollections of guilt and regret are
punctuated by wry observations on sex, history, ideas
and their relationships with the men in their lives.
The House of Frankenstein!
The Imaginary Invalid
Comedy-horror. Martin Downing
M6 (30s, 40s) F4 (20s-40s).
A castle hall
Baron von Frankenstein, bored with his attempts to give
life to the lifeless, has turned his attention to curing
the supposedly incurable. He plays host to various
mysterious and menacing denizens of the night (invited
or otherwise) who visit the Baron to beg him to rid them
of their vices. But his challenge, although a welcome
diversion for the headstrong young scientist, proves to
be no picnic ... more of a living nightmare!
House of Secrets
Peter McKelvey
M3 (late 20s, early 30s, late 50s)
F3(20s, late 20s, early 30s)
A sitting-room with kitchen alcove
A London lodging house with a good reputation is thrown
into turmoil after a lodger is attacked by a fellow house
guest — but the culprit is not as obvious as the police
assume in this suspenseful drama.
The House on the Cliff
Mystery Comedy. George Batson
M2 (25, middle age) F4 (23, 35, 50, middle age).
A living-room
When Ellen, struck by a form of hysterical paralysis,
is attended by a new young doctor, Corey Phillips,
terrifying incidents occur. A body is found on the beach.
Next, the housekeeper is killed. Everyone is suspect until
Nurse Pepper (a most unusual detective) unravels the
mystery. She discovers that “Dr Phillips” is a murderous
impersonator after Ellen’s fortune. Nurse Pepper foils
him, and Ellen is shocked out of her paralysis.
Hypnosis
Thriller. David Tristram
M2 F1
A minimalistic multi-purpose setting
The Great Gordo, an alcoholic stage hypnotist in the
twilight of his career, randomly chooses Alan Briggs as
his next stooge. Briggs, a mild-mannered policeman, is
a good sport, the audience laughs, and everyone goes
home. For Gordo, it’s just the end of another show, and
time for a drink or three before bed. But someone out
there has other ideas. Extraordinary ideas. The mind
games begin, the stakes are raised, and we sense there
can only be one winner. But who?
20
Play. Molière
Adapted by Miles Malleson
M8 (25, middle age, 50s-70s) F4 (15, 20s, 30s).
A sitting-room.
Period 1674
To reduce his medical fees, hypochondriac M. Argan
decides to marry off his daughter Angelica to a
physician’s son. Unfortunately, Angelica loves Cléante.
Argan’s brother Béralde and Toinette, an inventive maid,
save the situation for the lovers and expose Mme Argan’s
schemes to bleed her husband of his fortune. Then they
persuade the hypochondriac to turn physician so that he
can quack himself free of charge.
Imaginary Lines
Comedy. Reggie Oliver
M2 (30s, 60s) F3 (20s, 30s, 60s).
A flat and a bookshop
Wanda takes things Very Seriously Indeed. Matchmaker,
idealist dreamer, she is the despair of the men — gentle,
serious bookshop owner Howard and successful MP and
publisher Sir Michael Thurston — who love her and who
try vainly to beat paths, imaginary or otherwise, to her
door. This delightful comedy was first seen at the Stephen
Joseph Theatre in the Round in a production directed by
Alan Ayckbourn.
The Importance of Being Earnest
Oscar Wilde. Four-act version
reconstructed by Vyvyan Holland
M7 (young, middle age) F4 (young, middle age).
Two morning rooms, one garden. Period late Victorian
Wilde originally wrote this play in four acts, but it was
thought too long and he was asked to reduce it to three.
In 1954 the BBC broadcast the “lost scene” with Mr
Gribsby, an amusing character with a short scene in the
second act. Dramatic critic James Agate commented,
“The fun in the scene Wilde deleted is better than any
living playwright can do.”
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
In the Red
Comedy.William Douglas Home
M4 F3.
A living-room
David Clifton, playwright, has a vast overdraft. When
his new bank manager, Bentworth, tells him no more
cheques will be honoured, David enlists the help of his
family in an “ingenious” scheme to remedy matters.
The scheme goes sadly awry and the resourceful David
flounders from one desperate plot to another but on each
occasion the tables are most ironically turned.
Inside Job
Thriller. Brian Clemens
M2 (30s, 40s) F1 (30s).
A living-room
Spain is a well known haven for criminals who skip
abroad. On the Costa del Sol, professional safe-cracker
Larry has struck it lucky. Gorgeous Suzy asks him to
steal the diamonds from her husband Alex’s safe and run
away with her to Rio. At the same time Alex also employs
Larry to murder Suzy for her £100,000 life insurance
policy. Larry decides to tell Suzy about her husband’s
plans, and they plot to steal the diamonds, murder Alex,
and make off with the dividend from Alex’s similar
insurance policy. Several twists add to the suspense in
this exciting thriller.
Inspector Drake and the
Black Widow
Comedy. David Tristram
M2 F1 (multiple roles)
A room.
Inspector Drake and his sidekick Sergeant Plod return in
their most perplexing case yet, confronting everything
from missing tortoises, to triplets, to deadly tropical
spiders. A maid discovers the corpse of wealthy oil
tycoon John Johnson with a sword sticking out of his
back. An ordinary case for murder? If so, then why is
Johnson dressed as a woman? And why does he appear to
have swallowed a tortoise? All these questions and more
form the basis for another thrilling ride in the company
of the world’s greatest detective, as he attempts to solve
the murder whilst also avoiding his own.
Inspector Drake and the
Time Machine
Comedy whodunit. David Tristram
9 characters,
may be played by a cast of 5 with doubling.
Interior of an old house, a spaceship
The professor’s dead body is found floating weightlessly
in the study, his daughter has vanished, and everything
points to the mysterious Time Machine. Can the intrepid
Inspector Drake, ably hampered by Sergeant Plod, solve
the crime of the century? — the thirtieth century, that is.
Inspector Drake’s Last Case
Comedy. David Tristram
M7 F4 or 5.
A room
No-one could have foreseen the strange events that took
place one dark evening at the home of Mrs Gagarin. We
see her taking a stroll. Next she screams, “Who is it? Oh,
it’s you!” Next a gunshot! It’s up to the world’s greatest
detective to solve the crime. But, in the words of Sergeant
Plod, “don’t believe everything you see ...” After all, is
it safe to say that Mrs Gagarin is actually dead?
The Invisible Man
Play. Ken Hill, from the novel by H. G. Wells
M17+ F5+. A stage
Ken Hill has turned H.G. Wells’s gripping novel into a
music-hall romp, combining tongue-in-cheek humour
with tragedy and magic. The sinister Griffin arrives in the
village of Iping with a bandaged face and an unsociable
manner. Was it really an accident that destroyed his face,
or is he a criminal on the run? He takes off his gloves to
reveal no hands and his bandages to reveal no head! Then
the pranks — comic and malevolent — truly begin ...
It Can Damage Your Health
Comedy. Eric Chappell
M 5 (1 Indian) (20s, 30s, 40, 50s) F1 (20s).
A hospital ward
Inspector Drake and the
Perfekt Crime
Based on Eric Chappell’s hit TV series Only When I
Laugh this traces the fortunes of a disparate trio who
share a Men’s Surgical Ward: the cynical, defensive
Higgins; the young, nervous Gary; and the weary
hypochondriac Palmer. Together, they form an uneasy
alliance against the confusions and insecurities of
hospital life.
M3 F2.
A living-room
It Runs in the Family
When a genius commits a murder, the plan is perfect.
But is it foolproof? Inspector Drake is back to face his
greatest-ever challenge. Who is the mysterious Doctor
Short, and why did he marry a warthog? Has he murdered
his fourth wife — or did she murder him first? These are
just some of the questions facing the indomitable Drake
in this hilarious comedy.
M7 F4. Interior
Comedy. David Tristram
Farce. Ray Cooney
Britain’s master farceur is at it again. Set in a hospital,
It Runs in the Family contains the usual assortment of
farcical nutcases running in and out of doors mistaking
everybody for someone else, as Dr Mortimore tries to
fend off a paternity suit, an ex-wife, a punkish daughter
and various other lunatics so that he may, at last, deliver
the Ponsonby Lecture in an international conference.
“My glasses steamed up with laughter ... A must for the
bruised in spirit and the young at heart.” Sunday Times
21
The Professional Catalogue
Jane Eyre
Play. Charlotte Brontë, adapted by Willis Hall
M4 F8 (with doubling).
Various simple settings. Period 19th century
Whilst having retained all the familiar passionate
qualities of Charlotte Brontë’s novel, Willis Hall has
managed, with a minimum of fuss, to successfully
transpose the nineteenth-century world of Jane Eyre
to the stage. A fictional tale of a penniless, plain girl
becomes a work of great emotional force in the most
complete stage adaptation of the classic novel.
Jane Eyre
Play. Charlotte Brontë. Adapted by Charles Vance
M4 (30s) F6 (young, 18, 20s, middle age, elderly)
(F5 with doubling), 1 child.
A library and pasageway
of them knows is that if “Raleigh went up those steps
into the front line without being doped with whisky,
he’d go mad with fright.” The drama of the personal
relationships between the men is played out against
the larger tragedy raging around them. David Grindley
directed a production at the New Ambassador’s Theatre
in 2005/6.
“This play, which eloquently celebrates heroism while
exposing the waste and idiocies of war, may be 75
years old, but it has lost none of its power to move and
provoke.” Mail on Sunday
Just the Ticket
Comedy. Peter Quilter
F1. Various simple settings
The show, which premiered in Sydney in 2011, follows
the fortunes of Susan, a loud and lonely eccentric, who
embarks on a solo trip to Australia to celebrate her 60th
birthday. Searching for love and surrounded by chaos,
she takes us on a compelling 90 minute journey through
her hilarious life.
Focusing on the love story between Jane and Rochester,
the play begins as Jane arrives in 1846 to take up the post
of governess to Rochester’s ward, Adèle, at Thornfield
Hall. Jane and Rochester fall in love but their happiness
is jeopardized by the discovery of the terrible secret from
Rochester’s past, resolved by the dramatic fire which
maims Rochester. The action, contained in a single
setting with one small inset scene, makes for exciting
theatre.
“Impressive and ingenious fun” (Curtain Call)
“A marvelous and vivacious one woman show” (ABC
Radio)
“A very clever monologue — just the ticket for an
evening full of laughs” (Arts Hub)
Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell
The Kerry Dance
Comedy. Keith Waterhouse.
Based on the life and writings of Jeffrey Bernard
M1 plus M2 F2 (playing various roles). Interior
Peter O’Toole triumphed in the West End as Jeffrey
Bernard, part-time journalist and full-time drunk. Face
down and dead drunk, he is locked in a closed Soho pub.
He comes around, mixes an eye-opener, and tells tales of
all the embarrassing, hilarious things that have happened
to him while under the influence. “To describe this
exultant evening of pure theatre as a play is to mislead
you. It is a glorious entertainment from the very best of
Bernard’s worst moments.” Daily Mail
Jekyll and Hyde
Play. Leonard H. Caddy. Based on the novel Dr
Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
M4 (40, middle age, 60) F4 (young, 20s, 30).
Extra 1 child.
A parlour and part of the adjoining laboratory.
Period 1851
Dr Jekyll is on the brink of discovering the key to man’s
inner reality. He experiments on himself, and finds to his
delight that his formula works. Unfortunately, his “real”
self turns out to be the monster Edward Hyde. When
Hyde brutally murders one of the young maids he realizes
there is only one course of action open to him ...
Play. Tony Rushforth
M3 F6.
A parish hall.
period 1961, recalled in 1971
Enthralled by the magic of theatre, Jamie wants to
study drama at RADA, something he knows would not
be approved of by his Catholic Irish mother, Maureen.
He begins to take lessons for his audition in secret with
Margaret, a relief teacher. The mystery surrounding their
relationship first sparks jealousy from Jamie’s girlfriend
Sarah, then indignation from Maureen, who forbids the
lessons to continue. Jamie has a powerful ally in his
Auntie Bridget, however, whose own profound secret
will prove the turning point.
Key for Two
Comedy. John Chapman and Dave Freeman
M3 (30-50) F4 (30-middle age). Composite setting
In this wickedly amusing play Harriet solves her financial
problems by entertaining two married gentlemen on
different days of the week. The scheme faces collapse
when her friend, Anne, arrives, hotly pursued by her
husband; one of Harriet’s lovers is confined to bed
with a sprained ankle and the second lover turns up
unexpectedly, closely followed by two irate wives in
search of their itinerant husbands! The long-running
London production starred Moira Lister, Patrick Cargill,
Barbara Murray and Glyn Houston.
Journey’s End
Key to Murder
M11 (young, 40s, middle age).
A dug-out. Period 1918
M4 (young, 30s) F3 (27, 30, middle age).
Composite setting: a sitting-room and bedroom
Drama. R. C. Sherriff
Second Lieutenant Raleigh, the new officer assigned to C
Company, is welcomed by everyone except, apparently,
Captain Stanhope, who reveals, later, that Raleigh was at
school with him and hero-worshipped him. What neither
22
Play. Stewart Burke
A TV production is in preparation to feature the wellknown star Maggy Fairchild. At a gathering in her flat
of leading personalities in the project, hidden tensions
are apparent under the smoothly sophisticated surface.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
A spare key to the flat disappears, and late that night
an intruder, disguised in a Ku Klux Klan outfit, tries to
strangle Maggy. The final surprising revelation unveils
an unusual and potentially tragic tangle of personal
relationships.
A Kiss on the Bottom
Killing Time
Three women are in East Glamorgan hospital for cancer
treatment. Each woman must cope not only with the
uncertainties of her health, but with the inevitable secrets
and half-truths which are maintained by relations and
nursing staff. It’s up to Marlene, the strongest and most
outspoken of them all, to keep the atmosphere in the
ward cheery. Her activities make her bedfellows’ time
in hospital somewhat more interesting than it would
otherwise have been!
Play. Richard Stockwell
M1 (30s) F1 (30s).
A living-room/kitchen area
A chance meeting brings Rick and Jane together.
Gradually the clues to the truth assemble: he engineered
their meeting; he knows all about Jane’s marriage to the
violent, unsavoury Michael — and he wants Michael
dead, for reasons of his own. Surprisingly, Jane is happy
to collude with Rick in this plan, but then she isn’t all she
originally appears to be either. By degrees, the two reveal
increasingly more of their true identities and the crimes
and violence that have linked them in the past.
Kindly Keep It Covered
Farce. Dave Freeman
M3 (early middle age) F4 (20s, middle age).
A reception area
Roland Dickerby runs a health farm with his wife Julia,
bought with the proceeds of a hefty insurance payout on
the demise of Julia’s first husband, Sidney. Life isn’t easy
for Roland and today Fate has something extra special in
store for him: Sidney has decided to resurrect himself and
turns up at the farm, just as Vanessa, the wife of Roland’s
ex-boss from the Kindly Mutual, checks in for a healthgiving visit. A fast, furious and frantic farce.
King Cromwell
Play. Oliver Ford Davies
M6 F2.
A bedchamber
The year is 1657 and an infirm Oliver Cromwell, Lord
Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland, is nearing
the end of his life. But who will succeed him? Parliament
want him to be king which will unite the people but
is against Cromwell’s republican principles and will
mean his ill-suited son, Richard, succeeds him. But the
alternative is a military dictatorship under Cromwell’s
second-in-command, John Lambert. This elegant, witty
play presents a very human portrait of Cromwell. It
premiéred at the Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond in 2003
starring Oliver Ford Davies.
The Kingfisher
Comedy. William Douglas Home
M2 (70, old) F1 (60).
A garden
Cedric is a best-selling novelist living comfortably
with his butler, Hawkins, who has served him for fifty
years. There have been many women in Cedric’s richly
disordered life but now he is contemplating marriage to
the only one he has loved. The object of his proposal,
Evelyn, has just been to her husband’s funeral, whom
she married on the rebound from Cedric. Now she is
confronted by Cedric’s charming and candid proposal
and must make a decision.
Comedy. Frank Vickery
F7 (20s, middle age, 60s) May be played by F5.
2F extras.
A hospital ward
The Kitsch Room
Play. Valerie Maskell
M2 (20s, 30s) F2 (30s).
A school classroom
This play, set in the staffroom of a girls’ boarding school
in the South of England, is a sensitive study of three very
different and complex characters. During the half-term,
Evelyn, the matron, and teachers Michael and Laura,
find themselves thrown together in isolation — and great
changes, at first physical and material, then emotional,
soon follow, as the trio find stronger love for each other.
But the Kitsch Room can prove claustrophobic and the
happiness found there must be short-lived …
The Late Mrs Early
Comedy. Norman Robbins
M4 (14, 40, 60) F4 (17, 40s).
A living-room
Terry Early’s announcement that he and Susan intend to
marry rouses the fury of his overbearing mother Alice.
Alice’s sudden demise, following her handling of a
faulty electric kettle, promises a peaceful solution. But
Alice as a vengeful ghost is even more formidable than
as a live wife and mother. Much drama ensues in which
both families are involved before Alice’s ashes can be
persuaded to lie quiet in her urn.
Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami!
Comedy. Miles Tredinnick
M4 (30, 40) F3 (20, 30, 60).
A sitting-room
A zany, fast-moving comedy of confusion. When Tom, an
Elvis fanatic, and Alice his fiancée are unable, due to fog,
to fly to Miami for an Elvis Convention, they arrive back
at Tom’s flat to find they have inadvertently picked up the
wrong suitcase at the airport and are now in possession
of half a million dollars. Confusions arise when Auntie
arrives with a bag containing $20,000 as does Frankie,
a thug working for the owner of the suitcase dollars, and
it takes Inspector Hendy to sort everything out.
23
The Professional Catalogue
Les Misérables
Life Is A Dream
M9 F3, or M4 F3 with doubling. Various interior and
exterior settings. Period early 19th century
M4 F3. Extras
Play. Jonathan Holloway,
adapted from the novel by Victor Hugo
Using conventions of “Poor Theatre” — small cast;
simple, flexible settings; clear, uncluttered storytelling
and a strong political sensibility — the play follows its
many vividly-drawn characters through a a passionate
and epic tale of social injustice, class conflict, love
and revolt in nineteenth-century France with pace and
economy.
Let Sleeping Wives Lie
Farce. Harold Brooke and Kay Bannerman
M7 (young, middle age, old) F3 (young). Composite set:
hotel bedroom, corridor, balcony
Pedro Calderón de la Barca.
Translated by Gwynne Edwards
This verse play is set in Poland and tells the story
of Segismundo, imprisoned in a tower from birth
by his father, King Basilio. Some twenty years later
Basilio resolves to give his son an opportunity to rule;
Segismundo is transported to the palace under the
influence of a drug and, informed of his status, proceeds
to take revenge on those who have wronged him. Basilio
imprisons him again and orders his tutor to convince
Segismundo that he has dreamed his experiences …
The Lights are Warm and Coloured
Play. William Norfolk
M2 (30s) F6 (20s-50s).
A living-room.
Period 1905
Willie and Liz have come to Brighton for an important
weekend — they are to meet their new boss, American
executive Mr Wymark. They are only too aware that
in order to win promotion each of them must prove
happily and securely married to their respective spouses.
Unfortunately both Willie’s wife and Liz’s husband are
soon missing. An Irish chambermaid is pressed into
service by Willie, an old flame by Liz. The arrival of the
true husband and wife add to the complications, which
develop into an ever increasing whirligig of hiding in
wardrobes, crawling under beds and mad dashing from
here to everywhere.
Several years after Lizzie Borden’s trial and acquittal
following the murder of her father and stepmother,
she lives with her sister in another house in the same
district. One evening she invites some actors from a
visiting touring company who re-enact the crime. Later,
the Bordens receive an unexpected visit from Bridget
Sullivan, the servant at the time of the crime and a
crucial witness. It transpires that Lizzie gave her a sum
of money. Why? To conceal her own guilt or was Bridget
the murderess?
Lettice and Lovage
Little Women
Comedy. Peter Shaffer
M2 (middle age) F3 (middle age). Extras.
A grand hall, an office, a basement flat
Daughter of an actress who toured with an all-female
company playing Shakespeare’s plays, Lettice has
inherited both theatricality and eccentricity. Now
employed as a tourist guide in a shabby stately home, she
enlivens its dull history with her own over-imaginative
fantasies, until she is caught in the act and promptly
sacked. She is later visited by the starchy Preservation
Trust official who fired her, and an unlikely friendship
develops between the two.
Life After George
Play. Hannie Rayson
M2 F4.
Various interior and exterior settings.
Period late 60s — present
Peter George, charismatic academic, idealist, lover of
life, is dead. His three wives and his daughter come
together to arrange his funeral. So begins a fascinating
retrospective on George’s life. Life After George offers a
moving and perceptive insight into social change across
three decades, from the student barricades of the late
1960s to the new millennium.
24
Play. Peter Clapham, adapted from the novel by
Louisa M. Alcott
M4 F7
A parlour
Period American Civil War
Faithfully keeping to the novel, interweaving the lives
of the March girls, the action is contained nearly in one
set.
Lizzie, Darcy and Jane
Play. Joanna Norland
M5 F7 or M2 F4 with doubling
Various simple settings
Period 1796-1802
In which Jane Austen pits her wit and will against her
greatest adversary and ally — the intrepid heroine of
Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet. Heady with
her first taste of love for the dashing Tom LeFroy, Jane
Austen, aged 20, creates Elizabeth in an exuberant
moment of inspiration, with Mr Darcy taking on the
role of her arch enemy and reluctant admirer. But when
Jane’s romance with Tom sours, she sentences Elizabeth
to marry the odious Mr Collins, and herself to an equally
disastrous marriage. The fates of the author, the novel
and its heroine are at stake. Elizabeth Bennet must take
action.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
London Assurance
The Love Match
M11 (young, middle age, elderly) F3 (young).
An Ante-room, a lawn, a drawing-room.
Period 1841
M5 (20s, 40s, middle age) F3 (20s, 30s, middle age).
A Lancashire living-room
Play. Dion Boucicault. Adapted by Ronald Eyre
While retaining all the wit and humour of the original, a
number of structural alterations have been made, with a
view to rendering the play more acceptable to the modern
stage, and proving that it is no “old-fashioned” work
doomed to gather dust on rotting shelves.
Loose Ends
Comedy. Frank Vickery
M2 (20s, middle age) F3 (20s, middle age)
A caravan site
Marlene is an interfering mother who has an almost
unbearable influence on her children Darren and Louise.
Louise is married and now Marlene decides it’s time to
get Darren hitched. On a weekend break at a caravan
park Marlene sees her opportunity : Bev, who owns the
caravan, would be the perfect match for Darren! But
there is a reason for Marlene’s sometimes infuriating
behaviour — she is due to have chemotherapy. This
entertaining comedy is the sequel to A Kiss on the
Bottom.
The Lord’s Lieutenant
Play. William Douglas Home
M8 F7. Choirboys, congregation. A church
Hoping to raise funds at the Church Fête, the vicar
agrees that Rosemary, daughter of Lord Froxfield, should
approach pop star Johnny King, whom she ardently
admires, to take part in a Dialogue — a religious debate
held in the church. The star’s outspoken atheism arouses
local disapproval, but far more tragic events follow ...
The Lost Garden
Play. Colin and Mary Crowther
M2 (early 50s) F4 (20s, late 40s, late 50s).
A terraced house.
Please see the entry for An Untimely Frost.
Love Forty
Comedy. Frank Vickery
M2 (20s ageing to 60s) F2 (20s ageing to 60s)
A bedroom
As Marcia and Ralph prepare to celebrate their Ruby
Wedding Anniversary, Marcia reflects on lonely years
spent in an empty, loveless marriage. Conjuring up
memories, Marcia watches her young self and Boy Ralph
re-enact the pledges they made and the subsequent selfdeception, lies and infidelities. Finally she decides to
leave but with the help of Girl Marcia and Boy Ralph,
the anniversary will be celebrated; the lie is buried again
— and will continue.
Comedy. Glenn Melvyn
The City football team is Bill Brown’s whole life. It is
therefore disastrous when his wife rents a room to the
referee who decided in favour of United — City’s most
bitter rivals. Moreover, in the mêlée that followed, Bill
hit the referee with a pie and has only just been bailed
out by his son Percy. An excitable man, there is always
something for him to roar about, and his rage is terrific
when Percy signs up to play football with United. The
day before Percy’s first professional match, Bill gets
himself knocked down by a car. He makes violent efforts
to get hold of some trousers so that he can see the match,
but Sal is too much for him. Finally, the whole family
listen to the match on the radio — with Bill unbelievably
cheering his old enemies.
The Maintenance Man
Play. Richard Harris
M1 (40) F2 (40).
Two living-rooms represented by the same set
A bitter-sweet, witty and perceptive look at the collapse
of a marriage and the development and decay of an
affair. Bob is a do-it-yourself enthusiast with a longing
to be needed. Even after he is divorced from Chris he
constantly returns to his former home, until Diana, his
new love, begins to resent having to face competition for
his time from his children and his Black and Decker.
Make Me a Widow
Play. David Ellis
M2 (30s) F2 (29s, 40s). A lounge
The writer Julian French has been having an affair with is
secretary Sara Lester. Relations between Julian and his
wife Vicky are tepid, but when Sara suggess that Vicky
should be murdered, Julian is horrified. But even more
sinister are the events that follow.
A Man and Some Women
Play. Githa Sowerby
M2 F4. 1 child. Two sets
Period early 20th century
Hard-working Richard secretly supports his hard,
grasping wife and two lazy, spiteful unmarried sisters.
Jessica, long an admirer of Richard, arrives in their lives
but one of the sisters blackmails her into leaving; Richard
walks out on his family and joins Jessica, whom he truly
loves. She, a “new woman” will not allow him to get
trapped into another marriage until he has fulfilled his
career aspirations.
25
The Professional Catalogue
The Man Upstairs
Middle Age Spread
M4 F3
1 interior setting
Period 1950s
M3 (middle age) F3 (middle age).
A sitting-room, a bedroom, and a bedsit
Play. Patrick Hamilton
A psychological drama with a number of familiar
Hamilton elements, owing not a little to Gaslight.
Unprepossessing radio enthusiast and loner, George
Longford, lives below his old friend Sir Charles.
They have set up a communication device via a large
radiogram. One night he is visited by a menacing thug,
Cyrus, who claims Longford has violated his sister. The
man appears unbalanced and is about to attack Longford
when his mother, Mrs Armstrong, appears and orders
him home. Mrs Armstrong explains that Cyrus is
mentally ill and every seven years goes on a rampage of
violence. Longford agrees to pay for her to take Cyrus
back to Australia but it turns out to be an elaborate hoax
and Sir Charles, overhearing the conversations via the
radiogram, is able to call on contacts from his days in
the police force to prove this.
Mansfield Park
Adapted by Willis Hall
from the novel by Jane Austen
M11 F9.
Simple setiings
This skilful dramatization preserves all the plot and
characterization of the classic novel while conveying the
ironic wit of Jane Austen in the person of the servants
who act as narrators, commenting sardonically on the
action.
Marking Time
Comedy. Michael Snelgrove
Play. Roger Hall
Colin and Elizabeth are giving a dinner party for two other
couples. As the outwardly smooth, conventional dinner
proceeds a series of flashbacks to the preceding weeks
shows hidden links and stresses among all three couples.
Among other things, it is revealed that Colin has been
having an affair with one of the other wives; however,
it seems possible that between Colin and Elizabeth there
may be a chance of a deeper understanding.
The Miser
Comedy. Molière. Adapted by Miles Malleson
M11 (20s, middle age, elderly)
F3 (young, 20s, middle age).
A room in Paris.
Period 1668
Harpagon, the miser, loves his gold but decides to take for
his second wife Mariane, the beloved of his son Cléante.
Meanwhile, Valère and Elise are in love. Harpagon
threatens to marry Elise to a certain Seigneur Anselm,
so the four lovers urgently plot to save themselves. It
transpires that Valère and Mariane are the lost children
of wealthy Seigneur Anselm. As Anselm is a benevolent
fellow, the lovers’ happiness is assured.
Misery
Thriller. Simon Moore.
Adapted from Stephen King’s novel Misery
M1 (middle age) F1 (middle age).
A farmhouse
In a tiny, tatty room in a residential teachers’ centre, Team
B are up to their eyebrows in A level English Literature
marking. Elsewhere in the building, the dreaded Team A
are coping far better with their marking band guidelines,
matrix grids and marked pilot samples and managing
to spend plenty of time in the bar; Team B, led by the
far-from-perfect Howard, lurch from disaster to disaster.
Doors slam, tempers are lost and personalities crumble
as the situation becomes ever more chaotic.
Best-selling romantic fiction novelist Paul Sheldon
retires each winter to his snow-covered hills of
Colorado to write another work featuring his beautiful
heroine Misery Chastain. Driving whilst inebriated, he
encounters severe weather and his car goes off the road.
Instead of awakening in hospital he finds himself in a
filthy, dilapidated farmhouse, isolated from the outside
world by a blizzard, and occupied by the schizophrenic
Annie, his “Number One Fan”. She insists she will
nurse him, refusing to tell anyone his whereabouts.
But a discovery prompts Annie to withhold pain relief,
inflict humiliation and degradation, causing Paul’s life
to become a living hell.
Mary’s John
Misha’s Party
M6 (young, middle age, elderly) F4 (young)
Period late 19th / early 20th century
M7 F7.
Various interiors
M3 (20s-50s) F2 (30s-40s).
A room
Harold Brighouse
The story of of John Bowyer who discovers his talent for
writing silly poems for advertising purposes. He moves
to a new job in London and over-enjoys the highlife.
This leads to him nearly losing his job and he decides,
with help from his wife and family, to start at the bottom
of the social ladder and climb up rather than start at the
top and slip down.
26
Play. Richard Nelson and Alexander Gelman
On August 20, 1991, Mikhail celebrates his sixtieth
birthday in the Ukraine Hotel, Moscow; outside,
communist reactionaries are attempting a coup. Mikhail
has gathered together an uneasy group: his two exwives, and their new husbands, his disgruntled daughter
Masha and his young fiancée Lydia, Masha’s flatmate.
Using recent events in Russia’s volatile political history
as its backdrop, this play poignantly explores many
themes pertinent to Russia and the West, from historical
determinism to the conflict between generations.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Miss Adams Will Be Waiting
Mother Tongue
M2 (young, 30s) F2 (40s) extra M1.
A lounge and kitchenette
M3 (18, 50s) F4 (40s, 60s).
A living-room
Play. Arthur Lovegrove
Play. Alan Franks
Returning to her Kensington flat after a shopping
expedition, Kay Brent gets into difficulties with her
many parcels and she is rescued by a stranger in a taxi,
Mr Browne. She is divorced from her husband: he,
married, is director of a publishing firm. From an initial
discovery of similar tastes in books and cake an affair
develops. The progress of the affair is followed, lightly
but relentlessly, to its wry conclusion.
Dorothy, a snob in the grand colonial manner, goes to stay
with her daughter Harriet when Dorothy’s Kensington
home is destroyed by fire. In the course of the next three
weeks, Dorothy works her way deep into the fabric
of Harriet’s life and family skeletons come clattering
out of cupboards on both sides. “This is an absorbing,
entertaining, ingeniously-written play — apparently
light, actually dark.” Observer
Miss Roach’s War
Moving
Play. Richard Kane. Adapted from
The Slaves of Solitude by Patrick Hamilton
M3 (35, 59, 70s) F5 (20, 39, 60s) or M3 F4 with
doubling.
Five acting areas.
Period 1943
1943. The Rosamund Tea Rooms house several women
and elderly men, all of them single and lonely, who
nurse resentments and wage minor wars with each other.
Enid Roach makes two unfortunate friendships which
heighten the tension to breaking point: one with Pike, an
American lieutenant, the other with Vicki Kugelmann, a
German who steals Pike from Enid and then sets about
humiliating her former friend.
More the Merrier
Comedy. Ronald Millar
M4 (30s, 40s, elderly) F5 (17, 30s, elderly).
A living-room
Comedy. Stanley Price
M6 (30s-50s) F5 (19, 30, 40s).
Extras 2M 1F (voices only).
A living-room
Frank and Sarah Gladwin’s two children have left
home, and as the house is now too large for just the
parents, they decide to move. The problems start when
they can’t sell their house and the date for “completion’
looms ominously nearer. Disaster upon domestic disaster
seems to plague them; after physically and symbolically
papering over the cracks, the Gladwins eventually find
a buyer in the Fearnleys and are saved at the eleventh
hour.
Murder by the Book
Thriller. Duncan Greenwood and Robert King
M3 (late 20s, middle age) F2 (early 20s, mid-30s).
A drawing-room
This is a great day for Stella Felby. Her divorce from
Roger has just been made absolute, her husband-to-be,
Henry Brandon Brasher the Texan millionaire, is arriving
for lunch, and her daughter Dinah is returning from Paris.
Stella’s only worry is that her divorce might upset Dinah.
The result is hilarious plotting from all parties.
Crisp, witty exchanges of dialogue pepper this lighthearted and inventive thriller. A thriller writer indulges
in vitriolic verbal duels with his estranged wife, until she
turns a gun on him and fires. An amateur detective from
the next flat attempts to solve the murder puzzle — then
the “corpse” rises, full of life, and the tables are turned,
more than once, for victim and killers alike ...
Morning Departure
Murder for the Asking
M16.
A submarine, office rooms ashore.
Period 1940
M4 (40s, 55) F3 (20, 40s).
A ground-floor flat
Drama. Kenneth Woollard
The submarine S14 is reported missing on exercise,
and Commander Gates makes a request for salvage
equipment. It seems that the submarine struck a mine, but
whatever the cause, the outlook for the surviving crew is
grim, because she is not on the bottom of the sea but on
a wreck, and foul of the superstructure. While decisions
are weighed and taken in the offices above, the tragic
drama of those members of the crew imprisoned below
moves relentlessly to its conclusion.
Play. Derek Benfield
Desperate to find a job, Henry Scrubb answers a Box
Number advertisement in a newspaper, offering a “big
financial reward” and requiring no qualifications. He
doesn’t really expect anything to come of it, but to his
surprise the advertiser, a Mr Franklyn, does contact him
and explains the conditions of the job. Franklyn needs
someone to murder him and believes that Henry would
be the right person to do it. Henry refuses. That night,
however, Franklyn is murdered.
27
The Professional Catalogue
Murder in Mind
Play. Terence Feely
M5 (young, middle age) F2 (young, slightly older).
Extras 1M. A hall/sitting-room.
Mary, an international art dealer, arrives home to find
her house occupied by three “strangers” claiming to be
her husband, cousin and sister. Even more mysterious
is the fact that they seem aware of details of her family
life which could only have been known to her most
intimate circle. The nightmare situation becomes more
and more complicated, including the sudden appearance
of a murdered man ...
Murder Mistaken
Play. Janet Green
M2 (20s, 30) F4 (30s, middle age, elderly).
A sitting-room
Edward Bare, the young estate agent’s clerk, has married
for money. It is easy enough to ply his ageing and
affectionate wife with whisky and cause her “accidental’
death by gas-poisoning, but there is an unpleasant
surprise awaiting him in her will. Who will be his next
victim: his ex-barmaid second wife, or Charlotte, the
attractive visitor whose real identity is one of the play’s
brilliant theatrical surprises?
Murder on Arrival
Play. George Baston. English version
by Peter Hoar and Gawn Grainger
M4 (20s, 30s, middle aged) F3 (20s, 30s).
A sitting-room
My Cousin Rachel
Play. Diana Morgan
From the novel by Daphne du Maurier
M5 (young, 40s, 50s, elderly) F2 (18, 30s).
A hall. Period mid-1800s
Philip Ashley travels to Italy to find his cousin Ambrose
has died suddenly and Rachel, Ambrose’s wife, has
gone. Philip returns to England convinced Rachel was
responsible for Ambrose’s death, hoping to inherit his
possessions. When Rachel arrives in England Philip falls
in love with her. One small event after another causes
a kind of see-saw of belief and disbelief. Is Rachel a
scheming murderess or a grossly maligned woman?
My Fat Friend
Comedy. Charles Laurence
M3 (18, 30s, 40s) F1 (29).
A flat in Hampstead
Vicky, a Hampstead bookseller, is a heavyweight. When
a handsome customer seems attracted to her she resolves
that while he is abroad she will slim. Aided by the two
male “characters” who share the flat above her shop, hard
exercise, diet and a graph, she manages to reduce to a
streamlined version of her former self — only to find
that it was her rotundity that attracted the book buyer
in the first place.
Natural Causes
Comedy. Eric Chappell
M3 (40s) F2 (20s, 40s).
A study/library
When widowed Jane Palmer bought The Hollow, she
knew that the previous tenant, a Mrs Claythorne, was
murdered there by a person unknown. Gathered to
welcome Jane are her neighbours, Peter and Kitty Collier,
and Simon Antrobus, who has loved Jane for years.
Steve Taylor, sometime member of the US Air Force,
soon arrives, led there in his hunt for the murderer of
his friend, Ted Burnham. There are twenty-four hours
of incident until the murderer of both Burnham and Mrs
Claythorne is revealed.
Vincent is a professional suicide merchant. Contracted
by Walter Bryce, he arrives at his country house and
mistakenly assumes that the poison was intended
for Walter’s consumption. It then becomes clear that
Walter’s wife Celia is the client — or is she? Why are
her suicide letters all typed and unsigned? After several
thwarted attempts to poison various characters (resulting
in multiple poisonings of a rubber plant), will anyone
actually manage to drink the potion? This is black
comedy at its blackest and best.
Murder Weapon
Nicholas Nickleby
Thriller. Brian Clemens
M5, or 4 with doubling (30s, 40s, 50) F2 (30, late 40s)
A conservatory
A new thriller from the creator of The Avengers and The
Professionals.
Murder Weekend
Comedy thriller. Bettine Manktelow
M3 F6.
A country hotel reception area
Livia, a romantic short story writer, and her husband
Stan, arrive at a country hotel for a “Murder Mystery”
weekend, joined by Patsy and her husband Ashley, and
Vi and Dorothy. Each receives an anonymous “Murder
Mystery” game envelope. Someone has left extra notes
for Patsy and Stan exposing Livia’s and Ashley’s illicit
affair. Next, Shelley, the chambermaid, mysteriously
disappears ...
28
Play. Adapted by Jonathan Holloway, from the
novel by Charles Dickens
Large cast much doubling possible
Various simple settings
Period Victorian, but can be updated at the director’s
discretion (the original Red Shift Theatre Company
production was set in 1950)
With flexible casting requirements, this stunning
adaptation of Dickens’s third novel toured the UK in
2001 and 2002 in a production by Red Shift Theatre
Company. “A brilliant tribute to a great novelist who
was also a mighty campaigner for social compassion.”
The Scotsman
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Night of the Vixen
No Sex Please — We’re British!
M4 (20s, 30, 50) F2 (20s, 30s).
A cottage living-room
M6 (young, 30s, 50s) F4 (young, 50).
A living-room and kitchen
Play. Derek Lomas
Suspense, drama and horror are contained within
a framework of realistic, fast-paced dialogue. The
Syndicate close in on Owen Voss on his first day out of
prison. Where did he hide the heroin haul? Or if he sold
it, where is the money? Gordon and Barbara are the first
to arrive at Gordon’s remote country cottage where the
drugs are believed to be hidden. When Pentecost and his
bully-boy, Johnson, turn up the pressure is really on.
A Night on the Tiles
Comedy. Frank Vickery
M4 (20s, middle age, old) F3 (20s, middle age).
A backyard
A perceptive, entertaining and highly comical play.
Gareth and Shirley’s wedding day does not get off to an
auspicious start. Gareth, egged on by his cocky, goodlooking brother Kenneth, has a post-stag-night hangover
so bad that he can barely speak, the bride is three months
pregnant and Grandad, confused after getting stuck on
the outside loo, is unsure whether Shirley is marrying
Gareth or Kenneth!
Nightmare: the Fright of Your Life
A horror thriller. Roger S. Moss
M2 (20, 50s-elderly) F2 (20, 50s-elderly).
A converted chapel
Frank and Jenny Gilman think they have found their
dream house: a converted chapel in a quiet country
village. The dream soon turns into a nightmare, however,
as they are attacked by intruders who seem, for some
reason, to be interested only in the contents of the deep
freeze. Frank and Jenny investigate and the true horror
of their situation soon emerges in this taut and exciting,
yet often blackly hilarious, horror thriller.
A taut and exciting, yet often blackly hilarious, horror
thriller. “ … had the audience on the edge of their seats
and, on occasion, out of them.” Sleaford Advertiser
Night Watch
A play of suspense. Lucille Fletcher
M5 F4.
Interior set
Unable to sleep, Elaine restlessly paces the living-room
of her Manhattan townhouse. Seeing the body of a man
in the window of an abandoned tenement opposite, she
calls the police, but they find nothing. Elaine’s terror
grows as shortly thereafter she sees another body — this
time a woman — but by now the police are sceptical and
pay no heed to her frantic pleas. Suspense and mystery
infuse the play as it draws inexorably towards its riveting
and chilling climax.
Comedy. Anthony Marriott and Alistair Foot
This riotous comic farce notched up a staggeringly
successful sixteen year run in the West End! Peter
and Frances could reasonably expect to look forward
to a calm, happy start to their married life together.
Owing to an unfortunate mistake, however, they find
themselves inundated with pornographic material
from the “Scandinavian Import Company”. Senior
bank officials, Peter’s snobbish mother, and a prim,
respectable bank cashier become inextricably entangled
in the rumbustious events that follow.
Northanger Abbey
Play. Adapted by Matthew Francis from
Jane Austen’s novel.
M9 (wide range of ages) F7 (wide range of ages). Extras.
Children. Can be played by M5 F4.
Various interior and exterior settings.
Period early 1800s
Matthew Francis’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s first
novel wryly dramatizes Catherine Morland’s romantic
fantasy world alongside the real one, and captures all
Austen’s irony and acerbic comment in witty dialogue
and narration.
The Northerners
Harold Brighouse
M9 F2.
2 interiors and 1 exterior.
Period 1820
The story deals with the crisis of the Lancashire
spinnning trade, when the handloom was being replaced
by the powerloom, and the weaver found himself forced
into the factory at starvation wages.
Nothing but the Truth
Play. Bob Montgomery
M5 F6.
An office. A drawing-room.
Period 1918
Bob Bennett has five days to raise $10,000 which his
girlfriend Gwen needs for her charity drive. Bob has not
the faintest idea how to do it until, in a heated moment,
Gwen’s father shouts at Bob “I’ll bet you anything you
like you won’t speak nothing but the truth for twentyfour hours.” The amount is set at $10,000. Finally, Bob
triumphs and hands Gwen her cheque.
29
The Professional Catalogue
The Old Country
The Other Fellow’s Oats
M3 (20s, 50s, 60s) F3 (30s, middle age, 60s).
A veranda
M4 (30s, 40s, middle age) F4 (20s, 30s, elderly).
A flat
Play. Alan Bennett
Hilary and Bron await the arrival of Hilary’s sister and
brother-in-law in a very English setting: Bron potters
about the garden and Hilary sits asleep on the veranda,
Elgar’s music drifts from the house. The visitors arrive,
bringing an assortment of particularly English things, and
as the conversation proceeds, it becomes apparent they
are not in England. In fact Hilary fled into exile some
years previously after betraying his country, but now it
seems he must return.
The Old Ladies
Play. Rodney Ackland.
From the novel by Hugh Walpole
F3.
One set
First produced by John Gielgud at the New Theatre
(now the Albery) in 1935, starring Edith Evans. From
the author of Absolute Hell.
Old-World
Play. Aleksei Arbuzov.
Translated by Ariadne Nicolaeff
M1 (65) F1 (60)
Rodion is medical head of a sanatorium where Lidya is
a patient, suffering from arteriosclerosis. They first meet
following complaints from other patients of her habit
of reciting poetry in the middle of the night and singing
at dawn. She is clearly no ordinary patient and the play
follows, with warmth and gentle humour, the mutual
growth of interest and liking, to lasting affection.
The Opposite Sex
Comedy. David Tristram
M2 F2.
A living-room
Mark and Vicky and Judith and Eric have something in
common and a chance meeting could have made for a
pleasant social evening. Unfortunately, as they all come
face to face, the common denominator turns out to be that
they each had an affair with their opposite partner ...
Ostrich
Play. Marianne and Barrie Hesketh
M1 (middle age) F1 (middle age).
A history department office
James Stockwell — a professor of history — keeps the
world at bay and his deputy, Fanny, tries to keep his
feet on the ground. She is an ideal teacher, he is an ideal
communicator; these two qualities are used to work for
the other’s good when redundancy notices are handed
out and the real world must be faced.
30
Comedy. James Pattinson and Peter Clapham
Desmond and Helen are borrowing a London flat
while the owner, Charles Spence, is holidaying with a
lady friend in Majorca. It is to be a blissful fortnight.
Bliss is short-lived, however. Desmond discovers two
things — firstly that Helen has left her husband George
irrevocably, which wasn’t quite what Desmond had in
mind, and secondly that his wife Claudia is the lady with
whom Charles has gone to Majorca. In fact Charles and
Claudia are prevented from going by fog at Heathrow
airport and before long they appear at the flat. So does
the outraged George, bent on vengeance on the person
of his wife’s seducer.
Our Boys
Play. Jonathan Lewis
M6.
A hospital ward. Period 1984
1984. Five young soldiers, among them veterans of the
Falklands war and the Hyde Park bombing, are killing
nothing but time in a quiet hospital ward with television,
games, pornography, bragging one-upmanship and
cynical humour as their only means of mental escape.
Tensions arise when a young officer is billeted with them,
and a bitter, savage war of words, only just disguised
as humour, is waged against him. After a hilarious
birthday party, into which several cans of beer have
been smuggled, the six find themselves facing charges
of misconduct — and then the fighting really starts. Our
Boys won the Best Fringe Play Award from the Writer’s
Guild in 1993.
Revived at the Duchess Theatre, London in in 2012 in
a production directed by David Grindley.
Out of Order
Comedy. Ray Cooney
M6 (young, middle age) F4 (young, 40s, 50s).
A hotel suite
When Richard Willey, a Government Junior Minister,
plans to spend the evening with Jane Worthington, one
of the Opposition’s typists, things go disastrously wrong,
and he sends for his PPS, George Pigden who, through
Richard’s lies, sinks further and further into trouble
and ends up going through an identity crisis! A hugely
successful sequel to Ray Cooney’s Two Into One, Out
of Order received the 1990 Olivier Award for Comedy
of the Year.
Paddywack
Drama. Daniel McGee
M4 (20s, 30s, 50s) F2 (20s, 60s).
A living-room
Damien, a young Irishman, moves into lodgings in
London where he is befriended by a student and his
girlfriend. When the IRA mounts a bombing campaign,
it seems the enigmatic Damien may be involved. He is
drawn into an affair with the girlfriend who is attracted
by the IRA spectre, but when he confesses he’s a dispatch
clerk with no IRA ties, she shuns him and Damien returns
to the lodgings where misconceptions and resentments
explode into sudden violence.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Page 3 Murder
Comedy-Thriller. Larry Beghel
M5 (23, 40s, 50s) F2 (25, 35).
The living-room of a flat
In this stylish comedy-thriller, attractive glamour
model Jenni Brandon and her ex-live-in boyfriend
Len Carrington have concocted what appears to be the
perfect plot to acquire a very large amount of money.
The would-be murder plan involves Jenni’s current
boyfriend Tom and his parents — lustful MP Geoffrey
Holden and stepmother Marion. But these two characters
are not the only ones plotting — everyone, it seems, is
double-crossing the other.
Painting By Numbers
Play. Simon Mawdsley
M4
Prison
Prisoners Webby, Doormat, Ray and Alan, have signed
up for a series of art classes during their time in jail.
When the young female instructor fails to show up
though, the four men decide to run the class themselves.
Before not too long, they have become relatively
accomplished artists. Word gets around and attracts the
notice of the local press and art college. That is, until
the local authorities start sticking their noses into the
prison’s artistic goings-on, and the future of the art there
is threatened...
Simon Mawdsley directed a production of his play at the
Old Red Lion Theatre, London in September 2008.
“What could easily have been a sanctimonious or
caricatured depiction of prison life is instead an
intelligent exploration of redemption.” Time Out
“Questions about class, education, artistic ownership and
the liberating power of creative expression are gently
raised in this prison drama.” Sam Marlowe, The Times
Panic Stations
Farce. Derek Benfield
M4 (35, middle age, 60s) F5 (20s-60).
A cottage interior
Chester Dreadnought has bought a lovely country
cottage, dreaming of idyllic peace, but is he able to
enjoy it? Not with Abel Bounty, the local unhandyman,
always around, and not with Carol, an attractive girl
who seems to have mysteriously moved in. Those who
have met Chester already in Wild Goose Chase and Post
Horn Gallop know his aptitude for social and anti-social
blunders, and Lord and Lady Elrood and scatty Miss
Partridge also make a reappearance.
The Parasol
Play. Anton Chekhov. Adapted from the novel
Three Years by Frank Dunai
M8 (20s, 30s, 50s, 60, 80) F2 (21, 30).
2 drawing-rooms, an office
The Parasol was first seen at the Stephen Joseph Theatre,
Scarborough, then at the Royal Exchange, Manchester.
“The Parasol has an authentic Chekhovian feel —
the bourgeois boredom and guilt, the aching, aimless
loneliness — without the musty archaism we get in
some translations. It’s crisp and sharply witty and has
the emotional directness of the real thing ... It’s a richly
intricate, carefully crafted fusion of sociology and
psychology and the private pains of a pre-revolutionary
world ... It’s like discovering an old master in the attic.”
Robin Thornber, Guardian
Pardon Me, Prime Minister
Farce. Edward Taylor and John Graham
M4 (30s, 50s) F5 (20s-40s).
A study
The Prime Minister and Chancellor are preparing a
puritanical budget taxing amusements such as bingo,
gambling and night-clubs out of existence. On the
afternoon before its presentation, however, each in turn
appears to be the father of the pretty Shirley, the result
of a post-party conference night many years ago. In an
even less expected family bombshell, it transpires that
the Prime Minister’s deferential Parliamentary Private
Secretary, Campbell, is, in fact, his son ...
A Passionate Woman
Play. Kay Mellor
M3 F1.
A loft, a rooftop
In this masterful play, which had a long run at London’s
Comedy Theatre starring Stephanie Cole, Kay Mellor
takes as her subject the doting mum who finds it hard to
accept that her son is leaving the fold to get married. This
heartfelt, provocative portrait of a woman who takes a
stand is funny, touching and life-affirming. The current
edition of the play was revised and updated by the author
in 2010 following the BBC television adaptation starring
Sue Johnston and Billie Piper.
Pastimes
Comedy. Brian Jeffries
M2 (late 50s/early 60s) F3 (17, late 50s/early 60s).
A living-room, a café kitchen
Sam and Bill, two middle aged brothers, own and run
“Cobblers”, a café in a seaside town. Their peace is
shattered by the arrivals of a runaway, Linda, who is after
a job, and her grandmother, Connie, who is after Linda.
A terrible coincidence is revealed as Connie is brought
face-to-face with George, the husband who left her forty
years ago and who is now Sam; likewise, Connie’s friend
Win finds, in Bill, her errant Arthur.
31
The Professional Catalogue
Peggy for You
Portrait of a Queen
M3 F2.
Two office rooms.
Period 1960s-1980s
M10 F3.
Composite setting
Play. Alan Plater
A day in the life of Peggy Ramsay, the most celebrated
play agent of her time. This is a gloriously witty, wry and
unsentimental account of this extraordinary woman as
she takes on principalities, powers, producers and, above
all, playwrights. Eccentric, intimidating, contradictory
and inspiring, she ruled an anarchic roost, including
dramatists as famous and diverse as Joe Orton, Caryl
Churchill, Christopher Hampton, Henry Livings,
Stephen Poliakoff, Alan Ayckbourn, Edward Bond and,
for thirty years, Plater himself. The play premièred at
the Hampstead Theatre, London, in 1999.
The Perfect Murder
Play by Hugh Janes.
Adapted from a story by Jeffrey Archer
M9-12 F3-6 or M7 F2 with doubling.
A living-room, an office, Number Four Court at the
Old Bailey
Carla Moorland has been murdered, and accountant
John Hoskins, who had an extra-marital affair with her,
is certain he knows who did it — himself. John’s wife
Elizabeth, rather than calling the police, is determined to
keep John out of prison, even if it means that an innocent
man will be punished for the crime … The elements of
the whodunit thriller and tense courtroom drama combine
to breathtaking effect.
A Place with the Pigs
A play. Edited and arranged by William Francis
Using genuine material of the period — letters, songs,
speeches — William Francis has created a fascinating
mosaic of the life of Queen Victoria. We see her
adoration of Albert and his rather more tepid return of
her affection. Amidst the wrangles with her people over
Albert’s unpopularity there is a charming scene which
telescopes the arrival of Victoria’s enormous brood and
her unenchanted remarks on each occasion. Then there
is the Crimean War, followed by Albert’s death and the
long mourning of the broken-hearted widow.
Practice to Deceive
Mystery Thriller. Norman Robbins
M3 F5 + M/F2
A living-room
The gruesome discovery of several dead bodies buried
on the moor sparks a police investigation and a heavy
media presence in the remote North Yorkshire village
of Chellingford. A brother looking for his sister, a
mysterious suicide, an elaborate insurance scam and
the arrival of nosy true crime writer Diana Wishart
create further layers of intrigue that lead to a thrilling
denouement.
Prepare to Meet Thy Tomb
Comedy thriller. Norman Robbins
M4 F6
A garden room
Play. Athol Fugard
M1 F1
Inspired by the true story of the 2nd World War Soviet
Army deserter, Pavel Ivanovich, who spent 44 years
hiding in his own pigsty, Fugard builds musings upon
freedom and psychological as well as physical restraints
into his text.
An irresistible combination of spoof and baffling murder
mystery, over-the-top characters and shocking plot twists
to thrill and delight in equal measure.
Playing Sinatra
M9 F2, with doubling.
Various interior and exterior lighting.
Period early 20th century
Play. Bernard Kops
M2 F1.
A living-room
A powerful psychological drama set in an oppressive
old house in London, where grown-up siblings Norman
and Sandra resist their lonely future by living out their
fantasies in the music of their idol, Frank Sinatra.
Norman, an agoraphobic bookbinder, works at home
and heats microwave meals to perfection; Sandra,
with outside job and interets, longs to break free of
her existence. But the option of leaving her mentally
disturbed brother and running off with the “mystic”
Phillip proves less than straightforward ... This tense
play’s clammy grip never slackens.
32
The Prisoner of Zenda
Matthew Francis
From the novel by Anthony Hope
First presented at the Greenwich Theatre in their 1992/93
Christmas season. “... brilliant ... a marvellous show for
the holiday season.” Express. “I would not have missed
this show for anything.” Sunday Times
The Prodigious Snob
Comedy. Molière. Adapted from Le Bourgeois
Gentilhomme by Miles Malleson.
Music by John Hotchkis
M16 (young, middle age) F6 (young, middle age).
A room in Paris
Monsieur Jourdain, the wealthy merchant, is prepared
to suffer any indignity provided that it is inflicted by
someone of high enough quality. He refuses to allow his
daughter to marry except into the nobility. In the end he
is made the victim of a practical joke, as the result of
which he unwittingly takes part in the marriage of his
daughter to the man of her choice. Period 1670
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
The Promise
Play. Alexei Arbuzov
Translated by Ariadne Nicolaeff
M2 (17) F1 (15).
A living-room. Period 1942-1959
During the siege of Leningrad in 1942, three young
people — a girl and two boys — find shelter in a semiderelict house. The play follows the intricacies of their
triangular relationship over the next seventeen years, as
their hopes and feelings for themselves and each other
rise and fall, and offers a moving and fascinating glimpse
of life in the Soviet Union after the Second World War.
The Promise was originally performed at the Oxford
Playhouse in 1966, in a production starring Judi Dench,
Ian McKellen and Ian McShane.
Pull the Other One
Farce. Norman Robbins
M4 (35, 65, elderly) F3 (18, 35, 60).
A living-room
When Albert’s mother-in-law Boadicea discovers a letter
written to Albert from his friend Hilary she refuses to
believe it is perfectly innocent or that Hilary is a man.
Along comes Hilary in blonde wig and evening dress
straight from his drag act at the local pub. Further
disasters ensue as Hilary attempts to make amends for
the trouble he has caused and tries to help Albert.
The Railway Children
Play. E. Nesbitt. Adapted by Dave Simpson
M5 F5. 5 girls, 5 boys. Extras
Composite set
Period Edwardian
Set in and around a country railway station at the turn of
the twentieth century, the plight of the Railway Children
grappling with their environment is imaginatively
brought to life.
Rebecca
Play. Daphne du Maurier
Adapted by Clifford Williams
M8 (young, 30s, middle age)
F3 (young, middle age). Extras.
A lounge-hall.
Period 1940
Max de Winter brings his shy young bride to Manderley,
his great house in Cornwall. Everywhere, she senses
the overpowering presence of Rebecca, Max’s drowned
wife. Mrs Danvers, the grim housekeeper, will not allow
her to forget her shortcomings. She doubts Max’s love
until Rebecca’s body is found. Max confessses that he
murdered Rebecca, hating her depravity. The husband
and wife now face the exciting fight to save Max from
the gallows.
Rising Damp
Comedy. Eric Chappell
See the entry for The Banana Box
Roots and Wings
Play. Frank Vickery
M3 (20s, 40s, 50s) F3 (youngish, 40s, 50s).
A hospital corridor and room
Griff has discovered that his son Nigel is not only a drag
queen but gay; hours later, Nigel is in hospital having
been hurt in a car crash in which his lover, Kevin, has
incurred much worse injuries. Robust, sensible Ruby,
Griff’s wife, has much to deal with — Nigel’s fears,
Griff’s prejudices, her own confused emotions, Kevin’s
parents — and has to use every resource at her disposal
to keep the peace.
Rope
Drama. Patrick Hamilton
M6 (young, 20s, old) F2 (young, 50).
A study. Period 1929
Brandon wants excitement at any price. He persuades his
weak-minded friend, Granillo, to assist him in the murder
of a fellow undergraduate, Ronald Raglan. They place the
body in a wooden chest and invite some acquaintances,
including the dead man’s father, to a party, the chest
and its gruesome contents serving as a supper table. The
horror and tension are worked up gradually and we see
the reactions of the two murderers, closely watched by
the suspecting Rupert Cadell, until finally they break.
The Royal Hunt of the Sun
Play. Peter Shaffer
M21 F2.
Bare stage. Period 16th century
With the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Peter Shaffer’s 1964
play has achieved a new significance. Dealing with the
sixteenth-century conquest of Peru, where 167 Spanish
mercenaries imposed Christianity upon a 24 million
Incan empire, the play confronts questions about a
nation’s right to invade another, and the questionable
morality of forcing others to live as we do. Though
Shaffer’s play is epic in its content, it also works on a
human level as a friendship develops between Francisco
Pizarro - the embittered, defiant commander of the
Spanish forces - and Atahuallpa - the young king, Sun
God-upon earth, ruler of the vast empire. The play is
narrated by an elderly man who supposedly took part in
the invasion as a boy.
Trevor Nunn’s spectacular revival at the National Theatre
in 2006 marked the first in forty years and highlighted
the play’s renewed relevance today.
“A brilliant combination of historical investigation and
human drama.” Trevor Nunn
Run for Your Wife
Comedy. Ray Cooney
M6 (young, middle age) F2 (20s).
Composite setting: two living-rooms
John Smith is a London cabbie with his own taxi, a wife
in Streatham, a wife in Wimbledon — and a knife-edged
schedule! He has been a successful, if tired, bigamist
for three years, but one day he is taken to hospital with
mild concussion. In the ensuing complications, aided by
an unwilling Stanley, John tries bravely to cope with a
succession of well-meaning but prying policemen, two
increasingly irate wives, and others, until he manfully
confesses the truth.
33
The Professional Catalogue
Running Riot
Farce. Derek Benfield
M5 (30s, 40s) F4 (young,19, 30s, 40s).
A small hotel
Humphrey Podmore, mistaken for the British champion
runner at the Olympic Games, is accepted as such by
a surprising number of people including a beautiful
Russian spy and the fearsome woman trainer. When
the real champion turns up he is locked in a cellar by a
punter who has placed a bet believing that Humphrey
will represent England — needless to say he walks away
with the race.
Rutherford and Son
Play. Githa Sowerby
M4 (20s, 40s, 60) F4 (26, 36, middle age, 60).
A living-room.
Period 1912
Second from Last in the Sack Race
Play. Michael Birch
From the novel by David Nobbs
M20 F12, 2M or F. Can be played by M3 F2.
Various simple interior and exterior settings.
Period 1935-1953
Born in 1935, Henry Pratt’s childhood is disrupted first
by war, then by the death of his mother and father. Henry
is packed off to prep school and then public school and
then lives with grown-up cousin Hilda. The play ends in
1953, as he begins his National Service. David Nobbs is
well known as a TV writer of quality and this play was
screened under the title Life and Times of Henry Pratt.
The Secret Lives of Henry and Alice
Comedy. David Tristram
M1 F1.
Simple settings
Written in 1912 during the upsurge of the British feminist
movement, this powerful play deals with the oppressive
patriarchal system of the industrial North at that time.
Rutherford is the hard tyrannical master of both his
glassworks and his family who attacks, degrades and
rejects each of his children in turn. To his daughter Janet,
her banishment is a release, and she forcefully condemns
her father and his values.
For Henry Smith — actor, comedian, raconteur, sporting
hero, leading socialite, business tycoon, secret agent,
casanova and acting President of the United States — life
was rarely dull. For Alice Smith — housewife — life was
rarely anything else. Enter Michael — French waiter —
tall, dark, and available. Exactly what happened next,
no-one’s quite sure … This is a virtuoso piece for two
talented and versatile performers.
The School for Wives
Sense and Sensibility
M6 F2.
Inside and outside a house. Period 1660
M3 F4. May be played by M2 F3 with doubling.
Various simple settings.
Period early 19th century
Comedy. Molière. Freely adapted by
Miles Malleson from L’Ecole des Femmes
Arnolphe has selected as his wife the charming, innocent
Agnes, his ward, whom he trusts will not succumb to
the prevailing vice of infidelity. But Agnes falls in love
with Horace, whose father, Oronte, is Arnolphe’s friend.
Oronte, delighted at the romance, confides to Arnolphe
that the young lady is bedevilled by a tyrannical guardian.
Furious, Arnolphe plans to remove Agnes to a safer place
but the lovers are united in the end.
Searching for Dr Branovic
Comedy. David Tristram
M4 F1 or M3 F2
Multi-purpose set
Emma Tyler mourns the sudden and unexpected death
of her husband. But all is not as it seems and, deep in
the bowels of a nearby hospital, something stirs …
Enter Detective Inspector Monroe — a man who knows
a thing or two about the unexpected. A highly unusual
romp …
34
Play. Roger Parsley and Andy Graham.
Based on the novel by Jane Austen
The impoverished Dashwood girls are forced to move to
a Devon cottage. They are befriended by Aunt Jennings
who determines to find husbands for them. Marianne,
trusting to her sensibilities, falls passionately in love with
the dashing, untrustworthy Willoughby, while Elinor
applies her sense to her feelings for unattainable Edward
Ferrers. This is a fast-moving, easy to stage adaptation,
which retains all the delicate irony, spirit and romance
of the original.
September Tide
Daphne du Maurier, revised by Mark Rayment
M3 (20s, middle age) F3 (20s, middle age).
A living-room
In a comfortable house on a Cornish estuary lives the
widowed Stella, a woman of considerable gifts and
beauty who regularly rejects proposals of marriage from
her sturdy neighbour Robert Hanson. Cherry, Stella’s
lively daughter, brings home her artist husband Evan
for the first time and Stella is shocked by the bohemian
incompleteness of their marriage. She finds herself
attracted to Evan and soon they are passionately in
love. This new edition of the play has revisions by Mark
Rayment, and was seen at the King’s Head Theatre and
later at the Comedy Theatre London, with Susannah
York as Stella.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
sex, drugs & rick ’n’ noel
Sheila
M3 F2
Various simple settings
M5 F6.
Two sets. Period 1917
Play/musical. David Tristram
Play. Githa Sowerby
David Tristram’s play can be performed as a comedy,
or, with the addition of a chorus of students, as a fullblown musical.* It’s the story of Richard Branson — a
redundant factory worker from the Black Country —
whose wife has just left him for another woman. In a
desperate attempt to regain his self-esteem, Richard
applies to do a history course at Birmingham University.
There he meets Noel, another forty-something “mature”
student with a whole different outlook on life. Together
they learn more than either could have imagined possible.
About life. About women. About themselves. Not much
about history, though. *Please note that the music is not
available from Samuel French Ltd
Written after the success of Rutherford and Son and
produced at the St James’s Theatre in 1917. Sheila, an
office worker, marries Mark, from a higher class, and
immediately feels out of place, especially when Sybil,
who had designs on Mark herself, begins to make life
difficult for her. Mark goes abroad to run a mining
operation and the heartbroken Sheila has their baby in
secret. The baby dies and she returns to face a repentant
Mark who now declares he loves her as never before.
They make a new life together.
Sextet (also known as Six of One)
M5 (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s) F3 (30s, 40s, 50s).
A back-yard
Play. Michael Pertwee
M4 (30s, 40s) F3 (young, 20s, 30s).
A yacht
Roger has invited Philip and his wife for a cruise on
his luxury yacht — together with Denys, his employee,
and his wife — in order to see whether Denys proves
suitable for an important job abroad. Complications start,
however, with the arrival of Roger’s estranged wife Lisa.
Then the philandering Philip turns up with his latest
mistress instead of his wife. Soon every conceivable
combination of twice three has been achieved before
the final hilarious climax erupts.
Shades
Play. Sharman Macdonald
The Shifting Heart
Play. Richard Benyon
The Bianchis are comparative newcomers to Australia.
Their daughter Maria is married to an Australian truckdriver, Clarry. Maria’s brother Gino dies of injuries
inflicted by hooligans who resent “foreigners”. Maria,
who is expecting a third baby breaks down and is in
danger of losing her child. Poppa Bianchi and Clarry try
to understand the tragedy which has befallen them and
realize that neither race is to blame, but that there are bad
elements on both sides which have caused the feud.
The Shining Hour
Play. Keith Winters
M3 F2.
Interior
M1 (middle age) F2 (38, middle age). 1 boy.
A bedroom, hotel powder-room, ballroom.
Period 1950s
First produced by Raymond Massey at St James’s
Theatre, London, in 1934. Massey also starred in the
play, together with Gladys Cooper.
In 1950s Glasgow, Pearl, a widow, is getting ready to
go to a dinner dance with a gentleman friend she hopes
will propose to her. Her ten-year old son, Alan, helps her
to prepare. At the end of the dinner dance, her partner,
Callum, declares his love but Pearl cannot stop the past
intruding as she reminisces about her dead husband.
Returning home, Pearl’s incipient loneliness is further
underlined by Alan who is beginning to grow up and
grow away.
Shock!
She Was Only an Admiral’s
Daughter ...
Comedy. Harold Brooke and Kay Bannerman
M4 (young) F2 (young, middle age).
An apartment
When Polly borrows her brother’s friend’s flat to meet
prospective bridegrooms from a marriage bureau, she
has little idea what she is letting herself in for. With a
mixture of mistaken and assumed identities the result is
a morning of chaos — but also a bridegroom for Polly.
Not the least important character is the laundry chute
which swallows both clothing and human beings with
noisy and indiscriminate satisfaction.
Thriller. Brian Clemens
M4 (20s-40s) F3 (young, 30s).
A converted windmill
Maggie lives in a converted windmill, to which her lover,
Terry, and Maggie’s friend Ann are coming to celebrate
her birthday. Maggie has some peculiar tastes, including
tape-recording the most private intimacies between
herself and her lovers. This indulgence soon causes
consternation among the visitors, culminating in the
death of Ann’s fiancé. A second horror is the discovery
that Maggie has been murdered. A final twist proves the
relevance of the play’s title.
Shrivings
Play. Peter Shaffer
M3 F2. Period 1970s
In the Middle Ages Shrivings was a House of Retreat,
but in the 1970s the house forms the backdrop for a clash
between two creeds. Mark is a famous (or infamous) poet
who believes that man will always commit atrocities.
Gideon is a philosopher and peace activist who denies
Mark’s theories. As the two men argue their theories,
Mark attempts to prove his by forcing Gideon to eject
him from the house of confession and reconciliation.
35
The Professional Catalogue
Shut Your Eyes and Think of England
Comedy. John Chapman and Anthony Marriott
M6 (40s-50s) F3 (young, middle age, 40s).
A penthouse apartment
When Mr Pullen comes to the office on a Saturday he
is astonished to find his employer, Sir Justin Holbrook,
in the penthouse flat with a call-girl. Lady Holbrook
arrives unexpectedly, and Holbrook passes the girl off as
”the second Mrs Pullen”. A rich Arab sheik is expected,
to sign an important agreement: Holbrook, however,
suddenly collapses and Pullen has to impersonate him.
The arrival of the real Mrs Pullen and others leads to an
impenetrable maze of confused identities …
Side Effects
Comedy. Eric Chappell
M2 F3. The visitors’ room of a convalescent home
Frank Cook, suffering with a rare complaint, is booked
into a private nursing home by his wife June for a week’s
respite. There, he encounters the Reverend Paul Latimer
who is recovering from a heart transplant and whose odd
behaviour is beginning to alarm his wife, Sarah. But the
young, attractive Tracey might provide the answer ... A
hilarious comedy for two men and three women from
the Bafta-winning creator of Rising Damp.
Silas Marner
Play. Adapted by Geoffrey Beevers,
from the novel by George Eliot
M14 F6. Extras. May be played by M4 F3.
Various simple settings. Period: c.1830-1860
The story of Silas Marner, reclusive miser transformed by
the arrival of a young girl, is one of the most memorable
and moving in Victorian literature. This adaptation
captures the novel’s thirty-year sweep in a series of
telling scenes, each displaying Eliot’s gifts for humour,
insight, narrative and simple beauty. The twenty named
parts can be played by a cast of seven with a minimum
of costume changes and props.
The Sisterhood
Play. Molière. Translated and adapted by R. R. Bolt
M5 (young, middle age) F5 (young, middle age),
doubling possible.
A salon in Paris
This audacious adaptation of Les Femmes Savantes,
Molière’s mischievious farce indicting the intellectual
ladies of the salons, is full of contemporary allusions.
Henriette has had the misfortune to be born into a family
of pontificating pseudo-intellectual women. Her only
desire is to get married and to live in “wedded bliss.’’
The quirks of the cultural snobs are ridiculed while
Henriette gets her man.
The Slave of Truth
Comedy. Molière. Adaptation by Miles Malleson
M7 (young) F4 (young).
A room. Period 1660
Alceste believes in the bare truth and cannot temper
honesty with tact, even when it means gravely offending
an influential courtier like Oronte, who has asked for
36
Alceste’s “honest” opinion of his latest poem. Alceste’s
blunt speaking costs him a ruinous law suit. In love he
is no luckier; his heart has been won by the wayward
coquette Célimène who has imprudently expressed her
scathing opinion of various people (including Alceste)
in love-letters. A glittering social comedy.
The Sleeper Murders
Thriller. Don Woods
M4 (40s) F4 (30s, middle age).
An integrated lounge and kitchen
After Myra is unexpectedly summoned to her twin sister
Elaine’s posh residence, she finds that Elaine and her
husband have been killed in a car crash and she is to
inherit all their possessions. Irma, a sinister character,
comes on the scene and starts to blackmail Myra.
The story unfolds with a series of macabre twists and
murders, until the deep-freeze door opens and a bloodstained, zombie-like Irma emerges from it.
Sleuth
Play. Anthony Shaffer
M2.
A living-room
Your programme for this play will list five names for
five roles, but the actual cast will be two, for no-one
is ever what he seems in this brilliant whodunit, where
every event is bizarre. The scene is set in a beautiful
English country house owned by a famous mystery
writer. A young guest arrives and they begin a convivial
round of scotch and dialogue. Suddenly the host says “I
understand you want to marry my wife” and from that
moment the two are locked in mortal combat.
A Slight Hangover
Comedy. Ian Ogilvy
M4 (early 30s, middle age, 70s) F2 (26, 50s).
A terrace
At the end of Noël Coward’s Design for Living, two
men and a woman embark on a ménage a trois founded
on mutual attraction and a conscious flouting of societal
norms. In A Slight Hangover, Ian Ogilvy’s witty and
warm-hearted comedy, the question “what happened
next?” is answered. In 1985 Orson Woodley and Sir
Lewis Messenger live a peaceful existence in a house in
the West Indies. Then Giselle’s daughter, Olga, arrives
to find out which of the men is her father...
Something to Remember You By
Play. Jimmie Chinn
M2 (30s, 40s) F3 (30s, 40s, 50s).
Various simple settings
Enter the strange and lonely world of Armstrong
Armstrong. Struggling to become a writer, convinced he
is ugly and scarred, he can find escape only at the cinema
and in his absent father’s collection of records. Meeting
Venetia, the very image of his favourite female singer,
Armstrong begins to believe that happiness is possible
for him, but disillusionment soon sets in and he has to
find a more intense form of escapism — becoming his
icon himself.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Something’s Burning
Squaring the Circle
M2 (late 30s-early 40s, 50s) F3 (late 20s, late 30s, early
40s).
A drawing-room and terrace garden
M3 F2.
An interior
Comedy. Eric Chappell
Comedy. Kataev, adapted by Ashley Dukes.
Translated by N. Goold-Verschayle
Nell, an attractive and intelligent woman of today, has
been deserted by her husband and feels at the crossroads
of her life. Her hopeless love affair with George Rush,
a local teacher and minor poet, seems bound to end in
anger and frustration. George, who is married, insists on
conducting their romance in total secrecy until the arrival
of an older man, Jim Grant, in Nell’s life threatens this
comfortable arrangement, providing the spark which
causes the dying affair to erupt suddenly into flames.
Two mismatched couples in Soviet Russia are obliged
to live in a single room because of an acute housing
shortage. Each of the girls turns her half of the room
into a symbol of her own mind; one one side is earnest
Communist bareness, on the other, bourgeois comforts.
But the husbands do not feel at ease in their halves and
each hankers for the woman and atmosphere on the
other side …
Sorry, I Love You …
Play. Githa Sowerby
Play. John Goodrum
M2 F1
Various simple interior and exterior settings
The Stepmother
M4 F6.
Three sets. Period early 20th century
Spanish Lies
Shifty entrepreneur Eustace marries his deceased sister’s
young companion, Lois, to whom the sister’s estate has
been left. Years later, one of their daughters needs a dowry
and, in trying to raise the funds for this, Lois discovers
her husband’s exploitation of her wealth. Lois confronts
Eustace and he is forced to flee the country. Lois, one of
Githa Sowerby’s “new women”, is a powerful role and
the play bristles with powerful scenes.
M3 F4.
An hotel terrace
Stepping Out
Hoping to revive their flagging marriage — and celebrate
twenty-five years together — Dougie takes Lorna back
to their honeymoon hotel in Majorca. The hotel is still
managed by the same couple and Lorna is reminded
of her liaison with Miguel, the hotel owner and local
Romeo. Out of the memories of Lorna, Miguel and his
“wife”, Regietta, step their younger selves to re-enact
the events of twenty-five years ago and we eavesdrop on
earlier decisions with the knowledge of what happens
later!
M1(40s) F9 (19, 35-50s). Optional extras.
A church hall
Helen has broken up with her boyfriend, Pete. She meets
two people who will play significant part in her life: a
tramp and Jools, Pete’s friend. Sometimes, relationships
need a little help …
Play. Frank Vickery
The Sport of Kings
Comedy. Richard Harris
Stepping Out, which enjoyed a hugely successful West
End run and won Evening Standard Best Comedy Award
for 1984, is a warm and very funny play about the lives
of a group of women (and one man) attending a weekly
tap-dance class in a dingy North London church hall.
As the play progresses, the class’s dancing improves
to such an extent that by the climax, a grand charity
show performance, they have been transformed into
triumphant tappers, worthy of any chorus line.
Farce. Ian Hay
A Sting in the Tale
A story of how two racing “nuts” lead Amos Purdie,
a parsimonius puritan and total abstainer, and his
household into gambling on horses.
M3 (30s, 40s) F2 (30s).
A study
M8 F7. Extras
Spygame
Comedy thriller. Bettine Manktelow
M3 F4
A lounge
From the author of Curtain Up On Murder and
Murder Weekend comes this comedy-thriller which
weaves “an intense web of deceit, intrigue and
secrets”. Prospective contestants for a TV reality
show gather in a country house, aiming to win a
large cash prize, but only if they survive the rigours
of the ultimate Spygame.
Play. Brian Clemens and Denis Spooner
Two crime-writing playwrights are endeavouring to
complete a block-buster to pay off their mounting debts
— or are they? As the plot develops they realize their
full potential — who better to accomplish the perfect
murder than themselves? Forbes’s nagging wife, Ann,
is the perfect victim. Forbes’s partner mistakenly kills
their secretary; from here the play twists and turns so
much that it is difficult to know who has been murdered
and by whom.
37
The Professional Catalogue
Straight and Narrow
Comedy. Jimmie Chinn
M4 F3. 1 female voice.
A living-room
Presented at Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End of
London in March 1992 starring Carmel McSharry and
Nicholas Lyndhurst. “On the surface, Jimmie Chinn’s
Straight and Narrow ... is a modest little comedy about
a gay marriage dying of inanition. But underneath lurks
a far more interesting play — a kind of ‘Hello Sailor
Beware’ — about the destructive effect of a smothering
lower-middle-class mother upon her defenceless brood.”
Guardian
Strangers on a Train
Play. Craig Warner
Based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith
M5 F2.
Various simple settings
Highsmith’s classic thriller, filmed by Alfred Hitchcock,
is brought to stunning theatrical life in this sharp and
ingenious adaptation. Two men meet on a train and
talk theoretically — it seems — about each of them
murdering the other’s bête noir. But one of them is not
theorizing, and, having murdered the other’s wife, wants
the bargain honoured ...
Strictly Murder
Play. Brian Clemens
F3 M2
A rustic cottage in Provence
Period 1939
April 1939. An English couple, Peter and Suzy, are
living in Provence in idyllic isolation, far, it seems,
from the rumblings of the coming war. Their peace is
shattered from within when Suzy discovers she has been
betrayed: Peter is not the man he claims to be. Suzy’s
life is thrown into turmoil as the possibility arises that
Peter may, in fact, be a ruthless killer on the run. Then a
Scotland Yard detective arrives and events become even
more complicated and frightening... Lies, subterfuge
and murder make this fast-moving thriller a dark and
disturbing rollercoaster of bluff and double bluff.
“...what a play. It’s certainly one of the best murder
mysteries I’ve seen and grips you by the throat from
start to finish...the plot is full of twists and turns.” The
Stage
Summer End
Play. Eric Chappell
M1 F4.
A bedsitting-room in a retirement home
Emily Baines and May Brewer share a bedsitting-room in
the Summer End retirement home. May is a newcomer;
Emily’s previous room-mate, Bella, died not long ago.
Cantankerous, iron-willed but forgetful, Emily is certain
that Bella was murdered for her money by Sally, one
of the carers, in collusion with the home’s ageing sexsymbol, Vernon Watts, and she has evidence to prove it
— or so she thinks. Summer End combines the elements
of a murder-mystery thriller with a touching and funny
character study of two old ladies whose early mutual
mistrust gradually changes into friendship.
38
The Surgeon of Honour
Pedro Calderón de la Barca.
Translated by Gwynne Edwards
M13 F4.
Various simple settings.
Period seventeenth century
Don Gutierre Alfonso Solís is a man obsessed with the
need to preserve his honour and reputation. He marries
Doña Mencia, unaware at first that she had been courted
by the King’s brother, Prince Enrique. Gutierre is
convinced that Mencia is betraying him and engages a
bloodletter to bleed her to death; the King, suspecting
his guilt, forces him to marry a previously-abandoned
sweetheart. Gutierre warns that he has already been the
“surgeon” of his honour and could be again …
Suspicions
Play. N. J. Crisp
M2 (30s, 40s) F2 (30s).
A living-room
Bill announces to his friend and lover, Lucy, that he
and his wife, Kate, have decided to separate. The future
looks rosy until Lucy’s husband arrives and begins to
plant seeds of suspicion in Lucy’s mind concerning
Kate’s sudden disappearance. Suddenly the large chest
freezer and Kate’s abandoned car gain significance until
the flamboyant entrance of Kate herself destroys the
theory of Bill as a murderer. However, as accusations
fly and recriminations grow, speculation turns quickly
into reality.
Sweeney Todd, the Demon
Barber of Fleet Street
Victorian Melodrama. Austin Rosser
Based upon the original by George Dibdin Pitt
M6 (10, young, 50s, 60) F3 (young, 20s, 40s).
4 small parts: M3, 1 boy.
Composite setting: two rooms and an alley.
(Can be performed in separate settings)
Apart from a surprising change of heart and bid for
sympathy at the final moments of this version of the
classic story, Todd glories in his villainies throughout
and gleefully slaughters right and left until the cast is
almost eliminated. Commendably, the story is treated
seriously and “guying” is discouraged.
Sword Against the Sea
Arthur Feinsod’s adaptation of
W. B. Yeats’ Cuchulain Plays
M5 F5
Simple settings
Yeats wrote six plays about the mythical Ulster hero
Cuchulain over a thirty-five year period, but did not
intend them as a cycle. Sword Against the Sea, however,
effectively combines them into one and makes them
stylistically consistent. Dance, music and mask-work
add richness to the already beautiful poetry of the text
in which elements of Greek tragedy and Noh theatre
are ingeniously fused. The adapter has also used some
of Yeats’ poems to link and end scenes. The resulting
text is close to the spirit of the original works and the
author’s larger intentions while making a playable,
satisfying whole.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Sylvia’s Wedding
Theft
M3 (32, 50s-60s) F4 (30s, 50s-60s).
Three rooms in a terraced house
M3 (40s, 50s) F2 (40s).
A drawing-room
Play. Jimmie Chinn
Play. Eric Chappell
After ten years of courting, Gordon proposes to Sylvia
and throws both families into turmoil. Sylvia’s parents
are hardly the sort of people Gordon’s pompous father
wants his family connected with and the feeling is
mutual. In addition, Sylvia’s best friend is all too ready to
deflate Sylvia with her cynical, world-weary comments.
Against the odds, the two warring families co-operate in
the wedding preparations and all looks set for success
— but Fate intervenes.
Imagine returning from a pleasant anniversary celebration
to find that your house has been burgled, the burglar is still
in the house and has you convinced, for a while, that he is
a policeman and then, once his true identity is known, he
reveals that he knows all kinds of uncomfortable truths
about you. Well, that burglar is none other than Spriggs,
who succeeds, in Theft, Eric Chappell’s witty comedythriller, in disrupting two seemingly happy marriages
and one formerly strong friendship.
Take Away the Lady
They Call It Murder
Play. Jimmie Chinn
M3 (40s, elderly) F4 (30s, 40s)
A drawing-room
Play. Bettine Manktelow
M3 (20s, 35, 88) F4 (18, 25, 32, middle age).
A living-room
Intriguing glimpses into a cupboard full of family
skeletons, together with detective work, combine in
this unusual suspense play, to keep everyone guessing
until the very last page. Matthew, still protesting his
innocence, returns home fom prison, after serving fifteen
years for allegedly murdering his mother. Who did kill
Mother? It takes an apparent suicide and a good deal of
amateur sleuthing before the truth is revealed and the
lady can be taken away.
Despite his lowly origins Mr Dalrymple has done
well, and now that he is elderly and ailing speculation
inevitably arises as to the disposal of his money among
his three granddaughters. One, Peggy, neurotic and
inhibited, is driven to take drastic steps to secure the
money but becomes involved fatally with the old man’s
self-seeking male nurse. Peggy’s misdeeds rebound on
her with a vengeance, and the end is tragic, eerie and
savagely ironic.
Tartuffe
They Came from Mars and Landed
Outside the Farndale Church Hall
in Time for the Townswomen’s
Guild’s Coffee Morning
Comedy. Molière.
Adapted by Miles Malleson
M8 F4.
Interiors. Period 1664
In public, Tartuffe affects every pious excellence; so
virtuous is he that every form of pleasure is anathema
to him. M. Orgon, a rich merchant, is completely taken
in. Inviting Tartuffe to his home, he watches approvingly
while Tartuffe “reforms” his whole family. The besotted
merchant even plans to give Tartuffe his fortune and
his daughter’s hand in marriage. Finally, Mme Orgon
exposes Tartuffe for the rogue he is — and M. Orgon
for the gullible fool he has been.
That Good Night
Play. N. J. Crisp
M3 (30s, middle age, 70s) F2 (30s, 40s).
A courtyard/patio
Ralph, in his seventies and terminally ill, has two final
missions: to be reconciled to his long-abandoned son
Michael, and, secretly, to ensure he is not a burden to
his younger, devoted wife Anna as he goes “into that
good night”. But Ralph wrecks all hope of reconciliation
when he picks a fight with Michael’s girlfriend. Later,
alone, Ralph receives the “Visitor” whose services he
has hired to provide the painless ending. But the visitor
plays a devastating trick.
Please see the entry under Farndale Avenue Comedies.
The 39 Steps
Adapted by Patrick Barlow, from the novel by John
Buchan, from the movie of Alfred Hitchcock and
an original concept by Simon Corble & Nobby
Dimon
M3 F1 playing multiple characters
Various simple settings
With four actors playing a minimum of one hundred and
thirty-nine roles, it’s the most astonishing theatrical tour
de force of the year.
“A joyous version of the Hitchcock classic” Sunday
Times
Threat!
Play. Derek Parkes
M2 (28, 35) F2 (22, 35).
A living-room
Seriously ill, Simon intends to spend the time left to
him in luxury and blackmails Morris, an embezzler.
Morris, trying to obtain money from his unsuspecting
new bride — a millionaire’s widow — has a nasty shock
when he discovers that it is her son, not she, who has
inherited the fortune, and plans to kidnap and murder the
child. But Simon is appalled at the turn of events and,
in a thrilling climax, Morris is revealed for the ruthless
fortune hunter he is.
39
The Professional Catalogue
Three Judgements in One
Pedro Calderón de la Barca.
Translated by Gwynne Edwards
M6 F4. ExtrasPeriod seventeenth century
The King’s ambassador and his daughter are captured
by a group of outlaws. Spared their lives by the leader,
Lope, Mendo offers to obtain Lope’s pardon and effects
a reconciliation between Lope and his father. A love
rivalry and tensions with his father lead to Lope fleeing;
Don Mendo, now Chief Justice to the King, arrests him.
In the accumulating darkness of the final act the central
characters are left to ponder on their own individual
contributions to Lope’s death.
The Three Musketeers
Adapted by Willis Hall
from the novel by Alexandre Dumas
M11 F9.
Various simple interior and exterior settings.
Period 17th century
First presented at the Sheffield Crucible, this is a cheerful
send-up of Dumas’s swashbuckling classic. Fast paced
and energetic. “The show has traditional aspirations and
pursues them without pretensions.” Independent
Thursday’s Ladies
Play. Loleh Bellon, translated by Barbara Bray
M1 (40) F3 (60).
A living-room
Every Thursday, Sonia, Hélène and Marie meet in Sonia’s
Parisian apartment for tea in a long-standing ritual where
they chat, upbraid and reminisce. The action centres on
three Thursdays in the winter of 1975 where the loves,
jealousies and fears of these early childhood friends are
revealed in a series of touching sequences alternating
between the present and past fifty-five years.
Tiptoe Through the Tombstones
Comedy-thriller. Norman Robbins
M4 (25, 30s, 70s) F6 (18, 30s-60s).
A library
Some months have passed since the ghastly events in
Monument House, well-known to those familiar with
Norman Robbins’ earlier A Tomb with a View. (Previous
acquaintance with the Tombs is not required!) Now
Mortimer Crayle, the lawyer, has gathered the last
remaining Tomb family members (as offbeat a bunch
as the original occupants) at the old house, ostensibly
to inform them about their inheritance. But Crayle has
designs on the inheritance which demand the death of
all Tombs ...
Tom, Dick and Harry
Comedy. Ray and Michael Cooney
M6 F3. A flat.
The Kerwood brothers are not your everyday Tom, Dick
and Harry. Tom and his wife Linda are in the final stages
of adopting a baby and are nervously awaiting the arrival
of the head of the adoption agency, the formidable Mrs
Potter. Unfortunately, at the same time, Dick, who shares
a house with Tom and Linda, returns from a French
smuggling trip with brandy and cigarettes - and two
illegal Kosovan refugees who sneaked into his van in
Calais. Meanwhile, hospital porter Harry has embarked
on an ambitious plan (involving body parts) to get the
price reduced on the house Tom and Linda want to buy.
Hilarious mayhem ensues, as Tom must fabricate ever
wilder explanations to placate Linda, Mrs Potter and a
suspicious policeman. Seen at London’s Duke of York’s
theatre in 2005, the Cooneys’ smart, resourceful comedy
was a hit with both audiences and critics.
“... the whole thing is hilarious, daft and utterly
irresistible.” John Peter, Sunday Times
Tom Jones
Comedy. Joan Macalpine.
Based on the novel by Henry Fielding
M7 F7. Extras
Composite setting.
Tom Jones is rich, ripe and rowdy. Tom, Squire
Allworthy’s adopted son, falls victim to the charms of
one rustic wench after another, until at last the Squire
grows tired of the trouble he causes and sends him off to
cause it elsewhere. Then Tom becomes entangled with
three women at once: Jenny Waters, a lady of warm
heart and generous virtue, Mrs Fitzpatrick, a society lady
seeking diversion from her oafish husband, and Sophia
Western, whom Tom truly loves.
A Tomb with a View
Comedy thriller. Norman Robbins
M4 (30s-70s) F6 (20s-60s).
A library
The action begins with the reading of the Tomb family
will (involving some millions of pounds) to a pretty
sinister family, one member of which has werewolf
tendencies, another wanders around in a toga in the style
of Julius Caesar, a third is a gentle elderly lady who plants
more than seeds in her flower-beds. By the third act there
are more corpses than live members left in the cast.
Tons of Money
Farce. Will Evans and Valentine
M6 (young, 30s, elderly) F4 (20s, elderly).
A library.
Period 1922
Aubrey has been left the life interest in a fortune which
reverts on his death to his cousin George. Since George is
thought to have died in Mexico, Aubrey “dies” and then
resurrects himself as cousin George, thus eliminating
his own vast debts. He is obliged to “die’ and take on
other identities twice more to avoid complications, until
the real George turns up, announcing that the Mexican
Government has annexed the fortune.
40
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Tons of Money
Farce. Will Evans and Valentine,
revised by Alan Ayckbourn
M6 F4.
For cast and settings see above
Alan Ayckbourn’s revised version of the first of the
famous Aldwych farces, originally produced in 1922
starring the great farce actor Ralph Lynn, retains the
spirit whilst altering some of the original letter of the
text — changes to verbal jokes, for instance, or to some
of Lynn’s uniquely personal gags. The basic story,
however, remains the same. The National Theatre
produced this version in 1986 with Michael Gambon
and Simon Cadell.
Too Long An Autumn
Play. Jimmie Chinn.
M3 (middle age, elderly) F4 (middle age, elderly).
Various simple interior settings.
Long Autumn is a retirement home for theatricals. Maisie
May, a former musical-hall star, arrives and initially
copes with the rigours of Long Autumn in her evercheerful, irrepressible style. She becomes increasingly
depressed, however, until a breezy impresario arrives
with big plans for Maisie...
Treasure Island
Play. Phil Willmott.
From the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Flexible casting, can be played by M13 F8. Extras.
Various simple settings.
Period 1772
This is the first adaptation of Treasure Island with great
parts for both male and female performers. Inspired by
real-life female adventurers, Phil Willmott has changed
the gender of several of the central characters without
compromising the spirit of Stevenson’s classic novel.
First produced to great acclaim as part of London’s
Free Theatre Festival in 2005, this swashbuckling stage
adaptation brings out all the comedy and adventure of
this ever-popular story. The play can be simply staged,
is suitable for performance by kids or adults, and can
be adapted to suit a large company of sea dogs and sea
bitches or a small team playing several roles.
Trilby
Play. Constance Cox.
Adapted from the novel by George du Maurier
M5 (20s, 30s, 40, middle age)
F4 (young, 20s, middle age).
A studio, a refreshment room. Period 1880s.
This is the famous story of Trilby O’Ferrall, the artist’s
model in vie de Bohéme Paris, who becomes the protégée
and victim of the hypnotist Svengali and, under his
influence the greatest singer in the world. Other colourful
characters are the young English painter, Billy, who
loves Trilby and finds her only to lose her again, and his
two friends Alex MacAlister and Taffy Wynne. Period
1880s.
Trivial Pursuits
Play. Frank Vickery
M4 (30s) F6 (20s, 30s).
A garden/patio area
A summer evening’s barbecue is the setting for a meeting
of the Trealaw and District Operatic Society. Next
season’s play is being announced but Nick, the Society’s
business manager, has promised a different show and
the plum roles to four different people. As the evening
progresses, each character’s foibles and talents are
revealed and the complex relationships between players
emerge as moments of pure slapstick and farce alternate
with ones full of real drama and pathos.
Two Into One
Comedy. Ray Cooney
M5 (Oriental, 20s-40s, 60s) F5 (young, 20s, 40s). Extras
optional.
Multiple settings
While staying at the Westminster Hotel, MP Richard
Willey dispatches his wife Pamela to the theatre so that
his assistant, George, can arrange a suite where Richard
can seduce one of the PM’s secretaries. Unfortunately,
George bungles the arrangements and Richard finds his
illicit love-nest is the suite next to his and Pamela’s.
From then on George piles one outrageous deceit upon
another, accidentally finding himself seducing Pamela,
until staff and guests are reeling in confusion!
Two of a Kind
Comedy. Hugh Janes
M2 F2.
A room, lobby, office and optional inset scene
“Wally” Wallis is hardly the perfect retirement-home
resident. When his room-mate, Potts, dies and is replaced
with staid, dull George, war is instantly declared! Wally
decides he must leave, but before his escape with Potts’
ashes he reaches a level of understanding with George
and shares some tender moments with May, another
resident, who has a soft spot for both men.
The Two of Us
Michael Frayn
Four one-act plays for two players.
M1 F1.
A bedroom, a dining-room, two living-rooms
The four plays are not connected except by the fact that
they can all be played by the same two performers. In
the first Black and Silver, a husband and wife return to
the hotel room in which they spent their honeymoon. In
The New Quixote a young man has spent a night with a
girl; the encounter is so casual to him that he has even
forgotten it when he leaves her. However, he returns
to take up residence — but will they really be happy
together? Mr Foot, the third play, concerns a couple — he
is in line for a new job, she may be “vetted” as his wife,
by his employer. She creates an imaginary interview. The
last play, Chinamen, is the longest, and in it the players
share five parts. It concerns a dinner party to which
friends are invited who at all costs must not be allowed
to meet. They do!
41
The Professional Catalogue
Unoriginal Sin
Comedy. David Tristram
M4 F2.
A living-room
Bill, an author who writes pulp novels under the name
of Georgina Howard, is in the middle of a divorce from
his shopaholic wife Jenny. Armed with her Polaroid, she
tries to catch him in a compromising position to help her
case in court, while he turns on the charm with a young,
innocent woman called Eve. This riotous comedy is by
the author of the famous Inspector Drake farces.
An Untimely Frost
(formerly The Lost Garden)
Play. Colin and Mary Crowther
M2 (early 50s) F4 (20s, late 40s, late 50s).
A terraced house.
Paradise is a walled garden. Or it was for Geoff until
illness disabled him. Now he rages at those throttling
weeds and his horticulturally-incompetent wife,
Elisabeth, who, stifled and unwanted, yearns for escape.
Paradise lost, it seems. Ignoring the jungle in her own
back garden and life, home carer Fran, who challenges
Geoff’s self-pity, helps to bring the couple’s marriage
and garden back to life. Is it paradise regained? Only an
untimely frost will tell ... An award-winning play that is
tender, warm and uplifting.
Up and Coming
Comedy. Eric Chappell
M5 F2.
A hotel suite
Philip Conway, Deputy Prime Minister, is attending a
party conference. He has been tipped to be the new party
leader, but his campaign for power is in serious danger
of collapse. Visits from rivals, fellow conspirators and
the all-too-attentive Vicky coincide rather unfortunately;
the world’s press is in the lobby; there are threats of
assassination: an uncomfortably exciting evening is the
result! Up and Coming exposes the underhand dealing
that goes on in political circles and keeps one question
tantalizingly unanswered until the very end: who will
get his — or her — just deserts?
Up for Grabs
Play. David Williamson
M3 F4.
Various settings
Loren is an art dealer who will do anything — absolutely
anything — to make a sale. Desperate to get a good
price for a Jackson Pollock, she plays three buyers off
against each other in a series of witty, satirical scenes.
Madonna played Loren in the West End production of
this play in 2002.
Uproar in the House
Farce. Anthony Marriott and Alistair Foot
M6 (30s-50s, elderly) F6 (20s, 30). Extra 1M.
A living area
To sell an avant-garde house to the Coopers, his first
prospective buyers in years, Lockwood persuades Nigel
to pose as the owner and hires an actress to play his wife.
But the real complications start when the Coopers are
fog bound and have to stay the night — and turn out not
to be husband and wife at all!
42
Vanity Fair
Declan Donellan
Adapted from the novel by William Thackeray
M4 F3.
Simple settings
Vanity Fair traces the lives of Becky Sharpe and Amelia
Sedley from school to middle age. Becky is a wily,
intelligent orphan who calculates and manipulates to
elevate herself in Society, her scheming and cunning
provoking both admiration and repulsion in the audience.
Seven actors play over thirty roles in this fast-paced, fluid
and economical adaptation.
The Village Fête
Peter Tinniswood
M4 (30s, 40s) F4 (30s, 40s).
Simple settings on an open stage
Written in an exciting mix of blank verse and
straightforward dialogue and performed at the Stephen
Joseph Theatre in the Round, this play is an absorbing,
tender study of a family of misfits coming to terms with
themselves.
The Visit
Drama. Friedrich Durrenmatt
Adapted by Maurice Valency
M29 F8 (9 principals and 28 small parts). Extras.
Composite setting
Claire Zachanassian, the richest woman in the world,
returns to her poverty-stricken home town. The
townspeople are ready to grovel for favours and select
as their representative Anton Schell, for Claire and Anton
had once been deeply in love. Claire announces that she
has come for revenge on her onetime sweetheart, offering
a million marks for his life. In the nightmarish climax
Schell’s corrupted friends sacrifice him to their greed.
Vita and Virginia
Eileen Atkins, adapted from the correspondence
between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West
F2.
A bare stage.
Period 1922-1941
A supremely skilful dramatization of the correspondence
between Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West, in
which they speak of everyday life, friends, literature
and, above all, themselves. Funny, touching and tender
in turn, the play was highly acclaimed when presented
at Chichester in 1992 and at London’s Ambassadors
Theatre in 1993.
Waiting for Godot
Tragic comedy. Samuel Beckett
M4 1 boy.
A country road
Vladimir and Estragon are best friends and worst
enemies. Estragon’s feet smell and Vladimir has bad
breath. What the two tramps have in common though
is that they are both waiting for Godot, and Beckett’s
hilarious and poignant tragicomedy is focused on their
interaction while they wait. Famously described by
a critic as a play in which “nothing happens...twice”,
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
the two acts chart how the tramps tell jokes, argue,
philosophize, question religion, and contemplate
hanging themselves. Their isolation is only momentarily
interrupted by the entrance of the pompous Pozzo and his
downtrodden slave, Lucky, who utters one of Beckett’s
best - and most incomprehensible - speeches. Shocking
to audiences at its premiere in 1955, Beckett’s nihilistic
play still continues to mystify with its inconclusiveness,
the question of who Godot actually is, and what it says
about the meaning of life.
A recent major revivial of Waiting for Godot, starring
Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart, was directed by Sean
Mathias.
Walk On Walk On
Play. Willis Hall
M6 (young, 40s, elderly) F2 (18, 30s).
An office
The action passes in a single afternoon, during the course
of a football match. It is a match of vital importance for
the somewhat uninspired record of a Third Division
club and it also affects the lives of several of the people
connected with it, in particular Gillian Dugdale, who
runs the office, and her association with Bernie Gant,
club manager. By the end of the match more than the
future of the club itself has been decided.
The Wayward Spirit
Play. Charlotte Hastings
We Proudly Present
Comedy. Ivor Novello
M8 F6.
An empty stage, an office
Two young men acquire a derelict theatre in the West End
and invest all their savings in the first production of a new
play. The choice of play is unfortunate, for it is a dull and
soulful piece by a young author. The ensuing scenes deal
wittily with the problems and daily crises of theatrical
management with limited capital. When the first night
comes around, the astounded managers find they have a
hit on their hands — the company has turned the whole
play into a burlesque of the original, to the delight of the
public, the cast, and even the author himself.
The Weekend
Michael Palin
M4 (30s, 40s) F5 (teenage, 30s, 50s, 60s). A dog. M1
voice only.
A living/dining room
Michael Palin’s first play is a comedy centred on
the Victor Meldrew-like Stephen Febble (originally
performed by Richard Wilson at the Strand Theatre).
Family values are questioned when the drunken and
highly critical Febble unleashes his considerable
sarcasm and wit during a weekend dinner party with
family and friends, uncovering several uncomfortable
home truths.
M6 (20s-50s, elderly) F6 (18, 20s, 40s-50s).
A hospital room, an office
Wife After Death
Captain Anthony Cole, confined to a wheelchair, dreams
of being able to walk again and marry his beloved
Chrissy. When he is informed that he won’t regain the
use of his legs, he lashes out at Chrissy, declaring that
he will never marry her. Sister Winifred, who combines
professionalism as a nurse with a slightly unorthodox
vocation as a nun, saves the day, ensuring that the couple
get the wedding they have longed for.
M2 F4
A living-room
We Found Love and an Exquisite
Set of Porcelain Figurines Aboard
the SS Farndale Avenue
Please see the entry under Farndale Avenue Comedies.
We Must Kill Toni
Comedy. Ian Stuart Black
M3 (30s, ageless) F2 (20s, 30s).
A large room in a mansion
The two brothers of the Oberon family live in their
mansion with one faithful butler. They are happy until
they discover that the inheritance of the Oberon estate has
gone to their cousin Toni. This charming girl is shortly
to descend on them, and the problem that faces the two
brothers, is, as they say, “Murder or Marriage?” If it is to
be murder, by what means shall it be done; or if it is to
be marriage which of the two brothers must marry her?
But they are reckoning without Toni’s fine mind ...
Comedy, Eric Chappell
Comedian and national treasure Dave Thursby has died
and on the day of his funeral, friends and colleagues
gather to pay their last respects… truths are revealed,
even from beyond the crematorium Dave seems to be
having the last laugh.
First presented at the Theatre Royal, Brighton in March
2010 with Tom Conti.
When Did You Last See Your
Trousers?
Farce. Ray Galton and John Antrobus.
Based on a story by Ray Galton and Alan
Simpson
M6 F3, with doubling.
An apartment
This hilarious farce begins quietly enough with Howard
and Penny asleep in bed, when a burglar enters and steals
various items, including Howard’s suit! Awakening,
Howard announces his intention to get back to the wife;
but how is he to make it to Esher without his trousers,
having been left only vest and pants by the burglar?
“... Brilliantly constructed farce ... achingly funny ...”
Guardian
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The Professional Catalogue
When I Was a Girl, I Used to
Scream and Shout ...
Play. Sharman Macdonald
M1 (young) F3 (30s, middle age).
Split set: a rocky beach and prom
“Sharman Macdonald recounts with sympathy and
deliciously rude detail, the sexual misadventures and
misconceptions of Fiona, growing up with her repressive
mother and best friend Vari in 1950s Scotland. She shows
how the girls’ excitement and expectations atrophy, so
that in their thirties they have become sober stereotypes
of the modern woman.” Time Out. Sharman Macdonald
won the Evening Standard Drama Award for the Most
Promising Playwright in 1984.
When the Wind Blows
Play. Raymond Briggs
M1 (60s) F1 (60s). Extras.
A small cottage and garden
Raymond Briggs’s stage version of his famous antinuclear cartoon parable is passionately on the side of
sanity and survival. Jim and Hilda Bloggs, a retired
couple, hear on the radio that a pre-emptive strike is on
the way. Armed with Government leaflets, in which he
places all his faith, Jim constructs a refuge for them both,
and gathers emergency rations. They emerge after the
bomb to find a devastated post-holocaust world.
The White Cliffs
Play. Bettine Manktelow
M2 (20-30, 50) F5 (17, 20s-50s)
A bed-sitting-room.
1948. A group of touring concert performers comes to
“The White Cliffs”, a Midlands boarding-house where
Mrs Murdoch, the landlady, is hiding her war-traumatized
son Danny. The disappearance of one of the performers
and a suspicious accident occuring to another, leads Jane
(one half of “The Joysticks”, a comedy and musical duo)
to seek him out... The solution to the mystery proves
to be as moving as it is intriguing, with a very human
situation at its root.
The White Sheep of the Family
Felonious comedy. L. du Garde Peach
and Ian Hay
M5 (young, middle age, elderly) F4 (young, 20, 30).
A living-room
James is head of a criminal family. To their horror, son
Peter falls in love with Angela, daughter of Assistant
Commissioner Preston of Scotland Yard, and decides
to go straight. James discovers the identity of a mystery
thief: it is none other than Angela. With such a bride,
there is no need for Peter to go straight; the Winters can
be a united family once more.
Who Dies Wins
Comedy-thriller. Seymour Matthews
M4 or 5 (30, 35, 40, mid-50s),
F3 or 4 (30, mid-30s, late 30s).
A living-room
Léon Winter always spices up his dinner parties with a
practical joke, so when a mysterious voice booms from
the darkness the guests on this particular night do not
44
think the worst. Then shots ring out and the joke turns
into a nightmare. The eccentric Chief Inspector Plum
investigates a case that involves hidden identities, marital
deception and twisted quotations from Shakespeare —
and, in a brilliant coup de théâtre, the audience gets a
major clue to the solution well before anyone else.
Who Goes There!
Comedy. John Dighton
M5 (20s, 30s, 40s, 60s) F2 (19, 20s).
A living-room
Inside a Grace and Favour house in St James’s Palace
live Miles, his sister Alex and their father. Outside
stands Arthur Crisp, on sentry duty. On the day Miles is
being packed off to cure him of philandering, Arthur’s
sweetheart Christina arrives, turns her ankle and faints.
The distracted sentry carries her into the Cornwalls’
house and returns to duty. Miles, whose plane has been
delayed, comes home, finds Christina and falls in love.
Now Arthur’s trouble is that he has become infatuated
with Alex …
Who Killed Santa Claus?
Play. Terence Feely
M6 (young, 20s, 30s) F2 (30s).
A Chelsea house
Barbara Love is a popular television “auntie”. It is
Christmas, and a number of men connected with her are
coming to a party. Her secretary, Connie, is also there.
Before they arrive she is threatened by a disguised voice
on her answerphone, and is sent a grotesque “murdered”
doll in a coffin, in a dress resembling one of her own.
It becomes apparent that one of her guests is planning
to kill her ...
Whoops-a-Daisy
Play. Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall
M3 (middle age) F3 (young, middle age).
A living-room and patio
James and Iris live comfortably in their green-belt
bungalow enjoying a placid existence in which a
discussion on cornflakes can take on major significance.
With them is their daughter, about to divorce her husband
for his “certain habits”. They await the arrival of their
new neighbours, the Smedleys, with interest which
turns to dismay when the Smedleys turn out to be brash
aggressive intruders who start by taking over their phone
and continue by trying to run their entire lives.
Who’s Who?
Comedy. Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall
M2 (middle age) F2 (middle age).
Music trio: M1 F2 (optional).
A hotel lounge
Set in a Brighton hotel lounge — a place of faded
elegance, centre of an inextricable maze of corridors —
Act I follows the confusion that Black and White create
in their efforts to cover up a clandestine weekend: a
confusion which ends with no-one knowing anyone
else’s identity. In Act II White argues that the trouble
would never have occurred if the positions had been
reversed. The situation is re-enacted on these lines with
even more calamitous results.
Full Length Plays by British, Irish and Australian Playwrights
Why Me?
Comedy. Stanley Price
M3 (19, 30, middle age) F3 (30, 40, 60).
A living-room, a dining area
A very funny comedy of unemployment which starred
Richard Briers as redundant civil engineer John, a bitter
recipent of a “tarnished chrome” handshake. During the
ensuing summer he struggles bravely with job rejections;
loss of dignity in the face of his wife’s hugely successful
pizza business; an adulterous affair; the incipient breakup of his marriage and repeated forays into his house
by his mother-in-law who refuses to stay in her granny
flat!
Widows
Play. Ariel Dorfman, with Tony Kushner
Large, flexible cast, may be played by M6 F8.
Various simple settings
In a war-torn village the men have disappeared. The
women — their mothers, wives, daughters — wait by
the river, hope and mourn. Their anguish is unspoken
until bruised and broken bodies begin being washed
up on the banks and the women defy the military in
the only form of protest left to them. Ariel Dorfman’s
smouldering political allegory, written in collaboration
with Tony Kushner, was given its European première by
the Traverse Theatre in Cambridge, Oxford, Newcastle
and Edinburgh.
Wife After Death
Comedy, Eric Chappell
M2 F4
A living room
Comedian and national treasure Dave Thursby has died
and on the day of his funeral, friends and colleagues
gather to pay their last respects… truths are revealed,
even from beyond the crematorium Dave seems to be
having the last laugh. First presented at the Theatre
Royal, Brighton in March 2010 with Tom Conti.
Wife Begins at Forty
Comedy. Arne Sultan, Earl Barret
and Ray Cooney
M4 (16, 40s, 75) F2 (30, 40). 1 dog.
A living-room
This delightful comedy was premièred by Ray Cooney’s
Theatre of Comedy. Forty is a traumatic age for some
people, especially Linda Harper who starts worrying
about it three years before the date! Dissatisfied
spiritually and physically with marriage to the staid
George, Linda decides to leave. George moves out,
giving Linda a chance to “find herself”, but returning to
discuss maintenance they discover the flames of passion
are not quite dead!
Will You Still Love Me in the
Morning?
Farce. Brian Clemens and Dennis Spooner
M4 (30s-40s) F3 (25-40s), or M3 F4, 1M voice only.
A country cottage
Jeremy and Celia return early from their honeymoon to
find that both Jeremy’s working partners have accepted
his offer to stay in his house while he was away;
unfortunately they have each brought the other’s wife
with them. Jeremy discovers one illicit couple, Celia the
other, and both issue invitations to dinner. Desperate to
make a good impression, they then must stage two dinner
parties — simultaneously!
The Winter Guest
Play. Sharman Macdonald
M3 (2 boys, 1 teenager)
F5 (2 old, 1 middle age, 1 teenager).
Composite set
Sharman Macdonald’s acclaimed play, which played
at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds, and London’s
Almeida Theatre, is a fine study of a mother-daughter
relationship set against the harsh backdrop of the coast
of west Scotland. It was recently filmed, starring Emma
Thompson.
Woza Albert!
Percy Mtwa, Mbongeni Ngema & Barney Simon
M2
Woza Albert! Is based on one dazzlingly simple idea –
that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ should take place
in present-day South Africa.
This brilliant two-man show from the Market Theatre,
Johannesburg, took the Edinburgh Festival then London
by storm in 1982 playing to standing ovations every
night. It was also seen in Berlin, Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia and twice on BBC TV.
Wuthering Heights
Play. Emily Brontë
Adapted for the stage by Charles Vance
M6 F4.
Composite setting. Period 19th century
A new version of Emily Brontë’s great classic, the
immortal love story set amid the bleak beauty of Haworth
Moor, the landscape over which towers the wild, terrible
figure of Heathcliff. The tale of his searing passion for
the beautiful Catherine Earnshaw has the vividness of
nightmare, the beauty and simplicity of an old ballad and
the depth and intensity of ancient tragedy.
Zack
Comedy. Harold Brighouse
M6 (20, 30, middle age) F4 (18, young, 50s).
A parlour/refreshment room. Period 1920s
Harold Brighouse manages to extract the maximum of
comedy from a farcical situation. Zack is the half-witted
son of a wedding purveyor whose cheerfulness and
goodheartedness are a greater asset than his brother’s
crafty greed, and the story shows in most amusing fashion
how he eventually wins self-respect and a bride.
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The Professional Catalogue
46
Section Two
Full Length Plays by
American Playwrights
Full Length Plays by American Playwrights
An Act of the Imagination
The Amorous Ambassador
M3 F4.
Interior
M4 F4
Interior
Thriller. Bernard Slade
Farce. Michael Parker
This masterful suspense tale involves a successful mystery writer whose latest work has strangely turned into a
vivid and adulterous romance. His son, his second wife
and his editor marvel at the truthfulness of the work,
remarkable since it is inconceivable that he could ever
have had such an affair. Enter a woman who is intent on
blackmail and whose story is foolproof and airtight — it
appears that Arthur has been trysting away from home.
There is a conspiracy to do Arthur in, a conspiracy that
entails cunning, conceit and ingenious plotting.
When Harry Douglas, the new American Ambassador
to Great Britain, tells his family he is going to Scotland
to play golf, his wife and daughter announce weekend
trips of their own. Their newly-hired butler, Perkins,
watches stoically as each leaves and secretly returns
for a romantic rendezvous in the empty house. Harry’s
secretary and Captain South of Marine Corps Embassy
Security then arrive in the wake of a bomb threat and the
embassy is sealed off, with hilarious results.
The Adding Machine
Fable. Adapted by Nelson Bond
from the book by George Orwell
Drama. Elmer Rice
M14 F9.
5 interiors, 2 exteriors
This constantly interesting play shows in outline the life
history and, in its later scenes, the death history of Mr
Zero, a cog in the vast machine of modern business.
Agnes of God
Play. John Pielmeier
F3 (21, middle age).
An open stage
Dr Livingstone, a court-appointed psychiatrist, is asked
to determine the sanity of a nun accused of murdering her
own baby. The Mother Superior seems bent on protecting
Sister Agnes from Livingstone whose suspicions are immediately aroused. In searching for solutions to various
mysteries Livingstone forces all of them to face some
harsh realities in their own lives. This powerful drama
was an outstanding success on Broadway and was filmed
with Jane Fonda and Anne Bancroft.
The Amen Corner
James Baldwin
M4 F10
Composite set
This is set in a store-front Harlem church run by a selfanointed woman preacher. Her son, the church organist,
seems bent on following in the footsteps of his jazz
musician father, and the haven of the church world she
has created seems about to crumble. Many vibrant scenes
ensue when the jazz player comes home to die. “Truth,
vividness and rich humanity.” New York Post
American Buffalo
Drama. David Mamet
M3 (young, 40s)
A junk shop
In a Chicago junk shop three small-time crooks plot to
rob a man of his coin collection which came to light
when the collector found a valuable “buffalo nickel” in
the shop. The three plotters fancy themselves as businessmen pursuing the genuine concerns of free enterprise.
In reality, they are Donny, the stupid junk shop owner;
Bobby, a spaced-out young junkie Donny has befriended;
and Teacher, a violent, paranoid braggart. But their plans
come to naught and are futile, vulgar verbal exercises.
Animal Farm
M5 F2
No setting
Orwell’s biting satire is a fable with a sting, revealing
how an idealistic Communist dream was converted into
a nightmare. This simply staged dramatic reading begins
with the creatures who have emancipated themselves
from their cruel human masters, only to find themselves
subjected to even more ruthless autocrats: the greedy,
cunning pigs. Eventually, the animals numbly accept
that “All animals are equal but some are more equal
than others.”
Anton in Show Business
Comedy. Jane Martin
F6
Composite set
Three actresses, pursuing their dream of performing
Chekhov in Texas, are whisked through a maelstrom
of “good ideas” that offer unique solutions to the Three
Sisters’ need to have life’s deeper purpose revealed. A
great backstage comedy, Anton in Show Business conveys the joys, pains and absurdities of putting on a play
at the turn of the century. “A smart, acerbic crowd-pleaser
... Simultaneously a love letter and a poison pen letter to
the American theatre.” Variety
Autobahn
A short-play cycle. Neil LaBute
M1-7 F1-7
The front seat of a car
Neil LaBute’s provocative collection of one-act plays,
set within the confines of a car’s front seat, investigates
the tentative apprehension that surrounds the steering
wheel. Each of these seven vignettes explore the ethos of
perception and relationship — from a make-out session
gone awry, to a kidnapping thinly disguised as a road
trip, a reconnaissance mission involving the rescue of
a Nintendo 64 to a daughter’s long ride home after her
release from rehab. The result is an unsettling montage
that gradually reveals the scabrous force of words left
unsaid while illuminating the delicate interplay between
intention and morality, capturing the essence of Middle
America and the myriad paths which cross its surface.
Comprises: Funny, Bench Seat, All Apologies, Merge,
Long Division, Road Trip and Autobahn.
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The Professional Catalogue
Barefoot in the Park
The Bells
M4 (26, 30, 58, 60) F2 (young, 60)
New York apartment
M5 F2
Unit set
Comedy. Neil Simon
Play. Theresa Rebeck
Corrie and Paul are newly-weds who have just moved
into their cold eyrie of an apartment. Corrie is starryeyed, Paul less so after staggering up five flights. Their
house seems to be populated by unusual people, the most
bohemian being Victor whom Corrie finds entertaining.
Corrie tries matchmaking between Victor and her lonely
mother but after a disastrous dinner party she learns that
walking barefoot in the park may not necessarily denote
joie de vivre — in February it is simply silly!
This expressionistic melodrama is set in the waning
years of the Alaskan Gold Rush and tracks the interwined
fates of a gregarious innkeeper, Mathias, his rebellious
daughter, Annette, and the misfits of a boomtown gone
bust. Hard luck and hunger have brought them together,
but when a stranger begins asking questions about the
mysterious disappearance of a Chinese prospector, Xiufei, he soon learns that it’s every man for himself in this
vast white wilderness.
Bash
“Ms. Rebeck [is] a gifted writer with an expansive mind,
willing to explore old terrain to find new paths.” New
York Times
Neil LaBute
M1 F1 or M2 F2.
Simple settings
A collection of three raw, dark yet lyrically intense oneact plays which won the Time Out Critic’s Choice Award
after its successful run at the Almeida.
In Iphegenia in Orem (M1) a Utah businessman, in a
Las Vegas motel room, confesses an especially chilling
crime to a complete stranger.
A Gaggle of Saints (M1 F1) concerns a young Mormon
couple who separately describe the events of an anniversary weekend in New York. As the events described
entwine, the girl is blissfully unaware of the violence
perpetrated by her fiancé.
Medea Redux (F1) is a tragic tale in which a woman recounts her relationship with a high school teacher and the
lengths she finally goes to in order to exact revenge.
BecauseHeCan
Thriller. Arthur Kopit
M4 F1
Various sets
He calls himself IseeU, but you can’t see him. And if it’s
you he wants, nothing can stop him. In a plot worthy of
Kafka or Orwell, this alarming, sinister and erotic tale
propels an unsuspecting married couple into their worst
nightmare: a world with no secrets in which private lives
are no longer private. “A technological thriller, like Pinter
in cyberspace. Just as we have begun to doubt the modern
theatre’s ability to compete with Hollywood for the most
visceral scares, along comes Kopit to mine the terrors of
the late 20th century.” Newsday
Bill W. and Dr. Bob
Play. Samuel Shem and Janet Surrey
M3 F3 (to play several roles)
Unit set
This is the amazing, and often humorous, story of the
two men who pioneered Alcoholics Anonymous, and of
their wives, who founded Al-Anon. During the roaring
‘20s, New York stockbroker Bill Wilson rides high on
money, fame, and booze. Dr. Bob Smith, a surgeon in
Akron, Ohio, and a pillar of the community, has been a
secret drunk for thirty years, often going into the operating room hungover and high on sedatives. Through an
astonishing series of events involving doctors, ministers,
the Oxford Group evangelical movement, and Henrietta
Sieberling (a scion of the Goodyear Rubber fortune),
Bill and Bob meet on Mother’s Day of 1935. The two
men form a relationship which keeps each other sober.
Richly textured with the ragtime and jazz of the era, the
play tells a magnificent American success story.
Blues for Mister Charlie
Play. James Baldwin
M15 F5
Extras
In a small Southern town, a white man murders a black
man, then throws his body in the weeds. With this act of
violence — which is loosely based on the notorious 1955
killing of Emmett Till — Baldwin launches an unsparing
and at times agonizing probe of the wounds of race.
Bell, Book and Candle
The Boys in the Band
M3 (25, 35, 50s) F2 (27, 60s)
A living-room
M9 (20s-30s, 1 black)
An apartment
Comedy. John Van Druten
Christmas Eve is being celebrated in highly pagan
style in a highly civilized Knightsbridge flat by three
twentieth-century witches. Gillian is young, beautiful
and bored, so when Tony from upstairs drops in, she
amuses herself by literally enchanting him, but she is in
danger of falling victim to her own spell. To love would
mean to lose her powers so she confesses to Tony. He is
at first angry but later is overjoyed to find that Gillian is
now a fit wife for a mere man.
50
Play. Mart Crowley
Michael, a homosexual, has invited a number of friends
to his birthday party. A “straight” friend of his, Alan,
rings up and wants to see him. Though anxious about
the outcome, Michael agrees to his joining them. Alan’s
presence acts as a catalyst to the emotions — never far
from the surface — of those at the party. The result is
a mixture of bitter humour and physical violence. Alan
goes, leaving behind the debris of the party.
Full Length Plays by American Playwrights
Brighton Beach Memoirs
California Suite
M3 (teenage, 40) F4 (teenage, 30s, 40s)
Various interior and exterior settings
Period 1937
M2 (40s) plus M3. F2 (30s, 40s) plus F3
A hotel suite
Play. Neil Simon
This portrait of the writer as a Brooklyn teenager in 1937,
living with his family in crowded, lower-middle-class
circumstances, was first presented in London at the National Theatre in 1986. Eugene (the young Neil Simon)
is the narrator and central character. The play’s scenes
consist of a few days in the life of a struggling Jewish
household, of whom two have heart disease, one has
asthma and two at least temporarily lose jobs needed to
keep the straitened family afloat. It is a deeply appealing
play that deftly mixes drama with comedy.
Broadway Bound
Play. Neil Simon
M4 (20s, 50, 75) F2 (50s). 2M 1F, voices only
Split set representing a house
Period late 1940s
Forming the third part of the famous Neil Simon autobiographical trilogy, this charming play about youthful
ambition and parental regret is set in late 1940s Brooklyn. While their parents go through various conflicts
which will ultimately end in divorce, Eugene and his
brother Stanley struggle to become professional comedy
writers. When a sketch based on their family life gets a
radio broadcast it upsets the family but Eugene and Stan
are now Broadway bound.
Butterflies Are Free
Comedy. Leonard Gershe
M2 (young, 20s) F2 (19, middle age)
A one-room apartment
Don, a young bachelor in his first apartment, is escaping
from an overprotective mother; his next-door neighbour
is an actress who offers true friendship. We are well in
to the play when we discover, with the actress, that Don
is blind. Mother does not like the girl and succeeds in
breaking up the match, but then realizes how demoralized her son is. Eventually the neighbour returns and the
young people can together face up to life.
Cabin Fever
A Texas Tragicomedy. Mark Dunn
M2 F5
Interior
Action whirls around one disastrous Memorial Day
weekend at the Beckle cabin in the Texas hill country.
Aubry, his four daughters and Great Aunt Tammy gather
there for the first time since Mrs Beckle’s death . Nothing goes right. Aunt Tammy is trapped in the bathroom.
Daughter Cesca arrives bearing scars from a round with
her abusive husband. Her emotionally disturbed sister
Pidge shows up in Cesca’s car with Cesca’s chloroformed
husband in the trunk ... The Beckles must pull together
or the family will self-destruct.
Comedy. Neil Simon
This four-part play is Neil Simon at his best. In Chicago
two couples go on vacation together, but wind up miserable and hating each other. London concerns a British
star who returns from the Academy Awards ceremony
without an Oscar. Philadelphia is about a wife who arrives at the hotel suite before her husband can get rid of
the drunken hooker in his bed. In New York a magazine
writer is visited by her ex-husband.
The Cat and the Canary
Melodrama. John Willard by arrangement with Alan
P. Twyman for the Rohauer Collection
M6 (30s, old) F4 (young, old, black)
A library, a room
The family of Ambrose West attend a reading of his will
at midnight. Mr West feared that a touch of insanity ran
in his family. Annabelle West is made sole heir of his
estate, but if there is any indication of insanity another
will should be opened and a different heir named. From
then on the family attempts to frighten Annabelle, by
murders, tales of lunatics and the like. One of the most
successful of mystery melodramas.
Catch Me If You Can
Mystery. Jack Weinstock and Willie Gilbert
Based on the play by Robert Thomas
M5 F3
Interior
An advertising man has called in the local police to
investigate the sudden disappearance of his new bride.
Then enters a pretty young girl, and, against his protests
she insists that she is the missing wife. And a priest
comes along to back up her story. A funny little man
who owns a delicatessen enters the scene, and then
there are two murders at the lodge ... “The final fifteen
minutes will reward you as a murder mystery should.”
New York Times
The Cemetery Club
Play. Ivan Menchell
M1 F4.
A living-room, a cemetery
Ida, Lucille and Doris are part of a club — the cemetery
club. Every month they meet at Ida’s New York house
for tea, then trundle off to the cemetery to remember the
good times and talk gossip with their late husbands. They
are very different personalities — Lucille just wants to
have fun, Doris has become bitter and Ida is keen to start
a new life. When Sam, a butcher, meets the widows at
the cemetery while he is visiting his wife’s grave, their
lives are changed forever.
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The Professional Catalogue
Cherry Smoke
Play. James McManus
M2 F2
Unit set
Fish, who has an explosive temper and acts on impulse,
has been in and out of jail most of his life. Cherry, a
runaway who has been on her own since age 10, is
Fish’s girlfriend and works as a fortune teller, believing
the world to be full of magic. The love Fish and Cherry
have for each other is all-consuming. When Cherry becomes pregnant, Fish fears he will become the type of
father that his dad was to him...unavailable and violent.
A boxing match leads to Fish being blinded in one eye,
and his drinking, anger and fear of fatherhood spin out
of control. Will Fish recover the love that he and Cherry
had for each other, or will his prospects of fatherhood
be crushed to the ground?
Children
Play. A. R. Gurney
Suggested by a short story by John Cheever
M2 (30s) F3 (30s, 60s)
A summer-house terrace
Mother, widowed five years earlier, decides to remarry
and calls her family together to discuss the disposition
of the house. Family strains and stresses become all too
apparent — particularly in the relationships of the three
children with their mother — and the possible reasons
behind their father’s death by drowning emerge. After
an outburst, declaring to live her life unencumbered by
offspring and their problems, Mother decides to keep
the house.
Children of a Lesser God
Play. Mark Medoff
M3 (20s, 30s-40s) F4 (late teens, mid-20s, 30-40s). Various simple interior and exterior settings
James joins a school for the deaf to teach lip-reading
and meets the spirited Sarah, totally deaf from birth and
estranged from the world of hearing and from those who
would compromise to enter it. James tries to help Sarah,
but gradually the two fall in love and marry. Discord
develops as Sarah militates for the rights of the deaf, but
love and compassion hold the hope of reconciliation.
The Clean House
Comedy. Sarah Ruhl
M1 F4
This extraordinary new play takes place in “metaphysical
Connecticut”, mostly in the home of a married couple
who are both doctors. They have hired a housekeeper
named Matilde, an aspiring comedian from Brazil who’s
more interested in coming up with the perfect joke than
house-cleaning. Lane, the lady of the house, has an eccentric sister named Virginia who’s just nuts about housecleaning. She and Matilde become fast friends, and
Virginia takes over the cleaning while Matilde works on
her jokes. Trouble comes when Lane’s husband, Charles,
reveals that he has found his soul mate in a cancer patient
named Anna on whom he has operated. This theatrical
and wildly funny play is a whimsical and poignant look
at class, comedy and the true nature of love.
The Clean House was a runner-up for the Pulitzer
Prize.
“Casts a spell that had me hooked.” NY Daily News
52
Come Back to the 5 & Dime,
Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
Comedy-drama. Ed Graczyck
M1 (17) F8 (17, 30s, middle age).
A five-and-dime store in Texas.
Period 1975 and, in recall, 1955
In a small-town dime store in West Texas, the Disciples
of James Dean, now middle-aged, gather for their twentieth reunion. The ladies’ reminiscences mingle with flashbacks to their youth; then the arrival of a momentarily
unrecognized woman sets off a series of upsetting and
revelatory confrontations.
Come Blow Your Horn
Comedy. Neil Simon
M3 (21, 33, 60) F4 (20s-50s).
A bachelor apartment
Harry Baker should be a happy man, but his sons are a
daily trial. Alan is a playboy with a penchant for beautiful
girls and now Buddy, formerly so timid and obedient,
has joined his brother in dissipation, unsuccessfully experimenting with the fair sex while his parents become
more mystified and irate. Alan suddenly redeems himself
by settling down, and Buddy, having learned how to
handle women, determines to take over Alan’s role as
the family playboy.
Confessions of a Dirty Blonde
Comedy. Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore
M6 F2 1 lion.
Interior.
1962
1962. Living legend Lillian Lamour, a Mae West-like
sex siren, comes out of seclusion for a one-night tribute
at Carnegie Hall. While recreating her famous 1933
Time magazine cover, a lion bites her world-famous
derriere exposing, among other things, that she is a he.
No-one but the hotel doctor knows the truth — and he
can’t convince anyone else. This screwball comedy in
the style of the Marx brothers is a scream.
Count Dracula
Play based on Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula
Ted Tiller
M7 (young, 50) F2 (young, 40).
Living quarters and crypt of an asylum for the insane
This is a new witty version of the classic story of a
suave vampire whose passion is sinking his teeth into
the throats of beautiful young women. There are many
surprising but uncomplicated stage effects (full details
are given) including secret panels, howling wolves, bats
that fly over the audience, and Dracula vanishing in full
view of the audience.
Full Length Plays by American Playwrights
Crimes of the Heart
Dear Love
M2 (30) F4 (20s, 30)
A kitchen
M1 F1
One set
Comedy. Beth Henley
Biographical drama. Jerome Kilty
Three sisters have gathered in their small Mississippi
hometown awaiting news of their grandfather who is
dying in a local hospital; Lenny, unmarried, Meg, a
failed singer and Babe, on bail having shot her husband.
Their troubles, which are grave yet somehow hilarious,
are highlighted by their cousin Chick, Doc Porter and
Babe’s lawyer who is trying to keep her out of jail while
waging a personal vendetta against her husband. But the
play ends on a joyful note with the three sisters reunited
celebrating Lenny’s birthday.
From the poems and letters of Elizabeth Barrett and
Robert Browning Mr Kilty presents a portrait of a couple
whose poetry and love are legendary. Their first correspondence begins before they meet; but his poetry moves
her deeply and soon they meet. Then comes the terrible
period of parental torment. Browning courts her and
finally persuades her to marry and go with him to Italy,
where their love might grow in splendour. Love endures
all things and Elizabeth Barrett loved Robert Browning
beyond all enduring; here she recounts the ways.
The Crucifer of Blood
Ira Levin’s Deathtrap
Play. Paul Giovanni, based on characters created
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
M10 (20, 30, 50, black pygmy) F1, with doubling. Three
exterior, two interior settings
Period 1857 and 1887
A Sherlock Holmes pastiche based mainly on The Sign
of Four, though with some fundamental differences (the
lady in the case proves to be far from Dr Watson’s true
love), and bringing in elements from other stories. The
action starts in India with the theft of the Agra Treasure,
moves forward thirty years to deal with the exciting
events resulting from the crime and concludes with a
tantalizing hint of one of Watson’s most famous unwritten adventures — “The Giant Rat of Sumatra”.
The Crumple Zone
Comedy. Buddy Thomas
M5
Interior set
This hilarious off Broadway hit, set in a run down
apartment on Staten Island, concerns three gay roommates coming to crisis during one frantic Christmas
weekend. Terry, an out of work actor who can’t keep a
job or get a date, spends his days swilling cheap vodka
and playing referee to a messy love triangle. Extremely
funny and deeply moving, The Crumple Zone is about
staying together, breaking apart and the things we lose
along the way.
“The kind of domestic comedy that might have been
written by Neil Simon if he were gay and 40 years
younger!!” — The New York Times
Dead Man’s Cell Phone
Dramatic comedy. Sarah Ruhl
M2 F4
Unit set
A quiet café. An incessantly ringing cell phone. A
stranger at the next table. And a dead man — with a lot of
loose ends. A wildly imaginative comedy by MacArthur
“Genius” grant recipient and Pulitzer Prize finalist, Sarah
Ruhl, author of The Clean House and Eurydice. A work
about how we memorialize the dead—and how that
remembering changes us—it is the odyssey of a woman
forced to confront her own assumptions about morality,
redemption, and the need to connect in a technologically
obsessed world.
Thriller
M3 (25, 50s) F2 (40, 50)
A study
A hugely popular stage and screen success, this ingeniously constructed play offers a rare and skilful blending
of two priceless theatrical ingredients — gasp-inducing
thrills and spontaneous laughter. Unknown dramatist
Clifford Anderson has sent his new thriller to awardwinning Broadway author Sidney for comment — or
has he? Without a success to his credit for some years,
Sidney plots with his reluctant wife Myra about how
best to plagiarize “Deathtrap” and when Clifford turns
up to discuss the play with the “Master” events take a
sinister turn.
The Devil Boys from Beyond
Comedy. Buddy Thomas and Drew Fornarola
4M 4F (can be played by men in drag)
Unit Set/Multiple Settings
Winner! 2009 FringeNYC Overall Excellence Award
for Outstanding Play Nominee! 2010 GLAAD Award
for Outstanding New York Theater: Off-Off Broadway.
Flying Saucers! Backstabbing Bitches! Muscle Hunks
and Men in Pumps! Wake up and smell the alien invasion
in this outrageous comedy by the author of the offBroadway hit play, Crumple Zone.
“Drag heaven on Earth...DEVIL BOYS is a riot. – New
York Times
Dial “M” for Murder
Play. Frederick Knott
M4 (30s, 45) F1 (20)
A living-room
Tony had quite blatantly married Sheila for her money.
When it seems likely that she is in love with Max, Tony
begins to plot her murder. Lesgate, the hired killer, enters
the flat while Tony establishes his own alibi. But Sheila
defends herself so ably that it is Lesgate who is killed.
Tony callously plants evidence to suggest that Sheila
had killed Lesgate because he was blackmailing her. She
is convicted but fortunately the Inspector continues his
investigations ...
53
The Professional Catalogue
The Diary of Anne Frank
Play. Dramatized by Frances Goodrich
and Albert Hackett
M5 (16, middle age-elderly) F5 (teenage, 20s-40)
An attic
Few more poignant true stories emerged from World
War II than the diary of young Anne Frank. Published
long afterwards by her father, the only family survivor,
it records the minutiae of twenty-five months that two
Jewish families spent in hiding from the Gestapo in
an Amsterdam warehouse attic. The constant secrecy,
growing hunger and friction of living in such cramped
conditions could not dull Anne’s vibrant personality or
her passion for living.
Dirty Blonde
Comedy with music. Claudia Shear
M2 F1 (with doubling)
An interior
“ ... a multilayered study of the nature of stardom ...
one of the canniest portraits on record of that floating
dialogue between icons and idolizers ... Ms Shear finds
the enduring substance in the smoke and mirrors of
one actress’s stardom, allowing Mae West to shock and
delight once again.” New York Times
The Distance from Here
Play. Neil LaBute
M5 F4. Various settings
“ ... its characters belong to that class referred to as ‘poor
white trash’ and when they’re not at each other’s throats
they’re flagrantly disregarding the incest taboo. It’s as
though LaBute has take a particularly explosive episode
of The Jerry Springer Show and decided to chronicle the
events that led up to it.” Spectator
Don’t Drink the Water
Comedy. Woody Allen
M12 F4
An embassy
This hilarious affair takes place in an American Embassy
behind the Iron Curtain. An American tourist, caterer by
trade, and his family, rush into the embassy two steps
ahead of the police who suspect them of spying and
picture-taking. But it is not much of a refuge as the ambassador is absent and his son, now in charge, has been
expelled from a dozen different countries. Nevertheless
they carefully and frantically plot their escape and the
ambassador’s son and the caterer’s daughter even have
time to fall in love.
Dutchman
Drama. LeRoi Jones
M2 F1. Extras.
A subway car
This is the first of Jones’s successes, and the cause of
his critical acclaim. A lascivious blond tries every vulgar
way she knows to pick up and seduce a decent black
youth in a subway car. Failing she resorts to humiliating him. This breaks the facade of his decency, as he
descends to her level for a spitfire fight and decrees that
murder of the whites by the blacks “would make us all
sane.” She stabs him and, as other whites dispose of his
body, primps for her next black victim.
54
Eurydice
Dramatic comedy. Sarah Ruhl
M5 F2
Unit set
In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth
of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too
young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to
the underworld, where she reunites with her father and
struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary
characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual
effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story.
“Rhapsodically beautiful. A weird and wonderful new
play — an inexpressibly moving theatrical fable about
love, loss and the pleasures and pains of memory.” The
New York Times
Everybody’s Ruby
Play. Thulani Davis
M10 F4.
Simple set
Period 1952
A hard-hitting and intense drama based on a murder
that happened in a small town in Florida in 1952. Ruby
McCullum, a black woman, is accused of killing a socially prominent white doctor. Famed writer Zora Neale
Hurston is covering her trial for the national black press.
With help from another famous reporter, Zora uncovers
an explosive collision of race, sex and class that is key
to understanding the truth about the murder.
Extremities
Play. William Mastrosimone
M1 (young) F3 (young)
The living-room of an old New Jersey farmhouse
Helen Mirren and Kevin McNally starred at the Duchess
Theatre, London, in this drama about a young woman
who is attacked in her own home by a rapist. She manages to overpower the man and imprisons him. When
her roommates return, they have to try to talk the victim
out of her ultimate revenge. (NB. This play contains
violent scenes and explicit language.) “... all the tensions
of the classic thriller ... an extraordinary humanity ...”
Daily Mail
Fat Pig
Play. Neil LaBute
M2 F2
A big city near the ocean
Cow. Slob. Pig. How many insults can you hear before
you have to stand up and defend the woman you love?
Tom faces just that question when he falls for Helen, a
bright, funny, sexy young woman who happens to be
plus-sized - and then some. Forced to explain his new
relationship to his shallow (although shockingly funny)
friends, he finally comes to terms with his own preconceptions of the importance of conventional good looks.
Neil LaBute’s sharply-drawn play not only critiques our
slavish adherence to Hollywood ideals of beauty, but
also boldly questions our own ability to change what
we dislike about ourselves. Winner of the Outer Critics
Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Play, a
production appeared at London’s Trafalgar Studios in
2008, directed by the writer.
“[It] will make you squirm in your seat. It’s theater without novocaine [from] an author with a uniquely truthful
voice” The Journal News (White Plains, New York)
Full Length Plays by American Playwrights
Fatal Attraction
The Foreigner
M3 (35-50s) F3 (30s, 40s).
A living-room
M5 F2. Extras
A fishing-lodge parlour
Thriller. Bernard Slade
Blair is a famous actress about to be divorced from
her second husband Morgan who has called at Blair’s
hideaway Nantucket beach-house to collect some of his
paintings. A second visitor is Tony Lombardi, a photojournalist who has dogged Blair for fifteen years and
whom she has sued for harassment. His obsession with
Blair certainly goes beyond professional interest but what
motive does he have for murdering Morgan?
Fling!
Comedy. Bernard Slade
M3 F3
Interior
A romantic comedy taking a light-hearted look at sex,
love and marriage. Novelist Michael Stratton and his
wife Kate seem to have a marriage embodying the oldfashioned virtues of devotion and fidelity but staying in
New York with their old friends Joe and Hilary it comes
to light Michael and Hilary once spent the night together.
The events that ensue cause Michael and Kate to make
searching examination of their marriage and to wonder
whether they’ve been hypocritical in their outmoded
standards of sexual behaviour.
Play. Larry Shue
Trying to forget his marital problems, dull and doleful
Charlie Baker takes a fishing-lodge holiday in the Deep
South of America, and to avoid being pestered by the
locals pretends that he is a foreigner who speaks no English. This leads him to become involved, at first unwillingly, in bizarre goings-on featuring a corrupt preacher,
his pregnant girl-friend, her none-too-bright kid brother
and the local branch of the Ku Klux Klan! The London
production of this play stared Nicholas Lyndhurst.
Frankenstein
Drama. Tim Kelly
M4 F4
Interior
Perhaps the truest adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel,
this play opens on the wedding night of Victor, a young
scientist, and Elizabeth. Previously Victor has created a
“Creature” out of bits and pieces of the dead. The creature tracks Victor to his sanctuary to demand a bride to
share its loneliness. Against his better judgement Victor
agrees, and soon the household is invaded by murder,
despair and terror. However there is enough macabre
humour to relieve the mounting tension.
Flyer
The Front Page
M4 F5 (to play 21 roles)
Composite set
M17 F5
A press room. Period 1920s
Play. Kate Aspengren
While the Project Mercury astronauts carried America’s
hopes and dreams into space, NASA was busy training
another elite corps of pilots, some with more experience than John Glenn and company. None of this group
soared into space; they were women and this is their
story. Fran Douglas, the focus of this story, rises above
family scorn and her fiancées condescension to join the
women’s corps — but then NASA pulls the plug on
training women for space flight.
Fools
Comic fable. Neil Simon
M7 F3
A village square, a house.
Period 1890
Leon Tolchinsky is ecstatic at landing a job as schoolteacher in the idyllic Ukrainian village of Kulyenchikov
in 1890. But the village has been cursed with chronic
stupidity for two hundred years and the desperate villagers have hired Leon hoping he can break the curse,
which he must do in twenty-four hours or become stupid
himself. Instead of leaving he falls in love, gets the girl
and breaks the curse.
Play. Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur
This extraordinary play was premièred in New York in
1928 and revived by Michael Blakemore for the National
Theatre in 1972 to great acclaim. One of the most exciting, amusing and intelligent dramas of its period, it
centres on a prisoner’s escape on the eve of his execution,
his concealment and final discovery in the press room,
and a remarkable reporter who, sick of his profession,
tries to get away from it, only to be pulled back by its
irresistible lure.
Gertrude Stein and a Companion.
Drama. Win Wells
F2
Composite setting. Period 1930s
This extraordinary play won first prize at both the Edinburgh Festival and the Theatre Festival in Sydney, Australia, as well as the Vita Award in South Africa as Best
Play. Gertrude Stein’s ghost returns to Alice B. Toklas
and the genesis and development of their relationship is
richly portrayed. Mr Wells has truly captured the feeling,
art, music and literature of Paris of those years, when
Pablo and Ernest and Henri and all of Gertrude’s friends
spent their free time in the great writer’s salon.
55
The Professional Catalogue
Gigi
Goodbye Charlie
M2 (30, elderly) F5 (16, young, 32, 60, 70)
Two interiors. Period 1900
M4 F3
Interior
Comedy. Colette and Anita Loos
In Paris in 1900, amidst a froth of fin de siècle gaiety,
Gigi celebrates her sixteenth birthday. She is now ready
to carry on the family tradition of stylish courtesan and,
accordingly, her great-aunt, her mother and her grandmother train the tomboyish Gigi. Unfortunately, the first
rich “protector” they choose is Tonton and what should
be a decently unrespectable business arrangement goes
wrong when the two parties fall in love.
The Gin Game
Tragi-comedy. D. L. Coburn
M1 F1
A sunporch
Farce. George Axelrod
Charlie is dead and reincarnated as a woman. Gradually
she begins changing from a man’s attitudes, gestures
and expressions to that of a woman, and it’s a hilarious
transformation. Posing as Charlie’s wife, she meets
several of his old mistresses and begins a collection
for a memorial to Charlie — at $5000 apiece. Charlie’s
friend, meanwhile, has begun to feel a new and different
kind of affection for the new Charlie. And a new dream
unwinds.
Hauptmann
Play. John Logan
M5 F2
Various sets. Period 1936
In a seedy nursing home, the destitute Weller sits playing a lonely, unsuccessful game of solitaire. Prim, selfrighteous Fonsia Dorsey joins him and they begin to
play gin rummy while revealing intimate details of their
lives. Fonsia wins every time and finally Weller leaves,
a broken man, while she realizes her rigidity in life has
left her an embittered, lonely old age. “... a vibrant study
on loneliness, disillusion, old age and death yet fiercely
funny.” Boston Globe
This compelling drama begins just moments before
the 1936 execution of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, the
German immigrant who was convicted of murdering
Charles Lindbergh Jr. With prison guards doubling as
other characters in flashback, Hauptmann tells his gripping story. “In telling one man’s story, it succeeds in
encompassing everything that is essential about America
today.” Newsday
The Gingerbread Lady
The Heart of Art
M3 (20s-40s) F3 (17, 40s)
A flat
M5 F3
Composite set
Play. Neil Simon
Comedy. Michael Weller
Evy, a popular singer and an alcoholic, completes a tenweek drying-out period. Her friend, her daughter and
an actor try to help her adjust to sobriety. But all have
the opposite effect: the birthday party washes out, the
gingerbread lady falls off the wagon and careers onward
to her own tragic end. “His characteristic wit and humor
are at their brilliant best, and his serious story of lost
misfits can often be genuinely and deeply touching.”
New York Post
This is an hilarious satire on megalomania in the New
York theatre. A struggling playwright is ecstatic when his
play is chosen to be produced at the People’s Playhouse,
a major Off-Broadway theatre run by egomaniacal Arthur
Dick. Rehearsals are chaos and the playwright walks out;
the work no longer resembles what he wrote. The show
is a hit; predictably the critics praise the star but damn
the playwright ...
The Good Doctor
Comedy. Michael Parker
Comedy. Neil Simon. Music by Peter Link
M2 F3, much doubling and trebling
Various interior and exterior settings
This comedy, a composite of Neil Simon and Anton
Chekhov, from whose short stories Simon adapted the
twelve vignettes of this collection, was first seen at
the Eugene O’Neill Theatre in New York in 1973 with
Christopher Plummer playing a variety of leading roles.
“As smoothly polished a piece of work as we’re likely
to see.” New York Daily News “A great deal of warmth
and humour — vaudevillian humour — in his retelling
of the Chekhovian tales.” Newhouse Newspapers
Hotbed Hotel
M4 F5
Composite set
Terri and Brian Cody are trying to sell their one-star (and
often one-guest) hotel in the Florida Keys. A prospective
buyer is about to arrive from New York. They decide to
have the staff masquerade as paying guests to convince
the buyer that the establishment is busy and prosperous.
Unfortunately, the staff are an eccentric, difficult lot ...
A laugh-a-minute merry-go-round that leaves audiences
screaming with delight.
The Hound of the Baskervilles
Mystery. Tim Kelly
From the thriller by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
M5 (young, 40s, 50s) F5 (young, 50s)
Interior
In this modernisation of the classic spine-chiller, Sir
Henry is heir to the Baskerville fortune as well as
the family curse: death at the fangs of a living horror
prowling the moors. Only Sherlock Holmes can stop the
beast from striking again. Is the supernatural at work?
Audiences will have a terrific time attempting to discover
the true killer — and reacting to the surprise twist.
56
Full Length Plays by American Playwrights
The House of Blue Leaves
I’ll Be Back Before Midnight!
M4 F6
Interior
M2 (30s, 50s) F2 (20s)
A farmhouse living-room
Farce. John Guare
Artie Shaugnessy is a zoo attendant who has lingering
visions of being a songwriter ... with a mistress, a cuckoo
wife, and a son armed with a bomb set for New York’s
Yankee Stadium where the Pope is due to visit ... Winner
of the 1971 Critics Award and the Obie Award as Best
American Play.
“Enchantingly zany and original farce” — The New
York Times
I Ought to Be in Pictures
Comedy. Neil Simon
M1 F2
Interior of wagon
Herb, a once-successful Hollywood scriptwriter, is confronted with his distant and almost-forgotten past in the
person of his teenage daughter, Libby, who’s trekked to
Hollywood from Brooklyn where Herb had simply up
and left wife, daughter and son sixteen years earlier. Libby’s extremely confident and articulate — and she tells
Herb she wants him to get her into “pictures”. How they
pick up the pieces of a father-daughter relationship is a
poignant, tender and nevertheless very funny story.
I Remember You
Comedy. Bernard Slade
M2 F2
Interior
Austin “Buddy” Bedford, a cocktail lounge pianist and
singer, is haunted by a three-month, passionate affair
he had with an Englishwoman twenty-five years ago.
A beautiful young woman comes into the lounge and
he is stunned by her resemblance to his lost love. They
begin an affair. Then the girl takes him to meet her eccentric mother — who is none other than the woman he
once loved. Buddy is forced to choose between the two
women. Romantic songs counterpoint the action.
If Memory Serves
Comedy. Jonathan Tolins
M4 F4
Composite set
During her classic television series, Diane Barrow was
America’s sweet-heart, everybody’s favourite spunky
mum. That was twenty years ago. Now her career is in
a slump and her son suddenly remembers some nasty
things from his childhood. Or does he? This is a surprising comedy about memory, mothers and our maddening
culture of complaint.
Thriller. Peter Colley
Following a nervous breakdown, Jan is brought to an
isolated farmhouse by her husband Greg, ostensibly
to complete her recovery. But unsettling things start
to happen as soon as they arrive. First, Greg’s sister
Laura, with whom he seems to have an unnaturally close
relationship, arrives. There is also George, the slightly
demented old farmer who lives nearby. A nightmare of
frightening occurrences results in a thrilling and heartstopping ending!
I’m Not Rappaport
Comedy. Herb Gardner
M5 (16, 35, 40s, 80 (one black)) F2 (25, 40s)
Central Park
This warm comedy concerns two octogenarians determined to fight off all attempts to put them out to pasture.
Nat is a lifelong radical determined to fight injustice (real
or imagined) and has a delightful repertoire of eccentric
personas, which makes the role an actor’s dream. The
other half of this unlikely partnership is Midge, a black
apartment janitor who spends his time hiding out from
tenants who want him to retire.
The Innocents
Melodrama. William Archibald. Adapted from
Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw
M1 F3, 1 boy and 1 girl aged 10-13.
Period 19th century
A story of unspeakable horror, it begins when a young
governess arrives at an English estate to oversee two
precocious, orphaned youngsters. But they aren’t alone
— they’re haunted by fears and phantoms and by ghastly
shadows. The governess and cook are terrified, but the
children are possessed by the spirits and welcome their
visitations ...
In a Dark Dark House
Play. Neil LaBute
M2 F1
Composite set
LaBute’s play is emblematic of a writer who has a great
talent for exploring the darker aspects of human relations.
LaBute has interesting things to say about the roots of
homophobia, what really constitutes abuse and the potentially devastating effects of bad parenting. Seen in 2008
at the Almeida, London with David Morrissey.
In the Next Room
or The Vibrator Play
Play. Sarah Ruhl
M3 F4
1 interior
Period 1880s
A comedy about marriage, intimacy and electricity. Set in
the 1880s, the play is based on historical fact that doctors
used vibrators to treat hysterical women and centres on
a doctor and his wife and how this new treatment affects
the whole household.
57
The Professional Catalogue
In the Summer House
Killer Joe
M5 F10
3 sets
M3 F2
Interior
Play. Jane Bowles
Tennessee Williams was an admirer of this extraordinary play. Funny, sad and with an unresolved tragedy at
its heart, the play had its British première at the Lyric,
Hammersmith, in 1993.
Jane Eyre
Drama. Helen Jerome. Dramatized from Charlotte
Brontë’s novel
M7 (20s, 30s, elderly)
F9 (18, 20s, 30s, middle age, elderly). 1 girl (7)
A library, a living-room
Literature has not duplicated such a love story as follows
between the embittered, tragically lonely Rochester,
landed proprietor and Jane’s employer, and Jane “untouched and innocent but intellectually his equal”. We
meet Rochester’s mad wife; follow Jane through her
frustrated marriage and flight; her happy association with
Diana and St John Rivers; her coming into her fortune;
and the happy ending.
The Job
Black comedy. Shem Bitterman
M4 F1
Interior
Frank, a down-on his luck con artist, is trying to go
straight and sober. A contractor places him in the perfect
job, murdering an unemployed engineer who wants
the insurance money for his family. Frank panics and
subcontracts the hit to his old partner, a slick operator
who is now making it as a fire-and-brimstone evangelist.
“Harshly graceful and haunting comic drama.” New
York Times
Black comedy. Tracy Letts
Killer Joe is hired by by the greedy Smith family, a dimwitted clan wanting to do away with Mother to get her
insurance money. Killer Joe decides to bed the Smith
daughter as a retainer against the final payoff. Before it’s
over, nearly everyone is bloodied. “... pulp fiction which
has it both ways, deriving humour from dirty realism.
It’s slick, it’s well-constructed, it knows exactly where
it’s going ...” New York Daily News
Last of the Red Hot Lovers
Comedy. Neil Simon
M1 (46) F3 (20, 30s)
An apartment
Barney, who has been married to an irreproachable wife
for twenty-three years, feels the urge to join the sexual
revolution before it is too late. Taking advantage of the
fact that his mother’s flat is unoccupied two days a week
he invites three women to his lair in succession. With
no experience of adultery he fails on each occasion. As
the play ends he is telephoning his wife — to meet him
that afternoon in his mother’s apartment.
Lend Me A Tenor
Comedy. Ken Ludwig
M4 (young, 30s, 50s) F4 (20s, 30s, 50s)
An hotel suite. Period 1934
Keely and Du
A concert in Ohio in 1934 is jeopardized when the lead
Italian tenor falls into a drunken stupor. So the impresario’s diminutive assistant blacks up and goes on as
Otello. The tenor awakens, dons his costume, and thence
follows a hilarious comedy involving two Otellos, a
volatile Italian wife, an outrageous bellhop and a cynical impresario. “A furiously paced comedy with more
than a touch of the Marx brothers ... wonderful farcical
moments and funny lines ...” Time Out
M2 F2
One set
A Life in the Theatre
A controversial play about a pregnant girl abducted by
pro-life Christians determined that her unwanted baby
will be born. It had its British première at the Royal
Theatre, Northampton, in 1995.
M2
Various spots around a theatre
Play. Jane Martin
Kennedy’s Children
Play. Robert Patrick
M2 (young) F3 (young) Extra 1M
A bar
“The theme of the play is the death of the ideas of heroes as guides for our lives. I think the sad thing about
Kennedy’s children is that they have so very much to
offer one another and are held away from one another
by fear and despair ... the play stands as my tribute to
their valour and suffering.’ Robert Patrick
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Play. David Mamet
In twenty-six scenes the play presents “two actors — a
seasoned professional and a novice — backstage and
onstage, going through a cycle of roles and an entire
wardrobe of costumes’. In some scenes they are seen
portraying characters in various plays from the repertory theatre in which they work. Though there are many
scenes — some are very brief — staging is simple.
Full Length Plays by American Playwrights
Life Support
Luv
M1 F1
Interior
M2 F1
Exterior
Comedy Drama. George Tricker
Alan Warner, whose wife is hospitalized for exploratory
surgery, is joined in the lounge by Carol, who has just
brought her husband to the emergency room as a precaution. They could not be more polarized: Carol is educated
and wealthy; Alan dropped out of school and barely gets
by as a house painter. The painful discovery that their
spouses are both critically ill overrides their differences
and they develop a co-dependency that evolves from
offering and receiving moral support into a physical and
emotional relationship.
The Lion in Winter
Play. James Goldman
M5 (teenage, 20s, 50) F2 (young, middle age)
Henry’s castle at Chinon
Period 1183
Comedy. Murray Schisgal
One of Broadway’s brightest comedy hits, directed by
Mike Nichols and starring Eli Wallach, Anne Jackson and
Alan Arkin. A wildly funny spoof of avant-garde drama
which makes high comedy of the nagging indignities
which flesh is heir to. “ ... the answer to a theatre-goer’s
prayer.” Walter Kerr, N.Y. Herald Tribune. “ ... a delicious
spoof on a mulitude of matters ... “ Howard Taubman,
N.Y. Times
Madame Melville
Play. Richard Nelson
M1 F2
An apartment living-room. Period 1966
Set in 1966 in a soon-to-be-exploding Paris, Madame
Melville is the intimate story of Carl, a fifteen-year-old
Aerican and his teacher, the beautiful Claudie Melville.
Over a night and a day, Carl discovers an unimagined
world where beauty, loneliness, love, sex and art are one.
The play premièred at the Vaudeville Theatre, London,
in October 2000, starring Macaulay Culkin. “Richard
Nelson’s elegant account of a sentimental education …
observant wit …” Guardian
A family Christmas becomes a family at war. Henry
II, not so young as he was, invites his estranged wife
Eleanor of Aquitane, and his three sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John, to spend the festive season with him, his
mistress Princess Alais, and her brother, the young King
Philip of France. Will Henry name who is to be his successor as King of England? Their yuletide celebration
turns into a combat zone of deceit, betrayal, bitter power
games and scabrous wit.
Me and Mamie O’Rourke
The Lone Star Love Potion
M2 F2
A laundry-room
Farce. Michael Parker
M3 F4
Interior
The wealthy owner of a 200,000 acre Texas ranch has
died, leaving everything to his niece. A reputed love
potion is found in the safe, begging the question: does it
work? Before long, everyone is sipping the sample, with
hilarious results. Is the potion potent or a ruse? The flow
of characters in, out and from under the beds reaches a
frenetic pace before the startling truth is revealed.
Lost in Yonkers
Comedy Drama. Mary Agnes O’Donoghue
Louise’s Los Angeles house is rapidly turning into rubble
as her architect husband David takes a sledge-hammer
to it as effectively as he has to their marriage. Louise
escapes her unhappiness through fantasies of a former
lover and through her close, but often stormy friendship
with Bibi, a cook who dreams of becoming an animal
behaviourist. Funny, touching and psychologically astute, this is adult American comedy at its best.
The Mercy Seat
Drama. Neil LaBute
Comic drama. Neil Simon
M1 F1
One interior
New York, 1942. When Eddie Kurnitz’s wife dies he
deposits his two teenage sons with their formidable
Grandma Kurnitz who runs a candy store in Yonkers.
But Grandma Kurnitz is not all the boys have to contend
with. There is also Bella, and Louie her brother, who may
have mob connections. Gradually the mood deepens and
darkens, as we become aware that this is a family full of
emotionally crippled people.
In a time of national tragedy, the world changes overnight. On September 12th 2001, Ben Harcourt finds
himself in the downtown apartment of his lover, Abby
Prescott — who also happens to be his boss. His endlessly ringing mobile phone haunts their conversation
as Ben and Abby explore the choices now available to
them in an existence different from the one they knew
just the day before. Will Ben let his family know he’s
alive, or will he and Abby take this chance to create a
new life for themselves? “ ... (a) compelling portrait of
male inner turmoil ...” Financial Times
M2 (30s, 40s) F3 (30s, 70s). 2 boys
An apartment. Period 1942
59
The Professional Catalogue
The Miracle Worker
The Murder Room
M6 F7
Composite setting. Period 1880
M3 (young, 40s, 50s) F3 (young, 30s, 60s)
A living-room
Play. William Gibson
Helen Keller is world-famous for her work with those
born blind, deaf and dumb. The play tells the story of
Annie Sullivan’s efforts to teach Helen to communicate,
fighting against the thoughtless indulgence of Helen’s
family and her doting possessive mother until, at last,
Annie achieves the miracle of teaching Helen language.
Here, Helen’s life can truly be said to have begun.
Moby Dick — Rehearsed
Melodrama. Orson Welles
Adapted from Herman Melville
M12 F2
Mr Welles has an ingenious idea for accomodating the
sweep of this classic story on the stage. He introduces
us to a Shakespearian company who put down their rehearsal sides of “Lear,” and curiously take up those of a
new play entitled “Moby Dick.” Then on the rehearsal
stage of platforms, the teasers overhead suddenly become
yardarms with sails, and a tall ladder becomes a mast.
The platforms become the decks of the ship, and thus
the cast set sail through the storms and tribulations of
the Pequod, and the story of “Moby Dick.” “Admirably
bold and imaginative.” New York Post
The Monkey Walk
Comedy. John Murray
M1 F1
Interior
Two people set up a relationship based on mutual convenience rather than emotional involvement. Myra,
an uptight intellectual who is scared of sex, is soon to
marry an archaeologist. Danny, a taxi driver, lonely and
recently divorced, is a natural philosopher and homespun
psychiatrist. The fun starts when Myra — living previously on take-away meals — turns to domestic life with
burning eagerness — but messes up the simplest chores.
And the fun takes a teasing turn when trouble looms and
Myra, now estatic after weeks of love with the cabbie,
takes a more assertive role.
Moonlight Cocktail
Comedy. Steven Keyes
M3 F2
Composite set
Patsy and Ed, a couple in Iota, Texas, are facing changes
and hardships that threaten to push their relationship over
the edge. Using a style that takes realism to the borders
of the ridiculous, the author’s sprightly plot cheerfully
explores unemployment, crime, motherhood, jealousy,
adultery, espionage and a horrendous community theatre
in a light-hearted, utterly Texan fashion.
Mystery Farce. Jack Sharkey
Two days after their marriage Edgar catches Mavis,
a villainess if ever there was one, telling obvious lies
about where she has spent the evening. After a first attempt to kill him by poisoning his cocoa fails — the cat
dies instead — she fires three shots into him and phones
her lover. Later it transpires that the pistol contained
only blanks, and Edgar’s body vanishes. From then on
complication follows complication until chaos reigns
supreme.
My Big Gay Italian Wedding
Comedy. Anthony J. Wilkinson
M10 F6
Andrew and Anthony are getting married — and everyone
wants to “help”! My Big Gay Italian Wedding spins into
a hysterical fiasco as everyone tries to have their way.
From a saboteur ex-boyfriend to a loud, opinionated,
outspoken Italian mother, personalities and culture
collide in a music and dance-filled extravaganza. “Feelgood hysterical comedy!” — The Wall Street Journal
My Sweetheart’s the Man on the Moon
Comic Drama. Don Nigro
M2 F3 Unit Set. Period Early 20th century
This wickedly funny play chronicles Evelyn Nesbit, a
beautiful chorus girl who was the entrancing centre of
an explosive love triangle involving Stanford White, her
married lover and a famous architect, and Harry K. Thaw,
a rich, manic and demented roller-skating playboy who
married her, beat her with a horse whip and eventually
shot White through the eye during a performance at the
rooftop theatre at Madison Square Garden.
My Three Angels
Comedy. Sam and Bella Spewack. From the French
play Cuisine des Anges by Albert Husson
M7 (20s, 40s, middle age) F3 (20s, middle age)
A living-room
It is Christmas Eve in the tropical prison colony of Cayenne. Felix Dulay, a hopeless storekeeper, is fearfully
awaiting the owner, Gaston. Providence has given the
Dulays three guardian angels — three convicts! In no
time they have cooked Christmas lunch — and Felix’s
books — and will loose their own executioner on Gaston
for his cruel behaviour!
The Mystery of Irma Vep
A Penny Dreadful. Charles Ludlam
M2 playing various male and female roles
A library drawing-room, various simple sets
The definitive Gothic melodrama written to be performed
as a quick-change act in which two actors perform all the
roles. A sympathetic werewolf, a vampire and an Egyptian princess brought to life when they open her tomb
make this the play that has everything. This American
award-winning romp was cited by Time Magazine and
the New York Times as one of the best plays of its year.
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Full Length Plays by American Playwrights
The Nerd
Comedy. Larry Shue
M5 F2
A living-room
A Nerd — for which there is no British equivalent — is
a mixture of twit, wimp, wally and creep. Staid Willum
is having a birthday party. Rick, the Nerd, arrives in full
Halloween dress — four days late — and within minutes
manages to insult, sicken and bore the guests. Willum
endures this because Rick saved his life in Vietnam.
Willum discovers that Rick is not what he seems and
his reappearance stuns us all.
New England
Play. Richard Nelson
M4 F4
A study, a kitchen
An Englishman and his family live far-flung across the
vast American continent. Brought together by tragedy,
they find comfort in attacking their adopted country,
ridiculing its crude ways and lack of standards. Humour and irony as well as the sense of loss and longing
permeate this story of exiles unable to address a world
that is passing by.
The Odd Couple
Comedy. Neil Simon
M6 F2
A living-room
Divorced from his wife, Oscar lives in the cheerful
chaos his carefree nature thrives on. Into the midst of
his smoke-laden, beer-sodden weekly poker session,
comes Felix, newly separated from his wife and, so he
says, suicidal. At Oscar’s invitation Felix moves in, and
is soon finding comfort in performing, with the same
thoroughness which lost him his wife, the cooking, cleaning, polishing and laundry until Oscar is almost reduced,
by continuous nagging, to a nervous wreck.
The Odd Couple (Female Version)
Comedy. Neil Simon
M2 F6
An apartment
In this hilarious female version of The Odd Couple, Olive
Madison, like her original male counterpart, is divorced
and living in cheerful chaos in her New York apartment.
At Olive’s invitation, the suicidal Florence Ungar, newly
separated from her husband, moves in and is soon finding
comfort in cooking, cleaning, and fussing until Olive is
almost reduced to a nervous wreck
Oh, Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s
Hung You in the Closet and I’m
Feeling So Sad
Farce. Arthur Kopit
M4 F2. Extras
2 interiors
A fantastically humorous play, winner of the Vernon
Rice award for Off-Broadway theatre, and unanimously
applauded by the critics. A widow and her young son
arrive at a hotel with enough luggage for half-a-dozen
bellboys, including the priceless plants, a coffin, and a
fish bowl with a live piranha. The bellboys are tipped
with rare coins worth thousands of dollars.The widow
has already decided that in the morning she will restaff
the entire hotel. Deliciously zany events are to follow.
On the Verge, or the Geography of
Yearning
Play. Eric Overmyer
M1 (playing various parts) F3
Various simple settings. Period 1888-1950
In 1888, three experienced American lady adventurers
set out to explore “terra incognito’ eagerly embracing
cultures and replicas of distant civilizations. Caught in a
time warp, they find themselves in Eisenhower’s 1950s
America. The trio split when two decide to remain in
1955 and it is left to Mary to continue the journey of
exploration. This witty, surreal play was seen in London
in 1989 starring Paola Dionisotti and Juliet Stevenson.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Play. Dale Wasserman.
From the novel by Ken Kesey
M17 F5
A ward in a mental hospital
Randle P. McMurphy is more than just a liability in a
mental institution. In this one, he is leading a rebellion
against the strict routine and authority that is so firmly
instilled. Having feigned madness in order to escape
prison, McMurphy is volatile, outrageous - and irrestistably good fun. As he recruits more patients as allies to
protest against the home’s rigid system, McMurphy
becomes legendary in the patients’ eyes and more
dangerous in the tyrannical Nurse Ratched’s. The play
develops as a psychological power struggle between the
two characters, and though Ratched prescribes a fatal
lobotomy for McMurphy, this can’t prevent his influence on the other patients from being contagious and,
ultimately, liberating.
Dale Wasserman’s stage version of Ken Kesey’s novel
was directed by Terry Johnson and Tamara Harvey at
the Gielgud Theatre in 2004 and at the Garrick in 2006.
It starred Christian Slater as McMurphy and Frances
Barber as Nurse Ratched.
“A hymn to individual liberation and an attack on authoritarian institutions.” Michael Billington, Guardian
61
The Professional Catalogue
Orphans
Pantomime
M3 (20s, middle age)
A living-room
M2
Exterior
Play. Lyle Kessler
Two adult but somehow childlike brothers live in an old
row house in North Philadelphia. Treat, the elder brother,
supports himself and his slightly retarded younger
brother by petty thievery. He brings home a rich man,
Harold, intending to get him drunk and swindle him.
Harold moves in and establishes the house as a hideout
and base of operations and, in a strange, hilarious, moving, tender way, becomes the father figure the boys have
never had and always longed for.
The Owl and the Pussycat
Comedy. Bill Manhoff
M1 (35) F1 (26)
An apartment in San Francisco
Doris storms into the apartment of F. Sherman, would-be
writer, and states that because his report to the landlord
got her evicted for taking paying gentlemen callers, she
is now going to camp in his apartment. She says she is
a prostitute but not promiscuous, and is hurt when Sherman questions her respectability. He is a self-advertising
intellectual whose counterfeit emotions are reflected in
his unsuccessful writing. Their exchanges are turbulent
and very funny.
Painting Churches
Play. Tina Howe
M1 (70s) F2 (30s, 60s)
A living-room
Gardner Church, once a famous poet, slips in and out of
senility as his wife Fanny valiantly tries to keep them
both afloat. Their daughter Mags, an artistic celebrity,
comes home hoping to finally paint their portrait and, in
this way, to come to terms with them — and they with
her. Mags triumphs in the end as Fanny and Gardner
actually step through the frame and become a work of
art, ineffable and timeless.
Pajama Tops
Farce. Mawby Green and Ed Feilbert, from the
French hit, Moumou by Jean de Latraz
M4 F3
Interior
The plot is all fun. The husband is planning a business
trip for philandering purposes; his wife secretly invites
this same voluptuous girl to spend the weekend. The
husband is trapped. Out of the blue an old friend appears,
with hands aflutter, followed by a gendarme who delights
in cherchez-les-femmes. There is also a devilish-looking
butler, a maid practising to be a cocotte, and some wildly
artful dodging, all calculated to keep the audience laughing. “Prolonged laughter.” New York Times
62
Derek Walcott
Written in 1977 and premièred in Trinidad in 1978, then
performed in Chicago and Washington DC. A fast-paced
comedy set in Tobago. In the hope of entertaining future
guests, an English hotel owner proposes that he and
his black handyman work up a satire on the Robinson
Crusoe story.
Papa’s Angels
Christmas play with music.
Collin Wilcox Paston, in collaboration with Charles
Jones. Music by John Roman
M6 F2. 7 children. (Doubling possible) plus extras.
Simple sets
This dynamic and easy-to-produce family show is one
American audiences flock to see year after year. Its magical tale of children joyfully rescuing their Papa from the
darkness of despair is both funny and heart-warming.
Music is included in the libretto.
A Party to Murder
Play. Marcia Kash and Douglas E. Hughes
M3 (40s, 50s) F3 (late 20s, 40s).
A living-room
Writer Charles Prince has invited six people to play a
murder mystery game at a rustic cottage on an island
somewhere in North America. They appear set for a fun
weekend until past ghosts begin to haunt the proceedings
and all is not as it seems. The game takes on a sinister
dimension when guests begin to die and the remaining
players realize that they are playing for their lives.
The Passion of Dracula
Drama. Bob Hall and David Richmond.
Based on the novel by Bram Stoker
M7 F2
A study.
Period 1911
This version of the great Dracula legend is based on the
1897 Bram Stoker novel. We are in the English countryside in 1911. Several young girls have died under
mysterious circumstances. Dr Seward presides over a
nearby mental hospital and the locality also has acquired
a new resident — Count Dracula! A trio of doctors, a
young reporter and a stouthearted English lord fight the
Count for possession of the lovely heroine.
Full Length Plays by American Playwrights
Passion Play
Play it Again, Sam
M8 F3 (with doubling)
M3 (young, 28) F8 (young)
A living-room with platform area
Dramatic Comedy. Sarah Ruhl
Hailed by the New Yorker’s John Lahr as “extraordinary”, “bold”, and “inventive”, Sarah Ruhl’s Passion
Play takes us behind the scenes of three communities
attempting to stage the death and resurrection of Christ.
From Queen Elizabeth’s England to Hitler’s Germany to
Reagan’s America, Ruhl’s exploration of devotion takes
us on a humorous yet unsettling journey filled with lust,
whimsy, and a lot of fish.
”Her [Ruhl’s] unmistakable voice — poetic and quirky,
underpinned with serious feeling and even more serious
intelligence — trumpets forth in brash, impressive form
in this ambitious and frisky if sometimes unruly play.”
—New York Times.
The Philadelphia Story
Comedy. Philip Barry
M9 F6
Interior and exterior
A smash hit on Broadway with Katherine Hepburn.
Tracy Lord, of the Philadelphia Lords, is a cold beauty
waiting to be awakened; an inhibited romantic with all
the complexes of a spoiled daughter of the privileged
classes. She has been married to C.K. Dexter Haven —
and divorced. Now she is engaged to be married to a
successful young snob, Kittredge. In the middle of the
wedding arrangements a social gossip weekly sends a
reporter and camerawoman to report the goings-on.
Physical
Comedy. Buddy Thomas
M2 F2
Interior set
It is the coldest night in November. Owen has shelved
his college books and thesis papers to prepare for the
date of his life. With candlelight, soft music and enough
Italian chicken to feed the Northeast coast, he is ready
but not for Aurora, the drugstore cosmetics cashier he
has finally had the courage to ask for a date. All lipstick
and hair spray and spike heels, Aurora is a combination
of every cover girl in the history of Cosmopolitan, but
her brain is made of paper too. Nothing goes as planned.
When Aurora falls for Owen’s roommate, things really
get out of hand. Throw in Frieda, a psycho obsessive
neighbour who has weddings with Barbie dolls and
wields a mean butcher knife, and you have a physical
comedy of lunatic proportions. Note: Includes numerous
great monologues and scenes.
Picasso at the Lapin Agile
Comedy. Steve Martin
M7 (20s, older) F2 (19, older)
A Parisian bar
Period 1904
This long-running Off-Broadway absurdist comedy
by the star of Roxanne, The Jerk and LA Story places
Albert Einstein and Pablo Picasso in a Parisian café in
1904, just before the renowned scientist transformed
physics with his theory of relativity and the celebrated
painter set the art world afire with Cubism. Bystanders,
including Picasso’s agent, the bartender and his mistress,
Picasso’s date, an elderly philosopher, Charles Dabernow
Schmendimen, and an idiot inventor introduce additional
flourishes of humour.
Comedy. Woody Allen
Allan has this thing about Humphrey Bogart. His wife
has left him and his friends have been trying to fix him
up with beautiful dates, but he is so gauche they always
end abysmally. His day-dreams of Bogart and the beautiful people are always rudely shattered by real life. And
when he falls for his best friend’s wife things really seem
black. But the homely hero is saved and is left to dream
of being greater things.
Plaza Suite
Comedy. Neil Simon
M3/2/2 F1/2
A hotel suite
The comedy consists of three separate plays all occurring
in the same hotel suite, and all parts can be played by
separate artists. In the first play, Visitor from Mamaroneck, a middle-aged couple re-visit the hotel room of
their honeymoon — but the arrangement does not end as
romantically as might have been expected. Visitor from
Hollywood recounts the meeting of two old flames and
what can happen under the influence of repeating magic
Hollywood names. The last play, Visitor from Forest
Hills, tells of a mother and father and their daughter who
has locked herself in the bathroom and refuses to come
out for her wedding.
Pride and Prejudice
Comedy. Dramatized from Jane Austen’s novel by
Helen Jerome
M8 (young, middle age) F11 (16, 20s, elderly)
Three drawing-rooms
Period early 19th century
In this play the author has brought out the worldly ambitions of the silly Mrs Bennet, the mixture of tenderness
and irony of her husband, the matrimonial ambition of
the three pretty daughters and the contrasted personalities of the three gentlemen whose hearts they ultimately
secure. Above all, she lets the final curtain fall on the
discomfiture of those we wish to see discomfited and the
felicity of all whom we wish to see happy.
The Prisoner of Second Avenue
Comedy. Neil Simon
M2 (40s, 50s) F4 (40s, 50s)
A 14th floor apartment
When Mel is made redundant he starts to fight a battle
with the environs of New York: the pollution, the paperthin walls of the high rise apartment. When his apartment
is burgled and his psychiatrist dies with $23,000 of his
money Mel has a nervous breakdown. It is on recovery
that we come to esteem him all the more. For Mel and
his wife and people like them have the resilience, the
grit to survive.
63
The Professional Catalogue
Proof
Red Scare on Sunset
M2 (28, 50s) F2 (25, 28)
The back porch of a house in Chicago
M5 F3
Composite setting
Period 1950s
Play. David Auburn
Catherine has spent years caring for her brilliant but
unstable father, Robert. When he dies she has more than
grief to deal with: there’s her estranged sister, Claire,
and Hal, a former student of her father’s who hopes to
find valuable work in the 103 notebooks that Robert left
behind. And a further problem: how much of her father’s
madness — or genius — will Catherine inherit?
John Madden directed a production of Auburn’s
acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winning play at the Donmar
Warehouse in 2002, starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
The Rainmaker
Romantic comedy. N. Richard Nash
M6 (20s, 30s, 55, middle age) F1 (27)
Composite setting
Two troubles oppress the Curry ranch. One is the terrible drought over all Western America that is killing
their livestock, the second, anxiety over Lizzie’s single
state. Lizzie believes herself plain and is too practical
and honest to use feminine guile to catch herself a man.
Then in blows Starbuck, a con-man. For a hundred dollars he guarantees to make rain, but the drought persists.
However, with Lizzie he works a minor miracle ...
A Raisin in the Sun
Comedy/drama. Lorraine Hansberry
M8 F3
Interior
Period 1950s
Set in Chicago’s Southside black ghetto during the 1950s,
the plot revolves around the divergent dreams of and
conflicts within three generations of the Yonger family.
Mama dreams of moving to a decent home as she’s
received her deceased husband’s insurance settlement.
Her son, a chauffeur, dreams of buying a liquor store
and being his own man. Her young, liberated daughter
dreams of medical school. This powerful drama is built
on sacrifice, heartbreak, trust, love and Mama’s heroic
struggle to hold the family together. David Lan directed
a highly successful production at the Lyric Hammersmith
in 2005. “This is a play to fall in love with.” Lyn Gardner,
Guardian
Reasons to be Pretty
Play. Neil LaBute
M2 F2
Greg is overhead admitting that his girlfriend Steph is
no beauty but that he wouldn’t change her for the world.
She is devastated; he can’t see what he’s done wrong.
Meanwhile Greg’s friend Kent alternates between boasting about how gorgeous his wife Carly is and chasing
after a hot new colleague.
The final part of Neil LaBute’s ‘beauty trilogy’ (following The Shape of Things and Fat Pig) about society’s
obsession with looks Reasons to be Pretty premiered at
the Almeida Theatre, London.
64
Comedy. Charles Busch
This Off-Broadway hit is set in 1950s Hollywood during
the blacklist days. This is a hilarious comedy that touches
on serious subjects by the author of Vampire Lesbians of
Sodom. Mary Dale is a musical comedy star who discovers to her horror that her husband, her best friend, her
director and houseboy are all mixed up in a communist
plot to take over the movie industry. Among their goals
is the dissolution of the star system! Mary’s conversion
from Rodeo Drive robot to McCarthy marauder who
ultimately names names, including her husband’s, makes
for outrageous, thought-provoking comedy. Both right
and left are skewered in this comic melodrama.
Return Engagements
Comedy. Bernard Slade
M4 F4 (can be played by M2 F2)
Composite set
Three vignettes of different couples make up Act I: a
tipsy actress and the bellboy who has bedded her, a
gutsy Polish woman who has survived World War II and
a carpenter whom she chooses to father her baby, and
an acid-tongued columnist and his cool psychoanalyst
wife who are about to split uip. In Act II, we meet the
couples 20, 25 and 30 years later, as we learn much to
our merriment how they ended up — and how, ultimately,
their stories are linked.
Reunion
Thriller. Billy St John
M3 F4
Interior
Wilton Hackett has spent the ten years since high school
developing skills as a hacker — of computers and people. A serial killer, he spends every night seeking new
victims to slash, and sees the reunion as a chance of a
lifetime to settle old scores with the popular kids who
ridiculed him in high school. (NB: This play contains
explicit language and graphic violence.)
Romantic Comedy
Comedy. Bernard Slade
M2 (30s) F4 (young, 20s, 30s, 54)
A study
Jason Carmichael, successful co-author of Broadway
romantic comedies, is about to marry a society belle and
his collaborator is retiring from the fray. Enter Phoebe
Craddock, a mousy Vermont schoolteacher and budding playwright and Jason acquires a talented, adoring
collaborator. Fame and success are theirs for ten years
and then Jason’s world falls apart — his wife divorces
him and Phoebe marries a journalist and moves to Paris.
Jason goes into decline but re-enter a chic, successful
Phoebe — and guess the ending!
Full Length Plays by American Playwrights
Sabrina Fair
Seven Rabbits on a Pole
M7 (young, 30s, 50s, 60s) F7 (young, 20s-50s)
A terrace
M4 F2
One interior
Romantic comedy. Samuel Taylor
Play. John C. Picardi
Sabrina Fairchild has returned from Paris, transformed,
radiantly in love with life, and shedding that brilliance
on everyone who sees her. Back in America, she should
resume her appointed place as daughter of the chauffeur
to the millionaire Larrabees: instead, she utterly enchants
the younger son, David. She does not want David, but his
brother Linus, whose first love has always been power —
until now. Linus wants to conquer the world: Sabrina, to
love it. Together they make a good combination.
Love, lust, opera and art occupy the Padroni family, Italian immigrants living on a vegetable farm near Boston
in the 1930s. Widower Enio is the proud father of three
children: Peter, the backbone of the family; Lawrence,
the young idealist, and daughter Julia, whose simpleminded longing is for love. A meddling neighbour and a
stranger selling rabbits trigger emotional upheavals that
uncover secrets and alter lives.
Same Time, Next Year
Comedy. George Axelrod
Comedy. Bernard Slade
M1 F1
A bed-sitting room. Period 1951-1975
This long-running Broadway hit is about an adulterous
love affair taking place only once a year — and also a
reflection of twenty-five years of American attitudes.
George picks up Doris in a California inn in 1951 and
they agree to meet there once a year. Before each scene,
tapes portray America of the time in speeches, sports and
news broadcasts. The New York Times described it as
the “funniest comedy about love and adultery to come
Broadway’s way in years”.
Seamarks
Drama. Gardner McKay
M1 F1
Composite setting
Winner of the LA Drama Critics Circle Best Award, this
is the touching story of a fisherman living on a remote
island of Ireland who has fallen in love with a woman
he’s glimpsed only once. Unschooled in letter-writing, he
tries his utmost to court by mail and, after a year-and-ahalf, succeeds in arranging a rendezvous at which, to his
surprise, she persuades him to live with her in Liverpool.
Their love affair ends when he is forced to return to the
life he better understands.
The Sensuous Senator
Farce. Michael Parker
M4 F5
Interior
Senator Douglas is running for President on a “morality” platform, but when his wife Lois leaves to attend
a conference in Chicago, he does not hesitate to invite
Veronica, his secretary and lover, to rush over. Finding her unavailable, he has an escort agency send over
voluptuous Fiona. Congressman Jack Maguire drops in
unexpectedly and Fiona, unsure who her client is, zooms
in on him. And then Veronica, having changed her plans,
appears on the scene ... An outrageous farce.
The Seven Year Itch
M6 (1 boy) F5. Period 1930s
A domesticated publisher’s assistant whose wife of seven
years has just hied herself off for a summer in the country
finds himself daringly inviting the delectable doll who
lives on the floor above down for an evening of temptation. Thus we are treated to a fine parody of clipped and
cryptic British romance as our hero imagines himself
seducing his ravishing neighbour on a piano bench ...
Sexual Perversity in Chicago
Comedy. David Mamet
M2 (20s) F2 (20s)
Various simple settings
The play opens with a dialogue between two men in
which they discuss various sexual adventures and then
proceeds to further scenes in which their attitudes and
those of the women are investigated. The scenes are brief,
the settings very simply staged and may be indicated
largely through effective lighting changes.
Shadows on Oak Island
Play. Garnet Hirst with Deborah L. Preeper
M2 F1
Unit set
A gripping, psychological thriller exploring the themes
of guilt, betrayal and obsession. Haunted by the loss of
their son, an affluent Toronto couple, Rene and Jackson,
retreat to the island to save their crumbling marriage.
Wally, a chatty local and guardian of the island, helps
them adjust to their new home. Rene is desperate to
solve the mystery of the island as Jackson numbs his
grief with alcohol. Rene is convinced the treasure will
reunite them with her son, and Wally agrees to help Rene
in her quest. Oak Island initially welcomes them, then
appears to be conspiring against them. Tensions heighten
as the truth about Matthew’s abduction, the treasure, and
Wally are revealed.
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Shakespeare for My Father
The Sisters Rosensweig
F1
Simple set
M3 F4
A living-room
Biographical monologue. Lynn Redgrave
Comedy. Wendy Wasserstein
The renowned actress’s first foray into playwriting
began as family reminiscences and developed into a
complex, funny and moving portrait of a child’s longing
for the love of the inscrutable, daunting and charismatic
Shakespearean actor that was her father — Michael Redgrave. Scenes from the Bard are woven into the story,
delightfully paralleling critical emotional points in Ms
Redgrave’s young life with memories of her father and
humorous impressions of the famous theatre folk who
orbited round the Redgrave family.
The sisters Rosensweig are three extraordinary Brooklyn-born Jewish women who meet up in Sara’s home
in London to celebrate her fifty-fourth birthday. The
resulting self-exploration is sometimes painful, but the
reunion is made very interesting by the arrival of New
Yorker Merv. Falling in love at fifty-four is not impossible, but who said it was meant to be easy?
The Shape of Things
M1 F1
A living-room
Play. Neil LaBute
M2 F2
Various simple settings
A young student meets an art major and starts a complex
relationship with her. His best friends become engaged
but their relationship crumbles as his appears to blossom.
Neil LaBute explores the lengths that people will go to
for love and art. A sell-out success for the Almeida starring Rachel Weisz, Paul Rudd and Gretchen Moll.
The Show-Off
Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks
Comedy. Richard Alfieri
A formidable woman hires an acerbic dance instructor
to give her lessons in her Florida condo. Antagonism
between this gay man and this widow of a Southern
Baptist minister gives way to profound compatibility as
they swing dance, tango, foxtrot, cha-cha and execute
contemporary dance while sharing secrets, joys and
fears.
Some Girl(s)
Play. Neil LaBute
Comedy. George Kelly
M1 F4
Various hotel rooms
This tremendously human and appealing comedy is a
rare combination of character, humour and human nature.
The struggles of Aubrey Piper to satisfy his enormous
egotism and at the same time preserve his self-respect
in the presence of discouraging obstacles, constitute
one of the most interesting plays of our time. Besides
the character of Aubrey, the play includes a number of
masterly etchings in the characters of the Show-Off’s
family. Contains practically all the elements that make
for success in the theatre.
Your career as a writer is blossoming, your beautiful fiancée is waiting to get married and rush off to Cancun by
your side, so what is your natural reaction? Well, if you’re
a man, it’s probably to get nervous and start calling up old
girlfriends. And so begins a single man’s odyssey through
four hotel rooms as he flies across the United States in
search of the perfect woman (that he’s already broken up
with). This portrait of the artist as a young seducer casts
a truthful, hilarious light on a typical American male as
he wanders through the heart of darkness that is himself.
David Grindley directed a highly successful production
of LaBute’s play at London’s Gielgud Theatre, featuring
Friends star David Schwimmer.
M6 F3
Interior and inserts
Signs of Life
Black comedy-drama. Joan Schenkar
M3 F5 Extras as needed. (Doubling possible)
Unit set
The novelist Henry James rifles the imagination of his
powerful sister Alice who stages public fits, keeps a
private journal and has a female lover who prefers Henry
dead; the drunken impresario P.T. Barnun exhibits his
miraculous “Elephant Woman” Jane Merrit who is too
like Alice James for anyone’s comfort; and the suave and
sinister Dr. Sloper is far too interested in the scientific
possibilities of the bodies of both ladies. At the centre of
the play is a mad tea party at which Dr. Sloper and Henry
James continually toast the health of “the ladies”. This is
one of the most widely produced experimental comedies
of its kind. “An original drama on a provocative theme,
advanced in an elegant and literate voice...What more
can anybody ask from a new play?” New York Post
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“LaBute...an original voice...the best new playwright
to emerge in the past decade...a new genius.” The New
Yorker
Southern Comforts
Comedy. Kathleen Clark
M1 F1
Interior
In a sprawling New Jersey Victorian, a taciturn Yankee
widower and a vivacious grandmother from Tennessee
find what they least expected - a second chance at love.
Their funny, awkward, and enchanting romance is filled
with sweet surprise and unpredictable tribulation.
Southern Comforts is a beautiful exploration of the
intimate workings of all relationships.
“A delightful and sneakily sexy romance.” New York
Times
Full Length Plays by American Playwrights
Special Occasions
Teibele and Her Demon
M1 (late 30s/early 40s) F1 (late 30s/early 40s)
Various simple interior and exterior settings
M6 F1. Composite set
Play. Bernard Slade
When we first meet Amy and Michael Ruskin they are
celebrating their fifteenth wedding anniversary — and
their imminent divorce. The play is structured as a series
of flashbacks. After the opening scene, the play goes back
in time ten years — and as it unfolds we are shown the
various special occasions which make up marriages.
Steel Magnolias
Play. Robert Harling
F6 (19, 25, 40s-60s)
Beauty parlour
Hilarious and touching, this play for six women is set
in a beauty parlour in Louisiana. Through four scenes
spanning three years the staff and customers engage
in small-town gossip but we see a deep strength and
purposefulness emerge when Shelby — a diabetic —
dies following a kidney transplant operation. “... warmhearted and sentimental ...” Guardian
Sundance
Comedy. Meir Z. Ribalow
M5
Simple interior
This takes place in a sort of metaphysical wild west
saloon. The characters include Hickock, Jesse, the Kid
and the inevitable Barkeep. Hickock kills to uphold the
law. Jesse kills for pleasure. The Kid kills to bring down
The Establishment. What if, wonders the Barkeep, they
met up with the Ultimate Killer — who kills for no reason, who kills simply because that’s what he does. Enter
Sundance. He kills for no reason at all. And he proceeds
to kill everyone! “Witty, strong, precise, unusually wellwritten.” Guardian
The Sunshine Boys
Comedy. Neil Simon
Play. Isaac Bashevis Singer and Eve Friedman
A fable set in a Polish-Jewish village where Teibele,
whose husband has deserted her, meets a “demon” who
comes to adore her and tries to marry her.
Temporary Help
Play. David Wiltse
M3 F1
Unit set
A Nebraska farm couple are entwined in a chilling dance
of desire, psychological dominance and interdependence that culminates in killing temporary farm workers
for profit. The wife is struggling to get away from this
murderous relationship. A suspenseful and surprisingly
funny play noir.
13 Rue de l’Amour
Play. Mawby Green and Ed Feilbert.
Based on a play by Georges Feydeau
M3 F3. 2 extras
2 interiors
A philandering French husband, Duchotel, who seeks
strange game on his hunting trips; his virtuous wife Leontine, who suspects that her husband is straying (and if
he is, wishes to do the same); a poetic doctor Moricet, in
love with Leontine; Birabeau the husband of Duchotel’s
paramour, out to trap his wife; a young nephew with a
girl of his own to help his education; toss them together
in 13 Rue de l’Amour where a love-starved German
countess is the concierge; add a police inspector and a
pert French maid and you have all the ingredients for a
typical Feydeau frolic.
This Is How It Goes
Play. Neil LaBute
M2 F1
An ex-vaudeville team, Al Lewis and Willie Clark, in
spite of playing together for forty-three years, have
a natural antipathy to one another. CBS-TV wants to
make a “History of Comedy” series which will of course
include their act. Will has been happily retired, but they
get back together for the series, only for Al to start picking on Willie again.
Belinda and Cody Phipps appear to be a typical American
couple: teenage sweethearts now married with children
and a luxurious home. Typical except that Cody is in
almost every respect an outsider - “rich and black and
different,” in the words of Belinda, who finds herself
attracted to a white former classmate who has recently
returned to town. As the battle for her affections is waged
against a backdrop as seemingly serene as a Norman
Rockwell painting, Belinda and Cody frankly question
the foundation of their initial attraction, opening the door
wide to a swath of bigotry, deception and betrayal.
The Sweepers
LaBute’s play was produced at London’s Donmar Warehouse in 2005, directed by Moises Kaufman.
M1 F4
Composite set
“This is How it Goes certainly gets under the skin.” Kate
Bassett, Independent
M5 (30s, 70s) F2
A flat, an office, an hotel room
Drama. John C. Picardi
Bella, Mary and Dotty have been friends and nextdoor neighbours in Boston’s North End Italian district
since childhood. Husbands and sons are away fighting
and World War II impacts the neighbourhood, exerting unsettling pressure to assimilate and change with
the times on those who cherish traditions, values and
cultural heritage.
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A Thousand Clowns
Comedy. Herb Gardner
M4 F1, 1 boy (12)
2 interiors
A bachelor uncle has been left to rear his precocious
nephew. He finds himself unemployed, with the free
time to saunter through New York and do everything he
has always wanted. This is not the right upbringing for
a boy, however, and so a social service team comes to
investigate him. He has to go back to work or lose his
nephew. But he might marry the girl social worker ...
The only thing we’re certain of is that he will always be
a cheerful non-conformist.
Torch Song Trilogy
The Tunnel of Love
Comedy. Joseph Fields and Peter de Fries, adapted
from the novel by Mr de Fries
M2 F4
Interior
A childless couple decide to adopt a baby, but a loudmouth neighbour upsets the applecart when the adoption investigator comes to call. However, the husband
finds himself in the clutches of the investigator; later
she announces that she is pregnant and will see that the
couple receive the child in due time through the agency.
Shortly after the baby arrives, however, the wife learns
of the matter and starts packing to leave. But there is a
happy ending!
Three plays. Harvey Fierstein
Twelve Angry Men
A smash hit in New York, this Tony Award-winning
trilogy had its British première at the Albery Theatre,
London, in 1985, with Antony Sher portraying the
alternately moving and hilarious life and loves of a drag
queen. The play was revived Off West End in 2012 at
the Menier Chocolate Factory. “[This play] must be
the funniest as well as the most perceptive, exuberant
and painful for years about sexuality, inversion and the
disorders of modern love.” Daily Telegraph
M13
A jury room
Period 1950s
Drama. Reginald Rose
A Touch of Spring
A young delinquent is on trial for the murder of his aggressive father. The judge has directed the jury to find
the boy guilty if there is no reasonable doubt. Eleven of
the jurors declare there is no reasonable doubt, but one of
them, while far from convinced of the boy’s innocence,
feels that some of the evidence against him has been
ambiguous. At the end of a long afternoon he wins all
the others round to his view.
M7 (30s) F2 (young, 30s)
An hotel apartment
Twentieth Century
Sandy is in Rome to make arrangements for the transfer
home of his father’s body, killed in Italy in a car crash. He
meets Alison, who is on a similar mission — her mother
had died in the same accident. It transpires that the
parents’ relationship was more than that of co-tourists,
and circumstances indicate that a parallel situation will
inevitably develop between Sandy and Alison.
M12 F4
Composite set
Comedy. Samuel Taylor
Tribute
Play. Bernard Slade
M3 F4
Interior and stage
Scottie Templeton’s a charming, irresponsible fellow. A
sometime Broadway press agent and former scriptwriter,
he’s everyone’s friend, nobody’s hero and a great womanizer who’s managed to live over fifty years without
taking anything seriously including love, marriage and
fatherhood. Life’s been a continuous gag — but now he’s
fatally ill. And his one concern is to make friends with
his estranged son. “Very funny, and at the same time a
touching work.” WABC-TV.
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Comedy. Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur. Based
on a play by Charles Bruce Milholland. Adapted
by Ken Ludwig
Oscar Jaffe, an egomaniacal, bankrupt Broadway director, boards the Twentieth Century Limited and encounters Lily Garland, the chorus girl he transformed into a
leading lady and who is now a temperamental Hollywood
star. He pulls out all the stops to persuade her to return
to Broadway in his upcoming show.
Two for the Seesaw
Comedy Drama. William Gibson
M1 (34) F1 (29)
Two living-rooms (composite setting)
The play is a dialogue for two lovers — a Nebraska
lawyer on the brink of divorcing his rich wife, and an
ebullient girl from the Bronx with whom he has a temporary, solacing affair. The language is sharp, acid and
modern, the tone funny, accurate and poignant.
Full Length Plays by American Playwrights
Veronica’s Room
What the Night Is For
M2 F2
A bed-sitting room
M1 F1
A hotel room
Thriller. Ira Levin
Susan Kerner and Larry Eastwood are invited to the
Brabissant mansion by the Mackeys who are struck by
Susan’s resemblance to Veronica Brabissant, long-dead
daughter of the family for whom they work. Susan
goes along with the charade to comfort Veronica’s only
living relative. But once dressed in Veronica’s clothes,
Susan finds herself locked in the role — and locked in
Veronica’s room. Or is she Veronica, in 1935, pretending
to be an imaginary Susan?
Wait Until Dark
Play. Frederick Knott
M6 (20s, 30s) F2 (12, 30)
A basement flat
A drug-filled doll has disappeared from a London flat and
three petty crooks try to find it. They plot to compel the
owners to give away its whereabouts. The owner’s wife is
blind; the crooks tell her a frightening story involving her
husband’s supposed infidelity. She, however, becomes
suspicious. In a terrifying climax she makes uses of the
fact that in the dark the blind have an actual advantage
over those who can normally see.
The Waverley Gallery
Comedy. Kenneth Lonergan
M3 F2. Interior
The management wants to replace Gladys Green’s lessthan thriving Greenwich Village art gallery with a coffee
shop. Always irascible but now increasingly erratic,
Gladys is a cause of concern to her family in this wacky
and heartrending portrayal of senility and its effects on
Gladys and the people around her. “Deeply theatrical
and often deeply funny.” New York Times
What If
Comedy. Fred Carmichael
M4 F4. Interior
Rachel Hammond has returned to her New England
home hoping to follow in her mother’s footsteps and
become a mystery writer. The town has a secret: for
years there has been a mysterious flow of charitable
funds to the town council, a contribution never publicly
acknowledged by the council members. Now, evidence
emerges that the source of the funds is connected to a
jewel robbery that Rachel’s mother solved years before.
Rachel plays out several scenarios, imagining different
members of the council embroiled in schemes and plots
in the style of 1930s mysteries.
Play. Michael Weller
Ten years after the end of their affair in New York, two
lovers meet in a hotel room far from their homes. Both
are now married, both have children and both have
been wondering about the road not taken. What begins
as a casual meal and an evening of catching up turns
into a painful, hilarious, passionate and moving voyage
towards a moment that could change both their lives
forever. What the Night Is For premièred in London’s
West End in a production starring Gillian Anderson and
Roger Allam.
When the Reaper Calls
Comedy thriller. Peter Colley
M3 F2
A hunting lodge
Combining lust, infidelity, murder and ghosts, When the
Reaper Calls is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat
or rolling in the aisles. We meet two madcap university
professors on holiday in a wilderness cottage in British
Columbia with their long-suffering wives. Victor and
Harlan have been friends since college and are renowned
for staging elaborate pranks on each other in an ongoing
game of one-upmanship. When one of these pranks goes
horribly wrong, it leads to a terrifying encounter with
the Grim Reaper himself.
The White Whore and the Bit Player
Comedy-tragedy. Tom Eyen
F2
Interior
This takes place in the room of a washed-up image, like
Monroe or Harlow, in a sanatorium. She is two women;
spiritually the nun she imagines herself to be and physically the whore the world saw in her. In the seconds between committing suicide by strangulation on her wall
cross to her actual death her life flashes by. In clear view
of death — and the inevitable struggle, once she knows
she is going to die — her reaction is to live.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Drama. Edward Albee
M2 F2
A living room
George and his wife Martha invite Nick and Honey to
their home on the campus of a small New England college. Throughout the long, liquor-drenched night the
strangers are forcibly initiated into the demoniac misery
of George and Martha’s eternal matrimonial corrida. The
guests slip away, leaving George and Martha, who love
each other but hate themselves, and therefore can only
hurt each other. Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf won a
Tony Award for Best Play in 1963.
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Who’s Under Where?
Marcia Kash and Doug Hughes
M5 F2
A hotel suite
Combine suspicious spouses, stolen underwear and mistaken identities with five million dollars, a scantily-clad
model and a lecherous security guard and you have the
recipe for this giddy farce in the classic tradition.
You Say Tomatoes
Bernard Slade
M2 F2
A cottage, an apartment
This gentle, romantic comedy, from the author of Same
Time, Next Year, moves from a quiet Sussex cottage to
a brash New York apartment as our ageing protagonists
rediscover romance.
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Section Three
Musicals
Musicals
A ... My Name is Alice
Conceived by Joan Micklin Silver
and Julianne Boyd
F5. Bare stage with set pieces
Orchestration: Piano, Reed (Flute, Clarinet, Tenor &
Baritone Saxophones), Percussion.
This slick and lively revue-style entertainment offers
a marvellous kaleidoscope of contemporary (1980s)
women. The twenty numbers dramatize women as
friends, rivals, sisters — even as members of the allwomen’s Detroit Persons basketball team. It won the
Outer Critics’ Circle award for best musical revue during
its long Off-Broadway run.
A ... My Name is Still Alice
Conceived by Joan Micklin Silver
and Julianne Boyd
F5. Bare stage with set pieces
Orchestration: Piano, Bass, Drums.
This critically-acclaimed sequel to A ... My Name is
Alice explores women of the 1990s. “The two dozen or
so writers, composers and lyricists responsible for the
evening’s material forego the meat cleaver for the ostrich
plume and clearly would rather tickle a male chauvinist
pig to death than hack him to pieces.” New York Times
Andy Capp
Music by Alan Price.
Lyrics by Alan Price and Trevor Peacock
M11 F9. Extras may be used
Various simple interior and exterior settings
Orchestration: Piano Conductor, Woodwind 1, Woodwind
2, Trumpet, Trombone, Guitar 1, Drums, Bass,
Synthesizer
First performed at the Royal Exchange Theatre,
Manchester, and subsequently at the Aldwych Theatre,
London, in 1982 with Tom Courtenay, Alan Price and
Val McLane heading the cast. This exuberant musical,
with a delightful score, conjures up the timeless dream
world of work-shy, beer-swilling Andy Capp, known
the world over from Reg Smythe’s cartoon strip in the
Daily Mirror.
Anne of Green Gables
From the novel by L.M. Montgomery. Adapted
by Donald Harron. Lyrics by Donald Harron and
Norman Campbell. Music by Norman Campbell
M12 F17
Various sets. Period 1903
Orchestration: 1st Violins, Violins 2 and 3, Cello, Double
Bass, Flute, Oboe, 2 Clarinets, Bassoon, 2 Horns, 2
Trumpets, Trombone, Drums, Harp
Ageing Matthew Cuthbert suffers a heart attack during
harvest, 1903, and his grim-visaged sister determines
to adopt an orphanage boy to help with the farm work
at Green Gables. By mistake, a girl arrives. Her vivid
imagination and entertaining flow of chatter endear her
to Matthew, but sister Marilla is set on packing her back
as soon as possible. For once, Matthew wins, and this
enchanting musical tells how young Anne Shirley finally
overcomes the hostilities of her companions at the local
school, and wins the hearts of the gossiping inhabitants
of a close-knit Canadian community — even Marilla’s.
Laughter comes far too often for the sentiment to cloy.
The Arcadians
Book by Mark Ambient, A. M. Thompson and
Robert Courtneidge. Lyrics by Arthur Wimpens.
Music by Lionel Monckton and Howard Talbot
M7 F11
Various sets. Period Edwardian
Orchestration: 1st and 2nd Violins, Viola, Cello, Double
Bass, Flute, Oboe, 1st and 2nd Clarinets, Bassoon, 2
Horns, 2 Trumpets, Trombone, Drums
Who could tell, in the first decade of the twentieth
century, what strange adventures might befall those
who ventured to travel by the new-fangled aeroplane?
A forced landing, perhaps, in some long-forgotten land
where time has stood mercifully still. James Smith, of
the well-known London catering concern, drops in on
Arcadia, where no-one tells lies, or grows older, where
money is unheard of and unemployment a permanent
attraction. Far from impressed by what Smith tells
them of the joys of life in London his hosts despatch
him with two agelessly beautiful Arcadian nymphs to
convert the wretched metropolis. Things do not always
go as planned.
Around the World in Eighty Days
Book, lyrics and music by Phil Willmott.
Score by Annemarie Lewis Thomas
Freely adapted from the novel by Jules Verne.
Over 47 named parts
(doubling possible - original cast of 25)
Various simple settings
Orchestration: violin, reed (flute/piccolo/Bb clarinet/
alto and tenor sax), bass guitar
Phil Willmott’s musical, set in 1833, delightfully tells the
story of Phileas Fogg’s and his servant, Passepartout’s,
whistle-stop journey, as they try to satisfy a wager that
they can circumnavigate the world in eighty days. With
bandits, nasty villains around the corner and transport
problems that force them to continue via hot air balloon
then by a performing elephant, will they make the
deadline?
This exciting and charming musical enjoyed a successful
run at the Battersea Arts Centre in November 2001.
“A pocket-sized musical that is loads of fun...full of
spectacle...and has loads of tunes to make you tap your
toes. A complete delight.” Guardian
The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Book by Larry King and Peter Masterson.
Music and Lyrics by Carol Hall
M13 F14. Extras
Various settings
Orchestration: Piano/Conductor, Reed,* Trumpet,*
Violin (doubles Viola), Guitar 1, Guitar II, Bass, Drums.
* = optional
This happy-go-lucky view of small-town vice and
statewide political sidestepping recounts the good times
and the demise of the Chicken Ranch, known since the
1850s as one of the better pleasure palaces in all of
Texas. The rural community of Gilbert has long tolerated,
secretly relished, and certainly patronized Miss Mona’s
cosy homelike bordello. Governors, senators, mayors,
and even victorious college football teams — sponsored
by an alumnus — frequented the Chicken Ranch until
that puritan nemesis Watchdog focused his television
cameras and righteous indignation on the institution.
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The Big Bang
Brenda Bly: Teen Detective
M2. Simple setting
Orchestration: 3 Keyboard/Vocal Scores
M3-9 F9-13
Various simple settings
Orchestration: Keyboard II, Drums, Bass
Book and lyrics by Boyd Graham.
Music by Jed Feuer
Two actors perform a backers’ audition for a new
$83.5 million stage show depicting the entire history of
civilization. This musical was produced at the Douglas
Fairbanks Theater, New York and was an Off-Broadway
hit. Described by the New York Daily News as “inspired
nonsense” it combines clever lyrics with amusing
pastiche show tunes.
The Biograph Girl
Book by Warner Brown. Lyrics by Warner Brown
and David Heneker. Music by David Heneker
M4 F5, with doubling and trebling
Various sets
Orchestration: 2 pianos, bass, drums
A new British musical saluting Hollywood’s glorious era
of silent pictures. Parading the movies’ earliest heroes,
heroines and clowns, it takes a refreshing look at the birth
of the “flickers” and that memorable age of stardust and
stars, of tinsel glamour and scandals, of sky-rocketing
salaries and tremendous vitality.
The Boy Friend
Book, lyrics and music by Sandy Wilson
M7 F8
Various sets
Orchestration: 1st and 2nd Violins, Cello, Double Bass,
1st and 2nd Clarinets doubling Alto Sax, 3rd and 4th
Clarinets doubling Tenor Sax, 2 Trumpets, 1st and 2nd
Trombones, Percussion, Guitar doubling Banjo
The days of finishing schools and bloomers may have
gone, but the love of fun and wit that is The Boy Friend
still remains. The wealthy Polly Brown is downhearted
because she, unlike her girl friends, does not have a boy
friend to go to the ball with. When a delivery boy, Tony,
arrives with her costume, however, she immediately
falls for him, despite his low social standing. Equally
infatuated, Tony agrees to accompany Polly to the ball.
Just before he gets there though, he is spotted by an
elderly couple that he really cannot afford to be seen by
and so he dashes off, only to be mistaken for a thief. A
disappointed and humiliated Polly is eventually consoled
by the revelation that Tony is, in fact, not a thief at all,
but the son of the wealthy Lord and Lady Brockhurst
whom he has seen. He has run away from home in order
to make his own way in the world. With a collection of
colourful characters and catchy songs, The Boy Friend
offers much merriment, witty lyrics, and scope for stylish
1920s choreography.
A flamboyant production of Sandy Wilson’s 1953
musical enjoyed a season at the Open Air Theatre,
Regent’s Park in 2006.
“The Boy Friend is unremittingly camp, as well as
contrived, but it has a uniquely endearing charm that
even the most brittle of hardhearted theatre-goers will
find difficult to resist.” Peter Brown, London Theatre
Guide
74
Book and lyrics by Kevin Hammonds
Music by Charles Miller
It’s 1958 — a time of rock ‘n’ roll, space discovery, and
great hope for a bright future.
But trouble is brewing at the Whitney Ellis Private
School for Girls. Only days away from the opening night
of the end of term musical, “Rocket Girl”, the leading
lady is knocked unconscious with a sandbag. Once again
it is up to our favourite teenage sleuth, Brenda Bly, to
solve the crime, catch the crook and save the day.
Packed with show-stopping songs and hilarious fastpaced dialogue Brenda Bly: Teen Detective is guaranteed
to chase away the blues.
The Buccaneer
By Sandy Wilson
M5 F6. Various sets
Orchestration: piano, double bass, drums
American horror comics have become the rage, so The
Buccaneer, with its promise of “good clean fun”, is
almost bankrupt. Mrs Winterton, a wealthy socialite,
mounts a rescue operation, but the price is high — the
over-keen interest of her precocious son Montgomery
into the way the paper is run and a distinct warming
of Mrs Winterton’s relationship with Peter Curtis, the
teacher boyfriend of The Buccaneer’s Mabel Grey.
This is a highly entertaining romp with a delightful,
uncomplicated score.
La Cage aux Folles
Book by Harvey Fierstein. Music and lyrics by Jerry
Herman. Based on the play by Jean Poiret
M10, F3, chorus of 10M, 2F extras
Various interior and exterior settings
Orchestration: Reeds 1-5, Trumpets 1+2, Horns 1+2,
Trombone 1+2, Drums, Percussion 1+2, Violins A+B,
Cello, Bass, Guitar/Banjo, Harp, Accordion/Electric
Keyboard.
A musical dealing primarily with a gay relationship
between two middle-aged men was considered radical
when it was first produced in the 1980s. Even today,
La Cage aux Folles continues to stand amongst only
a handful of musicals dealing with a predominantly
homosexual milieu. Georges is the manager of a SaintTropez nightclub and the long-term partner of Albin,
his star attraction. Georges has a son, however — the
product of a confused one-night stand with a woman.
Issues of homophobia surface when the son brings home
his fiancée’s ultra-conservative parents to meet Georges
and Albin. La Cage has enjoyed recent success, opening
at the Menier Chocolate Factory in 2008 and transferring
to London’s Playhouse, starring Douglas Hodge as Albin
and Denis Lawson as George, winning an Olivier Award
for best musical revival. It was subsequently seen on
Broadway with Kelsey Grammer as Georges, and won
a Tony Award in 2010 for Best Revival of a Musical.
“A showbiz landmark in its genial endorsement of gay
marriage.” Michael Billington, Guardian
Musicals
Careless Rapture
Ivor Novello. Lyrics by Christopher Hassall
M14 F9. Chorus
Various settings
Michael, by the terms of his father’s will, risks losing his
fortune if he spends more than one month every year in
England, so when he falls in love with actress Penelope
Lee, affianced to Rodney, his half-brother, life becomes
very complicated for all involved. Michael follows Penny
and Rodney to China, rescues Penny from an earthquake
and tries to trap Rodney with a mock bandit kidnap —
only to meet an authentic band of pirates. Penny declares
her love for Michael and all ends happily.
Chess
Music by Benny Anderson and Björn Ulvaeus.
Lyrics by Tim Rice.
Based on an idea by Tim Rice
M5 F2, with chorus playing multiple roles
Various interior and exterior settings
Orchestration: Violins A and B, Cello A and B, Bass,
Woodwind 1 (Flute/Piccolo), Woodwind 2 (Oboe/
Cor Anglais), Woodwind 3 (Clarinet 1), Woodwind 4
(Clarinet 2/Bass Clarinet), Woodwind 5 (Flute 2/Clarinet
3/Baritone Sax), Woodwind 6 (Bassoon), Horn, Trumpets
1,2 and 3, Trombones 1 and 2, Drums, Percussion,
Guitar, Keyboards 1,2 and 3
This highly acclaimed musical develops the ancient and
distinguished game of chess into a metaphor for romantic
rivalries and East-West political intrigue. The principal
pawns form a love triangle: the loutish American
Grandmaster, the earnest Russian champion, and the
Hungarian-American female chess second, who arrives
at the international championships with the American but
falls for the Russian. From Tyrol to Thailand the players,
lovers, politicians, CIA and KGB make their moves to
the pulse of this monumental rock score.
Chicago
Book by Fred Ebb and Bob Fosse. Music by John
Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb. Based on the play
Chicago by Maurine Dallas Watkins
M9 F10
One basic set to suggest various venues. Period 1920s
Orchestration: Piano, Reed I, Reed II, Trumpets I &
II, Trombone I, Trombone II, Tuba/Bass, Percussion
(Glock, Gong, Drums), Violin, Banjo, Keyboard I (Piano,
Harmonium), Keyboard II (Piano, Accordion)
In this century, when anyone can become a celebrity for
any reason, Chicago’s obsession with celebrity criminals
is very apt. The musical is set in America’s prohibition
era and the world of showbiz. Roxie Hart and Velma
Kelly, both actresses accused of murders, revel in the
pre-trial publicity their crimes bring them. Sultry and
seductive, Chicago takes a satirical look at the public’s
and the jury’s gullibility, and the law-dodging from
Roxie and Velma, not to mention famous lawyer Billy
Flynn. The story is told through a series of vaudeville
acts, each a spoof of a performance style or celebrity
figure. In addition to an ongoing West End run, a 2002
Academy-Award winning film version starred Catherine
Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger and Richard Gere.
A Christmas Carol
Book by Christopher Bedloe. Adaptation and lyrics
by James Wood. Music by Malcolm Shapcott. From
the novel by Charles Dickens
39 characters plus extras, doubling possible
Simple settings
Period 19th century
Orchestration: Flute, Clarinet, Trumpet, Trombone,
Drums, Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Bass.
Delightful music, witty lyrics, plenty of dancing and
colourful staging make this musical adaptation of the
well-loved story a genuine piece of Christmas cheer.
Chu Chin Chow
Book by Oscar Asche
Music by Frederick Norton
M 10 F4. Chorus
Various settings
All the barbaric splendours of the Arabian Nights are here
in this musical re-telling of the story of Ali Baba and the
Forty Thieves. The opulent Eastern masks sometimes
slip to reveal cruel and avaricious faces beneath, but the
show is not too serious — the slave-girl chained in the
cave escapes, for example, and Kasim Baba, sliced into
four, is sewn together again by the Cobbler.
Clue The Musical
Book by Peter DePietro
Music by Galen Blum, Wayne Barker and
Vinnie Martucci. Lyrics by Tom Chiodo
Based on the Parker Brothers’ Board Game
Orchestration: Cello and percussion
Cluedo, the internationally popular board game, is now
a rousing, fun-filled musical comedy that brings the
world’s best-known murder suspects to life and invites
the audience to play along to solve the mystery of who
killed the host, Mr. Boddy, in what room and with what
weapon. There are 216 possible crime solutions. Only
one person is qualified to unravel the mayhem: a hardnosed female detective. A stirringly funny book, witty
lyrics and a beguiling score that includes pop-rock, Latin
and toe-tapping tunes carry the investigation from room
to room. This colourful audience-pleaser was devised by
the authors of Murder at Rutherford House, the renowed
interactive off-Broadway thriller.
“Clue has guts ... along with its intrigue, colourful
suspects and deadly weapons.” Chicago Sun Times
“Chicago is about the joy of seducing an audience
that goes to the theatre, above all, to be seduced.” Ben
Brantley, New York Times
75
The Professional Catalogue
Cole
An entertainment based on the words
and music of Cole Porter.
Devised by Benny Green and Alan Strachan
M5 F5
Simple interior or bare stage
Orchestration: 2 Piano, Reed I (Flute, Clarinet, Tenor
Saxophone)*, Reed II (Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone),
Trumpet/Flugelhorn*, Bass, Drums.
* = optional
Biography and song are skilfully interwoven in this
hit from the London stage. “Another Op’nin’ Another
Show”, “I Love Paris”, “Night and Day” and “I Get a
Kick Out of You” are among the classics included. “It
has all the style, the panache, the grace, the verve, and
the power of (Cole’s) ... world of achingly light music;
a brittle, brilliant, witty universe.” The Times
Cowardy Custard
Devised By Gerald Frow, Alan Strachan
and Wendy Toye
Featuring the words and music of Noël Coward
M6 F6. Extras
Orchestration: Piano/Conductor, Piano II, Bass Guitar
and Drums.
Sketches featured include: Scenes from Shadow Play,
Present Laughter, Design for Living, as well as personal
reminiscences taken from the Master’s books. “ ...
densely packed with entertainment .” Daily Mail
The Curse of the Werewolf
Dazzle
Book and Lyrics by John Gardner
Music by Andrew Parr
M5 F4. Chorus: 12 named parts plus extras and chorus
piano score
Dazzle, a brilliantly funny parody of Star Trek, charts
the voyage of the starship Sunburster One on its highly
important first mission under the control of dashingly
handsome (and doesn’t he know it!) Captain Sam
Galactic.
James Joyce’s The Dead
Book by Richard Nelson. Music by Shaun Davey.
Lyrics conceived and adapted by
Richard Nelson and Shaun Davey
M5 F8, plus a cellist and a violinist. Period 1904
Orchestration: Piano, Percussion, Flute/Alto Saxophone,
Oboe/English Horn/Violin/Cello/Keyboard (Synthesizer
and Harmonium).
Adapted from Joyce’s literary masterpiece set in 1904,
this intimate musical portrays a homespun Yuletide party
with music, dancing, food, drink and good fellowship.
Sparkling songs, many of them traditional-sounding
Irish melodies that are performed as entertainment by
the partygoers, are all original. “A theatrical treat that
enchants, surprises and finally thrills with unexpected
depth ... ” New York Post
Divorce Me, Darling!
Book, music and lyrics by Sandy Wilson
Ken Hill. Songs by Ian Armit and Ken Hill
20+ characters
Various settings. Period 1930s
Orchestration: Flute, Clarinet/Sax, Trumpet, Bass,
Piano, Percussion
Dr Bancroft has brought his wife, daughter Kitty and
butler d’Arcy to visit a medical school chum, Steiner,
at Walpurgisdorf Castle. Strange things happen when
the moon is full — men change into werewolves. Then
it transpires that Steiner is carrying out experiments
on the various inmates of the castle turning them into
werewolves. His plan to mate Kitty and Martin to
produce a natural werewolf is foiled by the return from
the forest of the other male members of the party.
Divorce Me, Darling! is a nostalgic and amusing takeoff of the musical comedies of the 1930s and a sequel
to the technique used in The Boy Friend for the 1920s.
The charming young pupils of Mme Dubonnet’s finishing
school who married their respective “boy friends” now
come together again after ten years of marriage at the
Hotel du Paradis in Nice. But the initial euphoria of
married life has worn off and as they sing and dance
their way through some catchy numbers events are
misconstrued and partners change until everyone wants
a divorce.
M9 F3, 1 child, with doubling
Composite setting
piano score
Dames at Sea
Book and lyrics by George Haimsohn
and Robin Miller. Music by Jim Wise
M4 F3. Extras. Optional chorus
Orchestration: (rehearsal package) Piano/Conductor
Score, Piano II, Percussion and 10 Chorus Books.
(Larger orchestration) Reed I, Reed II, Trumpet, Violins
A & B, Violin C, Bass.
Dames at Sea bursts with the nostalgia of the Busby
Berkley musicals as a songwriting sailor saves the show
and the hometown girl finds both stardom and love.
Voted Best Musical by Time, Look, Newsweek and the
New York Post, this favourite camp musical has enjoyed
two successful Broadway runs. “Dames at Sea manages
to have it every which way — as pastiche, parody and
romantic musical comedy.” New York Times
76
The Dracula Spectacula
A spooky musical. Book and lyrics by John
Gardiner. Music by Andrew Parr
24 characters. Large supporting cast
Various interior and exterior settings
Orchestration: Keyboard.
In this bubbling modern extravaganza for the young
the immaculate Miss Nadia and her three pupils are
swung into riotous Transylvanian happenings with the
irrepressible Count and his gruesome acolytes. Plenty
of good parts, a sizzling score and a fresh hilarious
script make this an attractive enterprise for a young
company.
Musicals
Eating Raoul
Book by Paul Bartel, adapted from his screenplay.
Lyrics by Boyd Graham.
Music by Jed Feuer
M5 F4
Simple settings
Orchestration: Keyboard 2, Guitar, Bass and Drums
In this adaptation of the cult film, Paul and Mary Bland
dream of opening their own restaurant and need $20,000
to do so. Their solution is to lure weirdos into their home,
rob and kill them — but what to do with the bodies? Enter
Raoul, who proposes a partnership, and things go better
until Paul discovers Raoul is having an affair with Mary.
The Blands eventually get their money — guess who’s
on the menu for their celebratory meal?
Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging
Queens
Bill Russell. Music by Janet Hood
M20-25 F11-16 (doubling and expanding possible)
Orchestration: Piano, Cello and Harp only
A celebration of lives lost to AIDS told in free-verse
monologues with a blues, jazz and rock score, this piece
is designed to include the community in a theatrical
response to the AIDS crisis. It is often performed as a
benefit for fund- and consciousness-raising.
The Fantastic Fairground
Bernard Goss. Music by Chris Hamel-Cook
M6 F2
Open stage, representing a fairground
piano score
Tall Tom, a brave highway-man, was many years ago
accused of stealing Lady Melanie’s pearls during an
ancient Hundred Years Fair, and was hanged. But the
pearls were never found. Years later, when the Fair is
magically revived, young Terry and Jack determine to
vindicate Tom, find the culprit, and restore the pearls to
Lady Melanie. Their quest leads them into strange and
exciting adventures but at last, after some hair-raising
escapes, they are successful.
Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be
Book by Frank Norman
Music and lyrics by Lionel Bart
M13 F4. Chorus
One setting
score available
Fred Cochran is a down-at-heel gangster trying to make a
comeback. His shpieler (gambling den) provides a refuge
for the failures of the underworld, who look to Fred for
a living. When he wins on the horses it seems the gang
may be back in business! The play ends with a wedding
— Lil and Fred are giving up crime to go straight.
“Not quite a play, not really a musical, Elegies for
Angels, Punks and Raging Queens is more of a theatrical
celebration of life, pieced together like a collage of
poetry, free verse, monologues, song and choreography.”
British Theatre Guide
Flora the Red Menace
The End of the Pier Show
M5 F4
Simple settings
Period 1930s
Book, music and lyrics by Roger Parsley
M4 F4
A stage. Period late 1930s
Orchestration: piano score
In the last week before World War II, a small concert
party, working the end of a pier show somewhere in
England, is rehearsing for the final week of the season.
There is talk of impending war, while visible proof that
war is expected, sandbags, gun installations, etc. is all
around. The uncertainties of the period are mirrored in
the uncertainties of the company’s future.
Falsettos
Book by William Finn and James Lapine
Music and lyrics by William Finn
March of the Falsettos M3 F1. Falsettoland M4 F3.
Composite set
Period 1970s-80s
Orchestration: Piano, Synthesizer, Reeds (Flute, Oboe,
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet), Percussion.
These two musicals, written a decade apart, were paired
seamlessly for a Tony Award-winning production in
1992. Falsettos tells the jaunty and engaging tale of
Marvin, who leaves his life and young son to live with
his male lover. His ex-wife marries his psychiatrist and
Marvin ends up alone. Two years later, Marvin is reunited
with his lover on the eve of his son’s bar mitzvah, just
as AIDS is beginning its insidious spread.
Book by David Thompson. Based on the novel
Love is Just Around the Corner by Lester Atwell,
originally adapted by George Abbot.
Music by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb
The first Broadway collaboration of Kander and Ebb
who went on to write such hits as Chicago, Cabaret,
Woman of the Year and Zorba, this was the vehicle that
made Liza Minnelli a star. It presents a 1930s romance
of charming simplicity.
Glamorous Night
Ivor Novello. Lyrics by Christopher Hassall
M9 (non-singing) 1(singing) F2 (non-singing) 5
(singing). Chorus
A palace, an opera house, an ocean liner
Orchestration: 1st and 2nd violins, viola, cello, double
bass, flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, bassoon, alto sax, tenor sax,
2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, drums, harp
Glamorous Night is the title of an opera to be performed
at the State Opera House of Krasnia. Revolutionaries
threaten to overthrow the King and expel opera star
Militza from the country. Militza meets English tourist
Anthony Allen and they fall in love and escape together.
Returning to Krasnia, they have to renounce their love
and the curtain falls on the Englishman, alone and
unhappy. A lush romance on an epic, spectacular scale.
77
The Professional Catalogue
Godspell
Conceived and originally directed
by John-Michael Tebelak
Music and new lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
M5 F5
An empty stage
Orchestration: Bass, Guitar and Drums
This immensely successful rock opera needs little
introduction, but when it was first produced on Broadway
in 1971 it broke new ground in its stage treatment of the
historical Jesus Christ. Based on the Gospel according
to St Matthew it deals with the last days of Jesus, and
includes dramatized versions of several well-known
parables. And yet it is something more — a religious
experience, a demonstration of joy, and a celebration of
the family of man.
Gunmetal Blues
Book by Scott Wentworth. Music and lyrics by
Craig Bohmler and Marion Adler
M2 F1
Simple set
Orchestration: Piano, Reed (Clarinet, Flute, Soprano
and Tenor Saxohone), Bass, Percussion (Drums, Bell
Tree, Glockenspiel, Orchestra Bells, Triangle, Wind
Chimes).
I’m Getting My Act Together and
Taking It On the Road
Book and lyrics by Gretchen Cryer
Music by Nancy Ford
M6 F4
Bare stage
This intimate musical about a thirty-nine year-old singer
and song writer rehearsing her new act touches the central
issues of the feminist movement in America. “Very
agreeable in its brash and funny way, and moreover, it
touches a special emotional chord for our times.” New
York Post “A pungent little feminist cabaret musical with
a nice drive and simplicity”. New York Daily News
Is There Life After High School?
Book by Jeffrey Kindley
Music and lyrics by Craig Carnelia
Suggested by the book by Ralph Keyes
M5 F4
Simple settings
Orchestration: Piano, Piano II, Guitars I and II, Cello I
and II, Bass (Fender and acoustic), Drums, Percussion
(Timpani, Glockenspiel, Vibraphone, Temple, Blocks,
Ratchet, Tambourine, Claves, Cabasa, Triangle)
A private eye is searching for a missing blonde in a
double-dealing world of smoky bars, rain-slicked streets
and more blondes. The wonderful deadpan quest lures
the audience to a layover in an unnamed city of mystery,
music and demolished dreams. “So intelligent and so
uplifting ... The best small-scale musical we’ve seen in
a long time.” New Yorker
Remember when half a can of beer made you drunk?
When eternal love could be born during sixth-period
maths? When being popular was a matter of life of
death? This evocative musical explores the love-hate
relationship that lingers through our memories of high
school. “A fresh, joyful, brightly-fused musical with
moving, beautifully structured songs ... and a wise,
literate book.” New York Daily News
Happy Days, A New Musical
It’s a Wonderful Life
Book by Garry Marshall
Music and Lyrics by Paul Williams
Based on the Paramount Pictures TV series Happy
Days created by Garry Marshall
M10 F7, cast can be expanded
1959 Milwaukee
Orchestration: Keyboard 1/Conductor Score, Bass,
Drums, Guitar, Keyboard 2, Reed, Trombone, Trumpet
Goodbye grey skies, hello blue! Happy days are here again
with Richie, Potsie, Ralph Malph and the unforgettable
“king of cool” Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli. Based on
the hit Paramount Pictures television series, Happy Days,
A New Musical reintroduces one of America’s best loved
families, the Cunninghams — yes, Howard, Marion and
Joanie are here too — to a whole new generation of kids
and parents. The famed drive-in malt shop and number
one hangout, Arnold’s, is in danger of demolition. So
the gang teams up to save it with a dance contest and
a TV-worthy wrestling match. Even Pinky Tuscadero,
Fonzie’s childhood sweetheart, returns to help and — lo
and behold! — they rekindle their old flame.
“If you like Grease you’ll love Happy Days. A power
house, rock and roll trip down memory lane, HAPPY
DAYS IS NOT TO BE MISSED!” — NY Daily News
78
Book music and lyrics by Thomas M Sharkey
Based on the Frank Capra film and the original story
by Philip Van Doren Stern
M9 F4
1 set
Orchestration: Piano, Trumpets, Reeds, Percussion
About to kill himself on Christmas Eve, George Bailey
discovers – with the help of a guardian angel named
Clarence – what the world would be like if he had never
been born.
“Funny, moving and memorable! Frank Capra would be
proud!” — Woodstock Herald
Jack the Ripper
Book and Lyrics by Ron Pember and
Denis de Marne. Music by Ron Pember
M8 F5
Music hall setting. Period 1888
Orchestration: Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums
The play is a musical reconstruction of incidents relating
to the East End murders which took place between Friday,
August 31st and Friday, November 9th, 1888. A solution
of Jack the Ripper’s identity is hinted at, but the play is
an atmospheric commentary rather than an historical reenactment, shifting between reality and artificiality, with
characters representing “real” people as well as members
of the music hall audience and players.
Musicals
Kennedy
Allan Jay Friedman and Leslie Bricusse
M8 F2, plus minor roles played by a small group of actors
playing several roles apiece
Open set which can be transformed into settings like the
beach, Family Room, Oval Office, Conference Room,
suggestions of Camelot, etc. Period 1950s and 1960s
Originally performed under the title One Shining
Moment, this is the story of John F. Kennedy, starting in
1959 with his bid for the US presidency and following
events through to his assassination in November 1963.
The casting is very flexible – the original production
was performed entirely by young people – and large
TV screens are used around the stage to display and rear
project photos, film of the Kennedys, America and the
world. 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of
President Kennedy.
“If I told you what I really know about the assassination,
it would be very dangerous to this country.” J. Edgar
Hoover, F.B.I.
King’s Rhapsody
Devised, written and composed by Ivor Novello.
Lyrics by Christopher Hassall
M7 F7
Various settings. Period 1880-1890
Orchestration: 1st violins A, B & C, 2nd violins, viola,
cello, double bass, flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, 2 trumpets,
2 trombones, drums, harp
The King of Murania is dead! But the heir is Nikki, 20
years in exile, and living with actress Marta Karillos,
disliked and distrusted by the people. To ensure a suitable
succession, Elena, the Queen Mother, persuades Nikki to
accept the crown, marry Cristiane the snow princess from
Norseland — and beget an heir as soon as is decently
possible. Nikki agrees, provided his beloved Marta can
be installed, in considerable grandeur, not too far from
the royal abode. The emotional tangle begins.
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Book by Terrence McNally. Music by John Kander.
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Based on the novel by Manuel Puig
M15 F3.
A prison
Orchestration: Trumpet I, Trumpet II, Trombone, Horn
I, Horn II, Reed I (Piccolo/Flute/Clarinet/Alto Sax),
Reed II (Flute/Clarinet/Alto Sax), Reed III (Oboe/
English Horn/Clarinet/Tenor Sax), Reed IV (Clarinet/
Bass Clarinet/Baritone Sax), Bass, Drums, Percussion
(2 books), Keyboard I and II, Viola I, Viola II, Cello
Winner of the 1993 Tony Award for Best Musical, Kiss of
the Spider Woman revamps a harrowing tale of political
persecution, degradation and torture into a dazzling
musical spectacle that juxtaposes gritty realities with
elaborate, liberating fantasies. A bold, original musical
with numerous spectacular show-stoppers as well as
intimate numbers that underscore its moving story of
human dignity and survival.
Leader of the Pack
The Ellie Greenwich Musical
Music and lyrics by Ellie Greenwich and friends.
Book by Anne Beatts
Additional material by Jack Heifner
Based on an original play by Melanie Mintz
Orchestration: Keyboard I, Reed I, Reed II, Reed III,
Trumpet I (doubles Flugelhorn), Trumpet II (doubles
Flugelhorn), Trombone, Guitar, Electric Bass, Drums,
Percussion, Keyboard II (synthesizer)
This musical retrospective celebrates the life and time
of Ellie Greenwich, whose doo-wop sounds skyrocketed
to the top of the Sixties’ charts. Among the vintage hits
included are “Chapel of Love”, “Be My Baby”, “Da Doo
Ron Ron”, “And Then He Kissed Me”, “River Deep
Mountain High” and, of course, the title song. “A happy,
high-spirited, foot-stomping romp.” WNBC Radio
Little Mary Sunshine
Book, music and lyrics by Rick Besoyan
M6 F3. Extras. Simple settings
Orchestration: 1st and 2nd Violins, Viola, Cello, Double
Bass, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, 2 Horns, 2
Trumpets, Trombone, Drums.
By collecting every known cliché from musicals of the
Rose-Marie-Desert Song era and lumping them joyously
into one delightfully far-fetched story, Rick Besoyan has
created an entertainment which is hilarious to rehearse
and adored by audiences. “The burlesque is delightful,
lively and humorous. Mr Besoyan’s musical parody is
tuneful, genteel and amiable ... He also has a way with
lyrics.” New York Times
Love from Judy
Music by Hugh Martin
Book by Eric Maschwitz and Jean Webster
Lyrics by Hugh Martin and Jack Gray
M7 F10 extras
Orchestration: Lead Violin, 2nd Violin, 3rd Violin,
Viola, Cello, Bass, Flute, 1st Clarinet, 2nd Clarinet, 1st
Trumpet, 2nd Trumpet, 3rd Trumpet, 1st Trombone, 2nd
Trombone, Percussion, Harp, Piano
Based on Jean Webster’s famous play Daddy LongLegs this delightful Emile Littler’s musical contains
such numbers as Mardi Gras, It’s Better Rich, Daddy
Long-Legs, A Touch of Voodoo, Kind to Animals, Ain’t
Goin’ to Marry and Love from Judy. It was first produced
in Coventry in 1951 and later at the Saville Theatre,
London, in 1952.
The story of Judy, a pretty little drudge in a New England
orphanage. One day, a visiting trustee becomes interested
in Judy and decides to give her a chance. She does not
know the name of her benefactor, but simply calls him
Daddy Long-Legs, and writes him letters brimming over
with fun and affection. From the Home she goes to a
fashionable college and there develops the romance that
constitutes much of the play’s charm.
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The Professional Catalogue
Lust
The Heather Brothers
M6 F4
Simple settings. Period 1661
Orchestration: Violin 1, Violin 2, Cello, Bass, Guitar,
Oboe, Percussion, Harp.
Based upon Wycherley’s The Country Wife, this
rollicking Restoration revel throws off the shackles
of Puritan austerity in a high-spirited celebration of
“the noblest urge bestowed on us”. Ribaldry, romance
and drama abound in the hilarious tale of Horner, a
notorious London libertine. He charms and seduces his
way into the hearts and boudoirs of society ladies, while
practising elaborate deceptions so as to be trusted by the
foolish husbands as a eunuch and chaperon to ladies of
quality. Denis Lawson starred in the successful West
End production.
Lust ’n’ Rust
The Trailer Park Musical. Frank Haney,
Carol Kimball and Dave Stratton
Me and My Girl
Book and lyrics by L. Arthur Rose
and Douglas Furber. Music by Noel Gay.
Book revised by Stephen Fry.
Contributions to revisions by Mike Ockrent
M15 F6. Various settings
Orchestration: 17 parts or 11 parts
An aristocratic family, the Harefords, are trying to track
down the legitimate heir to the title of Earl of Hareford.
When they eventually find the correct person, it is only
to discover that he is Cockney, from Lambeth, and
called Bill Snibson. Nevertheless, his lack of etiquette
and social stature does not prevent the Harefords
from granting Bill the title since it emerges that the
thirteenth Earl had relations with a girl from a less than
reputable background. Instead, they insist that Bill has
some aristocratic grooming, which they are more than
happy to provide. They are less interested in grooming
his girlfriend, Sally Smith, however, whose loyalty to
her Cockney roots means that a chasm grows between
herself and Bill ...
M6 F4, or M5 F4 with doubling
A trailer, an office, Smitty’s diner, the Agribig factory
Orchestration: Piano/Conductor, Guitar, Bass, Drums
Stephen Fry’s sparkling, revised version of the musical
enjoyed a UK tour in 2006-7, directed and choreographed
by Warren Carlyle.
Can the new manager of the Agribig find love with the
soon-to-be-divorced waitress at Smitty’s Diner? The
intriguing loves and heartaches of residents at the Redbud
Mobile Estates Trailer Park in Twister Plaines, Illinois
are revealed in an appealing story with quirky characters
and fourteen original alternative country songs. “Feisty
and stirring country music.” Chicago Tribune
“Me and My Girl ... has uncorked the innocence of the
old-fashioned musical comedy so ingenuously that for
once a theatre-goer is actually sucked directly into that
sunny past than merely suckered into nostalgia for it ...
[It is] sheer happiness ... Me and My Girl enchants.”
New York Times
Mack and Mabel
Book by Michael Stewart
Music and lyrics by Jerry Herman
Revised by Francine Pascal
M9 F3. Extras
Various settings
Orchestration: Reed I (piccolo, flute, alto sax, clarinet),
Reed II (flute, alto sax, clarinet),
Reed III (tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet, flute), Reed IV
(baritone sax, bass clarinet, clarinet, flute), Trombone I,
Trombone 2, Bass (tuba optional),
Horn, Violins (A,B,C), Trumpets I and II,
Trumpets III, Drums/Percussion 1,2,3, Cello,
Viola, Guitar (electric and banjo)
Based on real-life characters, Mack and Mabel sheds
light on the relationship between Mack Sennett, the
legendary film director and studio boss of the early
twentieth century, and Mabel Normand, the star that he
brought to the public’s attention and fell in love with.
Related in flashback, this musical is told from Mack’s
point of view, as narrator and protagonist, and we see the
ups and downs of his love affair with Mabel.
A production under the direction of John Doyle recently
appeared at the Watermill Theatre, Newbury, and
transferred to the Criterion in the West End. It starred
Janie Dee and David Soul, and uniquely featured eleven
multi-skilled actor-musicians.
“Mr Herman has the common touch, a gift for melodies
... familiar and memorable ... A musical in the old and
true tradition ...” The New York Times
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The Me Nobody Knows
Adapted by Robert H. Livingston and Herb
Schapiro. Music by Gary William Friedman. Lyrics
by Will Holt.
Based on the book The Me Nobody Knows edited
by Stephen M. Joseph and an original idea by Herb
Schapiro. Additional lyrics by Herb Schapiro.
Arrangements and orchestrations
by Gary Willam Friedman
Cast of 12 aged 12-20
Simple setting
Orchestration: Piano, Reed (Alto Flute, Alto & Tenor
Saxophones), Trumpet/Flugelhorn, Trombone, Cello,
Bass, Guitar, Drums.
This Obie Award-winner combines the writings of
ghetto children with a superb semi-rock score. “I loved
its understanding and compassion, and I felt its pain
and yet also its unsentimental determination for hope.”
New York Times
Musicals
Minnie’s Boys
Book by Arthur Marx and Robert Fisher.
Music by Larry Grossman. Lyrics by Hal Hackady
M18 F2 extras or M7 F3 with doubling
Simple settings
Orchestration: 2 Piano, Reed I, Reed II,
Trumpets I & II, Trombone I, Percussion I (Timpani,
Glockenspiel, Xylophone, etc.), Percussion II, Bass.
Where did they spring from — the maddest, merriest
quintet that ever romped before an audience? Groucho,
Harpo, Chico, Zeppo, and Gummo were maybe more
than most mothers could have handled — but not that
tender, gutsy, nonstop bundle of energy named Minnie
Marx. This song-filled celebration of a legendary family
offers theatregoers a lovely and loony evening.
The Mummy’s Tomb
Ken Hill. Songs by Alan Klein and Ken Hill
M7 F2, with doubling
Interior and exterior settings. Period 1380 bc; ad 1922
score available
In ancient Egypt, Pharaoh’s wife Ashayet kills her lover’s
mistress. Pharaoh banishes Ashayet and entombs and
mummifies her lover. But Ashayet also is immortal,
having bathed in the River of Life. ad 1922 — Professor
Niven sets out for Egypt with his daughter, Nancy, and
rather unwisely, both her present and past fiancés. Almost
at once strange things happen.
The Musical Importance of Being
Earnest
A musical adaptation in two acts by
John Sean O’Mahony of Oscar Wilde’s
The Importance of Being Earnest
M6 F4
Various settings. Period 1890s
Orchestration: Trumpet, Woodwind, Synthesizer,
Percussion, Double Bass, Piano.
Oscar Wilde’s comedy has been adapted into a delightful
musical with many enchanting songs and this period play,
set in the 1890s, can be staged as simply or elaborately
as desired.
The Musical of Musicals:
The Musical!
Book by Eric Rockwell and Joanne Bogart
Music by Eric Rockwell. Lyrics by Joanne Bogart
M2 F2
Simple settings
Orchestration: Piano
In this hilarious satire, one story becomes five delightful
musicals. June is an ingénue who can’t pay the rent and
is threatened by her evil landlord. Will the handsome
leading man come to the rescue? This tale unfolds as a
grand Rodgers and Hammerstein musical set in Kansas
in August, complete with a dream ballet; a Sondheim
version, featuring the landlord as a tortured artistic
genius who slashes his detractors’ throats; a Jerry
Herman splashy star vehicle; an Andrew Lloyd Webber
rock musical with themes borrowed from Puccini; and a
Kander and Ebb version set in a Chicago speakeasy.
Nine
Book by Arthur Kopit. Music, adaptation
and lyrics by Maury Yeston.
Adapted from the Italian by Mario Fratti
Orchestration: Conductor’s Score, Piano/Vocal Score,
Reed 1 (Flute/Piccolo/Alto Flute/Recorder), Reed II
(Oboe, English Horn), Reed III (Flute/Piccolo/Clarinet/
Alto Saxophone), Reed IV (Clarinet/Eb Clarinet/Bass
Clarinet), Reed V (Flute/Bassoon, Clarinet), Horns I
& II, Trumpets/Piccolo, Trumpets I & II, Trombone I,
Trombone II, Percussion I & II (2 books), Violins (6
players, 1 doubles on Mandolin) (3 books), Violas I &
II, Cello I & II, Bass, Harp, Keyboard (Harpsichord,
Celeste, Electric Piano)
A man revisits his past loves in this sumptuous, witty,
wise and glamorous musical. Fellini’s classic film 8 1/2
translates into a spectacular show that won the 1982 Tony
Award for Best Musical. Nine is easily staged on a single
set with lavish costumes to set the opulent tone.
No Way to Treat a Lady
Douglas J.Cohen. Based on the novel by
William Goldman
M2 F2 playing 14 characters
Orchestration: Keyboard, Piano, Reed I, Reed II, Bass,
Drums/Percussion.
This theatrically charged musical comedy thriller about
a publicity-crazed actor turned killer and the endearing
detective who pursues him while balancing the attentions
of a beautiful socialite and a meddling mother is based on
the best-selling novel that beame a renowned movie.
Nunsense
By Dan Goggin
F5
Simple setting
Orchestration: Reeds, Drums, Synthesizer
Nunsense is a hilarious talent show staged by the five
survivors at the Little Sisters of Hoboken nunnery, the
rest of the sisterhood having succumbed to botulism after
eating vichyssoise prepared by Sister Julia, Child of God.
The score pulses with merriment and an unabashed desire
to make you laugh, with songs and comic interludes
paced at breakneck speed.
Olympus On My Mind
Book and lyrics by Barry Harman. Music by Grant
Sturiale. Suggested by Amphityron by Heinrich von
Kleist
M3 F3. Extras
Simple settings
Orchestration: Keyboard I (Acoustic Piano, Synthesizer
I), Keyboard II (Synthesizers I and II), Percussion.
Olympus On My Mind “goes happily nuts with the story
of Jupiter’s visit to Earth in order to bed Amphitryon’s
lovely wife ...” New York Newsday. “It captures the racy,
high-style sillness and wit of late 1930s shows ... a bawdy
bedroom farce crackling with racy double-entendres and
clever wisecracks.” New York Times
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The Professional Catalogue
On the Twentieth Century
Book and lyrics by Betty Comden
and Adolph Green. Music by Cy Coleman.
M6 F6. Extras
Various settings
Orchestration: Piano, Reed I, Reed II, Reed III, Reed IV,
Trumpets I and II, Horns I and II, Bass, Percussion.
On the “Twentieth Century”, fabulous luxury train, are
Oscar Jaffe, the flamboyant sinking impresario with
four flops in a row, and Lily Garland, Hollywood star
and former Jaffe protégé. A rival producer to outwit, a
wealthy religious nut, Oscar’s henchmen and various
passengers and crew members add zest to the merry,
madcap journey. “A perfect musical! Riotously funny ...
A lovely score ... A gorgeous show.” New York Post
Pageant
Book and lyrics by Bill Russell and Frank Kelly
Music by Albert Evans
Conceived by Robert Longbottom
M7
Orchestration: Piano, drums
One of the rowdiest faces ever to take the stage, Pageant
pits six wacky beauty queens against each other in the
Glamouresse cosmetic company’s annual extravaganza.
They sing, dance and camp it up in evening gowns and
bathing suits, perform in a devastatingly hilarious beauty
contest, and hawk the sponsor’s imaginative products.
While les girls compete in the funniest beauty contest
ever, judges selected from the audience score them to
decide who will be crowned Miss Glamouresse.
“Screamingly funny!” — NY Times
Perchance to Dream
Ivor Novello
M8 F14
Various settings. Period 19th-20th centuries
Orchestration: 1st violins, A, B and C, 2nd violins, viola,
cello, double bass, flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, 2 horns, 2
trumpets, trombone, drums, harp
Sir Graham Rodney (1783-1818), Regency buck and
highwayman, loves both Lydia and Melinda, but loathes
cousin William. When Graham dies in Melinda’s arms,
vowing to find her again one day, his magnificent home,
Huntersmoon, acquires a new owner — William — and
a set of restless ghosts. Thirty-five years later William’s
son, Valentine (1818-c.1900), owns Huntersmoon where
he meets and marries Veronica, illegitimate daughter
of Lydia and the former highwayman. The marriage is
nearly destroyed with the arrival of Melanie, spirited
niece of the late Sir Graham. Not until the twentieth
century are the ghosts allowed to sleep, perchance to
dream ...
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Personals
Words by David Crane, Seth Friedman
and Marta Kauffman.
Music by William Freskin, Joel Philip Friedman,
Seth Friedman, Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz
and Michael Skloff
M3 F3
Simple settings
Orchestration:Keyboard I/Conductor’s Score (acoustic
piano, DXX-7 synthesizer), Reed (flute, clarinet, alto and
tenor saxophones), Guitar (electric Eb acoustic, banjo),
Percussion (drum set, Simmons Drum synthesizer),
Vibraphone, xylophone, bell tree, sound effects,
Keyboard II (2 DXX-7 synthesizers, stacked, left hand
substitutes for bass part)
Intertwined comic and ironic sketches about people
searching for love, life and adventure through personals
ads provide an effervescent musical overview of the
urban singles scene. This major Off-Broadway hit
includes songs by the composers of Godspell and Little
Shop of Horrors and words by the creators of the hit TV
show Friends.
Peter Pan
A musical based on the play by J.M. Barrie. Music
by Mark Charlap
Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh. Additional music by
Jule Styne. Additional lyrics by Betty Comden
and Adolph Green. Additional incidental music by
Trude Rittman and Elmer Bernstein
28 characters, extras. Simple settings
Orchestration: Piano/vocal score, bass, drums and
guitar
Here is all of the charm of Peter, Wendy, Tinkerbell, and
Lost Boys, Captain Hook, the pirates, the Indians and
the crocodile of Never Land. “ ... a captivating show.”
New York Daily News. “Bountiful, good natured ... vastly
amusing.” New York Times
The Phantom of the Opera
Book and lyrics by Ken Hill. Arrangements and
incidental music by Alasdair MacNeill
M15 F8
Various settings
Period 19th century
Orchestration: Keyboards 1 and 2, Oboe, Bass,
Percussion, Horn
Gaston Leroux’s classic tale of tragedy, grand opera,
romance and horror has been masterfully adapted by Ken
Hill, the author of The Mummy’s Tomb and The Curse of
the Werewolf, into a musical play which preserves all of
the excitement and passion of the much-loved original,
underscored by a strong current of comedy as well.
Musicals
Pickwick
Book by Wolf Mankowitz. Lyrics by Leslie
Bricusse. Music by Cyril Ornadel
M25 F6. Extras
Various settings. Period 19th century
Orchestration: 1st, 2nd and 3rd Violins, Viola, Cello,
Bass, 1st and 2nd Trumpet, Drum, Guitar.
There isn’t a jollier show anywhere than this musical
version of The Pickwick Papers. It exactly catches the
cheerful and good-hearted spirit of the gentleman with
the bald head and round glasses who is its hero. The
well-loved story, the tuneful music and witty lyrics
provide a recipe that can’t fail to delight audiences. The
famous “If I Ruled The World” is just one of a host of
strong numbers, and there is plenty of work for chorus
and dancers.
Plain and Fancy
Book by Joseph Stein and William Glickman.
Lyrics by Arnold B. Horwitt. Music by Albert
Hague
M19 F11, extras
Simple settings
Orchestration: Piano, Reed I, Reed II, Reed III, Reed IV,
Reed V, Trumpets I and II, Trumpet III, Horn, Trombone
I, Trombone II, Percussion, Violins A & C, Violins B &
D, Viola, Cello, Bass, Harp.
A New Yorker and his girlfriend are taken through such
Amish rituals as betrothal and marriage, a barn raising,
and the “shunning” of a violator of the rulers. Of course,
the dress and habits of the city folk are equally hilarious
to the Amish as are their customs to the sophisticates.
“Beautifully and affecting ... Some charming music.”
The New York Times
Pump Boys and Dinettes
Conceived and written by John Foley,
Mark Hardwick, Debra Monk, Cass Morgan, John
Schimmel and John Wann
M4 F2
One simple interior
Orchestration: 2 Acoustic Guitars, Electric Bass, Piano,
Sticks and Tambourine.
The Pump Boys sell the high octane on Highway 57 in
Grand Ole Opry country and the Dinettes, Prudie and
Rhetta Cupp, run the Double Cupp diner next door.
Together, they fashion a night of songs — nineteen
in all — that received unanimous raves from the New
York critics. “A singular mix of a country pop concert
and musical theatre ... Both musically and theatrically
[it] is a small triumph of ensemble playing. It doesn’t
merely celebrate the value of friendship and life’s simple
pleasure, it embodies them.” New York Times
Radio Times
Music by Noel Gay Book by Abi Grant
M5 F2 and the Grosvenors
Simple Settings
Orchestration: Piano, Violin, Trumpet I & II, Trombone
I & II, Percussion, Reed I, II, III, IV, Bass, Guitar
Set in London’s Criterion Theatre in the Spring of
1941, Radio Times traces the struggles of the cast
of Variety Bandwagon, a BBC light entertainment
show, broadcasting for the first time live to America.
Incorporating the music of Noel Gay, author of Me and
My Girl, this heart-warming and highly-entertaining
show includes the classic numbers “There’s Something
About a Soldier”; “Run, Rabbit, Run”; “Who’s Been
Polishing the Sun?” and “Hey Little Hen”.
The Revenge of Sherlock Holmes
A Musical Mystery.
Book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse.
Based on characters created by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
M11 F5. Period 19th century
Orchestration: 17 piece
What appears at first to be the final confrontation between
master detective Sherlock Holmes and his perennial
arch-enemy, Professor Moriarty, proves to be more than
even Holmes bargained for: he finds himself facing an
old-but-new enemy whose determination to outwit and
destroy the great detective is even greater than before.
The ensuing intellectual cat and mouse games betwen
these two larger-than-life figures form the exciting
centrepiece of this original musical based on Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle’s characters. The production was first
produced at the Bristol Old Vic in 1993, starring Robert
Powell as Sherlock Holmes and Roy Barraclough as Dr
Watson, before embarking on a national tour.
The Rink
Book by Terence McNally.
Music by John Kander.
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
M5 F3 (playing multiple parts)
A roller skating rink
Orchestration: piano, synthesizer, bass, drums
This musical is set in a Coney Island of the mind, on
the fringe of the New York showbiz world. Anna’s
roller rink is about to be demolished and with it Anna’s
sour memories of her husband and daughter. The rink
becomes an arena in which mother and daughter examine
their past and future.
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The Professional Catalogue
The Rocky Horror Show
Book, music and lyrics by Richard O’Brien
M7 F3. Simple settings
Orchestration: Piano, Bb Tenor Saxophone, Bass Guitar,
Drums
Will Dr Frank N. Furter, the sweet transvestite from
transsexual Transylvania, outwit the innocent newlyweds
Brad and Janet? Audiences thrill to the trashy rock and
roll that permeates this campy spoof of horror movies
and science fiction. An audience poll at the Royal
Court revealed that the public’s favourite show of the
theatre’s 50-year history is The Rocky Horror Show, first
performed upstairs in 1973.
“A raunchy pastiche of oldtime horror flicks set to
deliberately trashy songs.” New York Daily News
Romance/Romance
Book and lyrics by Barry Harman.
Music by Keith Herrmann.
The Little Comedy based on the
short story by Arnold Schnitzler.
Summer Share based on
Pain de Menage by Jules Renard.
M2 F2. Simple settings
Orchestration: Piano, Reed I, Reed II, Trumpet/Piccolo
Trumpet, Keyboard 2, Drums/Percussion, Bass
Two one-act musicals entertain with varied looks at
romance seekers. The first concerns two jaded Viennese
at the turn of the century; a young woman accustomed to
being kept in style by lovers, and a wealthy gentleman.
The second is set in Long Island’s Hamptons in the
present; two married couples find their relationships
threatened by infidelity.
Ruthless The Musical
Musical spoof. Book and lyrics by Joel Paley. Music
by Marvin Laird
M1 F5 or 6
Unit set
Orchestration: Piano 2, Bass, Percussion
Eight-year-old Tina Denmark knows she was born to
play Pippi Longstocking and will do anything to win the
part in her school musical. Anything includes murdering
the leading lady! Britney Spears played the lead role in
Ruthless’s long and well-reviewed Off-Broadway run.
“Merry mayhem. Malicious, delicious and a total joy.”
New York Observer
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Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens
Book by Charlotte Mann.
Lyrics by Charlotte Mann and Michael Fidler.
Music by Jonathan Croose and Robin Forrest
M5 F4 play 9 well-balanced roles
Anywhere that can be made to resemble a futuristic,
seedy bar. No band required — electronic sounds and
sequenced dance rhythms essential.
A vibrant, fully interactive show which can be played in
a wide variety of spaces from theatres to bars, and is set
to a contemporary score available on backing tracks. It
is set in a seedy cabaret bar on the planet Frottage III —
presided over by the alluring and charismatic Saucy Jack
himself. All is not well — danger lurks in every corner
as the cabaret acts are being picked off by a serial killer.
Vulva Savannah, promising entertainer and torch-song
singer, has just become the latest victim of the Slingback
Killer and the Space Vixens arrive to solve the mystery.
These interstellar, super-fashion crime fighters are here
to save the day by the Power of Disco and they hit the
ground singing with the explosive house anthem: “Glitter
Boots Saved My Life” ...!
Scrambled Feet
Book, music and lyrics by John Driver
and Jeffrey Haddow.
Musical direction and arrangements
by Jimmy Wisner
M2 F11. 1 duck. Simple set
score available
“A new musical revue that finds everything about the
New York theatre pretty funny. Its comedy sketches are
bright and sassy, scoring palpable hits with parodies
on the theatre, party ladies, actor’s agents, performers
who can’t dance and composers who can’t compose.”
On The Town
Scrooge
Book, music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse
41 named characters including 16 principals
(M10 F5, 1 boy). Large chorus
Various interior and exterior settings
Orchestration:Horn, Bass, Woodwind II, Woodwind
III, Trombone, Keyboard I, Keyboard II. Percussion.
Trumpet I. Trumpet II.
In 1970, renowned writer-composer-lyricist Leslie
Bricusse adapted the well-loved Dickens short story A
Christmas Carol into the hit screen musical Scrooge.
This stage version, based on the film, with the addition
of six new songs, had a hugely successful national tour
before a season at London’s Dominion Theatre in 1996.
Revived many times, its latest production was at the
London Palladium in 2012-13 starring Tommy Steele.
Musicals
The Secret Garden
Book and lyrics by Marsha Norman
Music by Lucy Simon
Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
M12 F10
Various settings. Period 19th century
Orchestration: Keyboard I, Keyboard II, Woodwind
I (Flute/Piccolo/Recorders/Clarinet/Pan Pipes),
Woodwind II (Oboe/English Horn), Woodwind III
(Clarinet/Bass Clarinet), Trumpet, Trombone, Horn
I, Horn II, Violin I, Violin II, Viola, Cello, Bass,
Percussion
This enchanting classic of children’s literature is now
a brilliant musical by a pulitzer-winning playwright.
Orphaned in India, an 11-year-old girl returns to
Yorkshire to live with an embittered, reclusive uncle
and his invalid son. The uncle’s estate inculdes a
magic, locked garden. Flashbacks, dream sequences, a
strolling chorus of ghosts, and some of the most beautiful
music ever written for Broadway dramatize The Secret
Garden’s compelling tale of regeneration. The show was
a resounding success on Broadway and latterly for the
RSC at Stratford and in London.
The musical was produced by the RSC under the
direction of Adrian Noble, and transferred to the West
End’s Aldwych in 2001.
“The Secret Garden has a dark and secret heart; but it
also has moments of utter magic and it remains the best
musical of the new century bar none.” Sheridan Morley,
Spectator
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Book by Joe Manchester. Music by Leon Carr.
Lyrics by Earl Shuman
Based on the classic story by James Thurber
M5 F6. Extras
Simple settings
Orchestration: Piano, Flute/Piccolo, Clarinet/Alto
Saxophone I, Clarinet/Alto Saxophone II, Trumpet I,
Trumpet II, Trombone, Percussion (Timpani, Bells,
Drums), Violins I & II, Viola, Cello, Bass Harp
(small orchestration also available)
Upon reaching forty, Walter Mitty’s reflections on his
drab life dissolve into elaborate fantasies. Thurber’s
gentle wit is embellished with a fine score.
Seesaw
Music by Cy Coleman. Lyrics by Dorothy Fields.
Book by Michael Bennett. Based on the play
Two for the Seesaw by William Gibson
Orchestration: Keyboard, Reed I, Reed II, Reed III,
Reed IV, Trumpets I & II, Trumpets III, Trombone I,
Trombone II, Percussion I & II, Drums, Violin, Viola,
Cello, Bass, Guitar.
This is the story of Jerry Ryan, a WASP lawyer from
Omaha, who has left his wife and domineering fatherin-law to come to New York, and Gittel Mosca, a sassy,
lovable Jewish girl from the Bronx who wants to be a
dancer. This unlikely couple meets, falls in love, and
parts in a bittersweet tale that is full of fun, music and
laughter.
sex, drugs & rick ’n’ noel
Play/musical. David Tristram
M3 F2
Various simple settings
David Tristram’s play can be performed as a comedy,
or, with the addition of a chorus of students, as a fullblown musical.* It’s the story of Richard Branson. No,
not the Richard Branson — Sir Richard Branson —
entrepreneurial, iconic, philanthropic multi-millionaire
boss of the Virgin Corporation. No, this is the story of
Richard Branson — redundant factory worker from
the Black Country — whose wife has just left him for
another woman. In a desperate attempt to regain his
self-esteem, Richard applies to do a history course at
Birmingham University. There he meets Noel, another
forty-something “mature” student with a whole different
outlook on life. Together — well, together they learn
more than either could have imagined possible. About
life. About women. About themselves. Not much about
history, though. *Please note that the music is not
available from Samuel French Ltd
70, Girls, 70
Book by Fred Ebb and Norman L. Martin. Music
by John Kander. Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Based on the play Breath of Spring by Peter Coke.
Adapted by Joe Masteroff
M11 F13 Extras
Various settings
Orchestration: Reed I (Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone),
Reed II (Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone), Reed
III (Bassoon, Clarinet, Alto and Baritone Saxophone),
Trumpet, Trombone I, Trombone II, Trombone III, Guitar/
Banjos I and II, Bass, Percussion/Drums (2 books)
In this rare and rich celebration of age, the older set
decides to spice up things around the retirement home
by becoming shoplifters. The gang of 70-year-olds
discovers that heisting mink returns the juices of youth
and converts their drab hotel into a palace. “A disarming
tribute to age ... never permits you to wax sentimental
over the jaunty members of the stage’s older set.” New
York Post
Side Show
Book and lyrics by Bill Russell
Music by Henry Krieger
M13 F9
Various settings
Orchestration: Reed I, Reed II, Reed III, Reed IV,
Horn, Trumpet I, Trumpet II, Trumpet III, Trombone
I, Trombone II, Guitar, Bass, Synthesizer/Percussion,
Drums
Based on the true story of Siamese twins Violet and Daisy
Hilton who became stars during the Depression, Side Show
is a moving portrait of two women joined at the hip whose
extraordinary bondage brings them fame, but denies
them love. Told almost entirely in song, the show follows
their progression from England to America, around the
vaudeville circuit and to Hollywood, on the eve of their
appearance in the 1932 movie Freaks. The ambitious
Daisy and the more retiring Violet are unforgettable
characters who sing their way into your heart. This Tony
nominee won four Helen Hayes Awards.
“A bright and moving musical with poignancy and
urgency and even a certain refreshingly unsentimental
honesty that demands attention.” New York Post
85
The Professional Catalogue
A Slice of Saturday Night
Book, music and lyrics by The Heather Brothers
M6 F5
Simple setting. Period 1960s
Orchestration: Guitar, Bass, Drums.
This warm-hearted 60s pastiche won legions of fans
in its two-year London run. “The Heather Brothers’
musical spoof on the Saturday night rituals of pubescent
17-year-old delinquents in the 60s is full of such clever,
self-mocking charm that it’s difficult to come away
feeling anything but thoroughly entertained ... the real
pleasure comes from the Brothers’ shameless poaching of
an eclectic cross-section of famous 60s numbers — Cliff
and the Shads to Bob Dylan via the Beatles.
“Superb comic pastiche and sharp, cuff-link humour.”
Time Out
Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming
Book by Connie Ray. Conceived by Alan Bailey.
Musical arrangements by Mike Craver
and Mark Hardwick
M4 F3
Simple setting
Orchestration: Piano, 7 Individual character scores
(piano, guitar, banjo and other traditional folk
instruments)
The Sanders Family Singers have been invited to provide
an evening of singin’ and witnessin’ in Mount Pleasant,
North Carolina. The audience is invited to pull up a pew
and join the congregation for a rollicking good time!
“... wackily amusing yet also strangely heartwarming
musical entertainment ... foot-stomping soul food that
sings and plays with an abandon that is pure delight ...”
New York Post
Something’s Afoot
Book, music and lyrics by James McDonald, David
Vos and Robert Gerlach.
Additional music by Ed Linderman
M6 F4. Extras
Simple setting
Orchestration: Trombone, Banjo, Trumpet, Bass, Reed
I, Reed II, Percussion I and II, but may be done with
one piano.
A musical spoof of the whodunit genre which takes a
strong satirical poke at Agatha Christie murder mysteries
as well as at many musical styles of past years. Ten people
are stranded on an isolated English country estate during
a raging thunderstorm. One by one they are picked off
by cleverly fiendish devices. The bodies begin to pile up
in the library as the survivors frantically race to discover
the identity and motivation of the cunning culprit.
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Song of Singapore
Book by Allan Katz with Erik Frandsen, Robert
Hipkens, Michael Garin and Paula Lockheart
Music and lyrics Robert Hipkens, Michael Garin
and Paula Lockheart
M8 F2
Simple settings. Period 1941
Orchestration: Piano, Piano II, Reeds, Trumpet/Dobra,
Trombone, Guitar, Bass, Drums.
This is a zany cabaret recreation of a seedy waterfront
bar in Singapore, circa 1941, transporting the audience
back to those heady days when the band played on
while the Japanese invaders approached. The storyline
is a delightfully daft parody of period movies like
Casablanca and The Maltese Falcon and is full of
cheap intrigue and hilarious jokes. Song of Singapore
was a huge success at the Chichester Festival Theatre
in 2001, followed by a summer-long run at the Mayfair
Theatre, London.
Songbook
Music by Monty Norman. Lyrics by Julian More.
Book by Monty Norman and Julian More
M3 F2
Composite setting
Orchestration: 2 Keyboard I & II, Reed I (flute, alto
flute, alto sax), Reed II (flute, clarinet, tenor sax), Bass
(electric and string), Trumpet, Horn, Trombone (and
bass trombone) Percussion, Drums, Guitar.
A fictitious songwriter and fifty years of his music
provide an ideal opportunity to mock today’s popular
musical anthologies. Here is the saga of an imaginary
Liverpool Irish Catholic, Moony, who is adopted by the
Shapiros of New York City, turns songwriter and survives
sixty-nine years of whatever the twentieth century might
throw at him, from the early follies tunes to punk rock!
Spokesong
Stewart Parker. Music by Jimmy Kennedy
M4 (young, elderly) F2 (young)
Composite interior
Period 1970s and the eighty years preceding
Set in and around a bicycle shop in Belfast, Northern
Ireland, Frank believes that all the world’s transportation
problems can be solved if people simply switch to the
bicycle. Songs are used to comment upon the action. The
bicycle and the shop become a metaphor for the problems
in Northern Ireland and, indirectly, about the problems
of modern civilization.
Musicals
Steel Pier
Book by David Thompson
Music and lyrics by John Kander and Fred Ebb
M7 F8
Various simple settings
Orchestration: Keyboard I & II, Horn I & II,
Trumpet I, II & III, Trombone I & II, Reed I, II, III
& IV, Bass, Drums, Percussion, Violins A & B, Viola,
Cello, Guitar
In the honky-tonk world of marathon dancing in Atlantic
City in 1933, a captivating assortment of depression
era souls eager to dance their way into fame and prizes
gather on the Steel Pier. The spectacle is presided
over by an oily-tongued master of ceremonies who is
secretly married to vivacious Rita Racine, a charismatic
performer. Her usual partner doesn’t show up so she is
paired with a hot-dog aviator. As the hours of dancing
whirl on, Rita becomes increasingly disillusioned with
her conniving husband and more and more infatuated
with the handsome young pilot.
Songs by the creators of Chicago, Kiss of the Spiderwoman
and other classics of the Broadway stage throb with the
dancing rhythms of the era. Steel Pier collected 11 Tony
nominations during its Broadway run.
Stepping Out – The Musical
A Tale of Two Cities
Based on the novel by Charles Dickens
Book by Dave Ross and Vivienne Carter
Music and lyrics by Dave Ross, Neil Parker
and Michael Mullane
M3 F3. Extras
Various simple interior and exterior settings
Period eighteenth century
Orchestration: Guitar, Tuba, Flute, Clarinets, Horn,
Percussion, Timpani, Keyboard I, Keyboard II.
Dickens’s novel of the French Revolution, A Tale of
Two Cities, is brought vividly to life in this musical
adaptation, which was successfully premièred at the
Thameside Youth Theatre in January 1990. The famous
story of Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, the French
aristocrat and English lawyer caught up in a deadly feud
between the embittered Defarges and the cruel Marquis
d’Evrémonde, is told swiftly and excitingly in scenes
ranging from quiet country gardens to the storming of
the Bastille. The songs, romantic, reflective and stirring
by turns, heighten the drama and emotional thrust of this
epic story, resulting in a work of great power.
A Tale of Two Cities
Based on the novel by Charles Dickens
Book, music and lyrics by Jill Santoriello
Book by Richard Harris. Lyrics by
Mary Stewart-David. Music by Denis King
Based on the original play by Richard Harris
M1 F9
Main standing set plus inserts
Orchestration: Piano I, Piano II, Trumpet, Woodwind I
& II, Bass, Guitar, Percussion on hire.
M7, 3F, 1 girl, 9 featured ensemble roles
Various simple settings
Period eighteenth century
Orchestration: Bass, Cello, Clarinet 2, Contrabassoon,
Horn 1, Horn 2, Keyboard 1, Keyboard 2, Percussion
1, Percussion 2, Reed 1, Reed 2, Reed 3, Trombone 1,
Trombone 2, Trumpet 1, Trumpet 2, Tuba, Viola, Violin
1, Violin 2, Conductor’s Score, Piano/Vocal score.
Following the success of the play Stepping Out, Richard
Harris has combined the talents of lyricist Mary
Stewart-David and composer Denis King to create a
heart-warming, toe-tapping new musical following the
story of the lives, loves and laughs of a group of women
(and one man) attending a weekly tap class in a dingy
church hall.
Fresh from its Broadway run, this version of A Tale of
Two Cities is the perfect addition to any theatre’s season.
Appropriate for all ages and audiences, this classic
story of love, revolution, and redemption is what The
Associated Press called, “the return to the era of big
blockbusters such as Les Miserables, Phantom and Miss
Saigon.”
The Sweeney Todd
Shock ’n’ Roll Show
Musical play. Peter Miller and Randall Lewton
20 main speaking parts, large supporting cast
Various interior and exterior settings
score available
Billy and Tommy encounter the Demon Barber and his
murderous accomplice Mrs Lovett. When Billy decides
he needs a shave before travelling home to give his Susan
a string of pearls the scene is set for musical mayhem
with plenty of blood, pies and horrible murder thrown
in for good measure!
“It’s got a rousing score and the story’s noble sacrifice,
beautifully realized by Jill Santoriello, doesn’t leave a
dry eye in the house.” — The Huffington Post
Tarantara! Tarantara!
Book, music and lyrics by Ian Taylor,
using songs by Gilbert and Sullivan
M7 F4. An open stage
Period 19th century
score available
The play tells the story of the famous Gilbert and
Sullivan partnership: the meeting, the association with
D’Oyly Carte, the mounting success, the divergences
of temperament and conflicting ambitions, Gilbert’s
obsession with his “lozenge” story and the trouble it
caused, Sullivan’s lavish social life and its disruptive
consequences, his ill health, the famous tragi-comic
quarrel over a new carpet for the theatre — these and
many other episodes are covered.
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The Professional Catalogue
1066 And All That
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Characters 20. Extras
Simple setting
Orchestration: 1st and 2nd Violins, Viola, Cello, Double
Bass, 2 Flutes, Oboe, 2 Clarinets, Bassoon, 2 Horns, 2
Trumpets, Trombone, Drums.
M17 F12. Chorus
Orchestration: Piano, Bass, Drums
Books and lyrics by Reginald Arkell,
from the Memorable History of the same name by
W. C. Seller and R. J. Yeatman
“What good did history ever do me?’ moans the Common
Man, settling down for a nap while his wife and son
traipse round the waxworks. His dreams recall those
items from long-ago school lessons most likely to stick,
however imperfectly, in the non-historian’s mind: Alfred
burning the cakes; Canute inventing sea bathing; King
John losing his washing, and Henry VI marrying VIII
wives — or vice versa. From the Roman Conquest to
the Space Age, history is hilariously proved to consist
only of the bits you can vaguely remember. Each scene
is complete in itself with linking comments from a
Compère.
They’re Playing Our Song
Book by Neil Simon
Music by Marvin Hamlisch
Lyrics by Carol Bayer Sager
M1 F1
Various interior and exterior settings
Orchestration: Reed I, Reed II, Reed III, Trumpets I &
II, Trombone I, Trombone II, Percussion, Drums, Violins,
Viola, Cello, Harp, Guitars I & II, Keyboard II, Fender
Bass, Piano I.
Based on the real-life relationship of the musical’s
composer, Marvin Hamlisch, and lyricist, Carole Bayer
Sager, They’re Playing Our Song tracks the hilarious
ups and downs of two characters’ tempestuous love
affair. In order for their music to work better together,
Vernon Gersch and Sonia Walsk agree it’d be best to
get to know each other better - personally. They are like
chalk and cheese though, with Gersch being focused
and uptight, and Walsk being scatty and always late for
dates. What’s more, Sonia’s ex-boyfriend Leon haunts
her relationship with Vernon, and Vernon, on the other
hand, is lost when he’s away from his piano. Can this,
and should this, relationship survive? A hilarious, twoperson show where each character has a three-person
Greek chorus acting as alter egos.
The musical was revived at London’s Menier Chocolate
Factory in 2008, starring Alistair McGowan and The
Sound of Music’s Connie Fisher.
Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story
Book, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Dolginoff
M2 + voices
Simple setting
score available matches the British version
Thrill Me is the story of two young men, Richard Loeb
who believed he was above the law and Nathan Leopold,
a loner who became a willing accomplice. Together, they
both believed they had perpetrated the perfect crime …
Thrill Me focuses less on the murder itself than on the
relationship between Leopold and Loeb, their shared
intelligence, their passion for Nietzschean philosophy
and their desire for the ultimate thrill.
“Soaring music, sophisticated performances the music
and content combine to thrilling effect” – Time Out
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Betty Smith and George Abbott
Based on Betty Smith’s novel
Music by Arthur Schwartz
Lyrics by Dorothy Fields
The story of the star-crossed love of Katy Nolan for
charming ne’er-do-well husband Johnny, her valiant
efforts to save her marriage and he final triumph with
the emergence of their daughter Francie as a young lady
of character. “A darlin’ show. ... One of those happy
inspirations that the theatre dotes on.” New York Times
Twice in a Lifetime
Book and Lyrics by Ray Cooney.
Music by Chris Walker & Keith Strachan
11 principals, ensemble, doubling possible
Various simple settings
score available
A riotous time-travelling adventure, Twice In A Lifetime
offers plenty of laughter, a fast-paced plot and a number
of challenging doubling opportunities as it switches
between modern day London and 1920s ragtime
Chicago.
Waldo and Sons
Book and lyrics by Andrew McGregor
Music by David Pickthall
M9 F5. Extra
Various interior and exterior settings
score available
Waldo and his travelling troupe are to perform an oldtime show to the delight of the people of Farnley-on-Sea.
Unfortunately, Magnet, the local bully and night-club
owner, does not share their enthusiasm, especially as
his daughter, Penny, has joined Waldo’s troupe. What
follows is a battle between old and new forms of
entertainment, with Penny and Waldo’s sons, Tom and
Jim caught in the crossfire. Eventually, Tom, who is
frustrated by Waldo’s old-fashioned outlook, decides to
work for Magnet. However, the love between Jim and
Penny saves the day.
The Water Babies
Play with music. Willis Hall. Songs by John Cooper.
Based on the story by Charles Kingsley
19 characters, can be played by M3 F6. Extras. Various
simple settings
score available
Charles Kingsley’s well-loved story of the Water Babies
is enchantingly brought to life in this adaptation by Willis
Hall. The tale of young Tom, apprentice to the unpleasant
chimney-sweep Mr Grimes, and his underwater journey
to the End-of-Nowhere, is interspersed with delightful
songs by John Cooper.
Musicals
Where the Rainbow Ends
Play with music. Clifford Mills and John Ramsay
18 characters. Dancers. Extras
One interior, six exterior settings
Since their mother and father were shipwrecked, Crispian
and Rosamund Carey have been living with their aunt
and uncle. Rosamund discovers in a book that all lost
loved ones are to be found in the land where the rainbow
ends. Together with a Genie of a magic carpet found in
the library and two friends, the children set out on their
search.
The Wiz
The new musical version of The Wonderful Wizard
of Oz by Frank L. Baum
Book by William F. Brown. Music and lyrics by
Charlie Smalls
11 principals, additional small parts, singers, dancers.
Various sets
Orchestration: Piano, Reed I, Reed II, Reed III, Reed
IV, Trumpet I and II, Trumpet III, Horn, Trombone I,
Trombone II, Percussion, Drums, Violins (2 books),
Cello, Bass, Guitar.
Dorothy’s adventures in the Land of Oz have been set to
music in a dazzling, lively mixture of rock, gospel and
soul. “Radiates so much energy you can hardly sit in your
seat.” New York Post. “A carnival of fun ... Wickedly
amusing.” Time Magazine
Woman of the Year
Book by Peter Stone
Lyrics by Fred Ebb Music by John Kander
Based on the MGM film by Ring Lardner Jr and
Michael Kanin
M11 6F chorus
Orchestration: Keyboard, Reed I (Flute, Piccolo,
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone), Reed II (Clarinet, Tenor
Saxophone), Reed III (Flute, Clarinet, Alto Saxophone),
Reed IV (Oboe, English Horn), Reed V (Bassoon, Bass
Clarinet, Alto Saxophone), Trumpets I & II, Trumpet III,
Horns I & II, Trombone I, Trombone II, Trombone III
(Bass Trombone), Percussion (Timpani, Glockenspiel,
Xylophone, Siren, etc.), Drums, Violins I & II (2 books),
Celli I & II, Bass, Harp
Lauren Bacall was triumphant in this Tony Awardwinning adaptation of the classic Spencer Tracy/
Katherine Hepburn battle of the sexes. Glamorous Tess
Harding is a high powered anchorwoman of a network
TV morning news show. She makes some derogatory
remarks about comic strips on the air and comes head
to head with Sam Craig, a famous cartoonist who
introduces a lampoon of Tess into his comic strip. The
feud turns to romance and marriage, but not to harmony
in this delightful battle of the sexes between two outsized egos.
Worzel Gummidge
Book and lyrics by Keith Waterhouse
and Willis Hall. Music by Denis King
Based on the characters created
by Barbara Euphan Todd
M12 F6. Extras
Various interior and exterior settings
score available
The naughty, petulant, greedy, yet always lovable
scarecrow is here with all the familiar characters: Aunt
Sally, Sergeant Beetroot and Sue and John. Brought to
life by the Crowman, Worzel creates havoc and farce
wherever he goes in his frenzied efforts to win Aunt
Sally’s unwilling hand until he finds himself before the
scarecrow court on a very serious charge. But the final
resolution is a happy one with a birthday cake enormous
enough to satisfy even Worzel’s appetite!
You Never Know
Based on the play By Candlelight by
Siegfried Geyer and Karl Frakas
Music by Cole Porter and Robert Latscher
Lyrics by Cole Porter
Additional lyrics by Rowland Leigh
and Edwin Gilbert
Book adapted by Rowland Leigh.
M3 F3 1 extra
Interior
Gaston, the Baron de Rommer’s valet, impersonates his
master when a married lady is invited to dine; the married
lady herself is, in fact, her maid — and the Baron and
the lady impersonate the valet and maid respectively.
The foursome dine by candlelight — even after the
appearance of the lady’s husband .... “Delightful and
slyly amusing” N.Y. Journal
Zombie Prom
Book and lyrics by John Dempsey
Music by Dana P. Rowe
Based on a story by John Dempsey
and Hugh Murphy
M5 F5. Chorus. Extras.
Various simple settings
Orchestration: Synthesizer, Electric/Accoustic Guitar,
Bass Guitar, Drums.
From the writers of The Witches of Eastwick comes this
deadly humorous and atomically fun musical set in a
1950s high school. Jonny, a rebellious orphan, has fallen
for Toffee, the school’s star pupil, and nothing - not
even death - will stop him from winning her heart. The
tyrannical school headmaster and Toffee’s parents insist
they end their relationship and as a result Jonny throws
himself into the silo of the local nuclear power plant.
Three weeks later radioactive Jonny returns as a zombie
and he is determined to win Toffee back, take her to the
prom plus he still wants to graduate! This clever script
is filled with catchy musical numbers and is a popular
hit with high schools.
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The Professional Catalogue
Zorba
Book by Joseph Stein. Music by John Kander.
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Adapted from the novel Zorba the Greek by Nikos
Kazantzakis
M20 F1
Simple settings
The story of Zorba, the carefree vagabond and his chosen
friend and master, the shy, inhibited Nikos; the romance
of Zorba and the lusty but ageing Hortense and of Nikos
and the withdrawn and beautiful widow; the failure of
a mine, murder, suicide, a feud — Zorba has all the
ingredients that make for popular theatre.
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Section Four
Pantomimes
and Children’s Plays
and musicals
Pantomimes,
The Adventures of Jason and the
Argonauts
Phil Willmott
M7-12, F5-8
A city square, Ancient Greece
Seen in 2009 at the Scoop, as part of the More London
Free Festival, this 80-minute free adaptation of the old
story is a light-hearted romp into which can be inserted
your own choice of songs and dances. Humour and easy
puppetry overcome the difficulties of a fire-breathing
bull, a dragon and an army of skeletons! “Phil Willmott’s
Jason and the Argonauts is a likeable, cheeky, near-panto
action adventure peopled with larger-than-life, dimwitted heroes and spunky heroines.” Andrew Haydon,
Time Out
Aladdin
Betty Astell
12 Principals. Chorus
8 Interiors. 5 Exteriors
Aladdin
Crocker and Gilder
14 Principals. Chorus
8 Interiors. 4 Interiors
Aladdin
Small-cast pantomime. John Crocker
11 principals
Various simple interior and exterior settings
Children’s Plays and Musicals
Arabian Knights
Richard Lloyd
14 Principals. Extras
Various simple settings
Babes in the Magic Wood
David Wood
Mixed cast of 12
Various interior and exterior settings
Babes in the Wood
Crocker and Gilder
13 Principals. Chorus
5 Interiors. 5 Exteriors
Babes in the Wood
Verne Morgan
M12 F4. Extras
Several simple sets
Babes in the Wood
Paul Reakes
14 Principals. Chorus. Extras.
Various interior and exterior settings
Big Noise at Fort-Issimo
Play for children. Bernard Goss
M10 F9. Extras
Various simple settings on an open stage
Aladdin
The Soldiers have been swept away — no longer toys
cared for and played with. Encouraged by Mr Busker
and led by the redoubtable Sergeant-Major Bumble,
they set off to discover their lost fort. En route they meet
other discarded toys — dolls and animals — and after
a brave fight against the terrible Oogly Googlies, they
recapture their fort and return to the happy days when
“toys were toys”.
15 principals (doubling possible). Children
Various interior and exterior settings
A Christmas Carol
Aladdin
Norman Robbins
Mixed cast of 10. Children. Extras
Various simple interior and exterior settings
David Wood
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Play. V. A. Pearn
Any number of characters
Composite setting
This longer adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s story is
designed for children of a slightly older age group.
Playing time about 90 minutes
Angelica! … and the Monstrous
Monster of the Deep
Play. Belinda Roberts
M10 F4
Various simple settings
When the Monstrous Monster of the Deep, a giant eel,
captures young Cornet in revenge for all the eels he has
caught, it is up to Cornet’s inventor sister, Angelica, to
rescue him. With her Brother Nit Wit Detector Kit in
hand, she sets off underwater and eventually, aided by
the Military School of Fish, achieves her goal and makes
an unexpected friend. A charming and funny play for
young people, with quirky characters and a touch of
surrealism.
Musical play. Book by Christopher Bedloe
Adaptation and lyrics by James Wood
Music by Malcolm Shapcott
from the story by Charles Dickens
39 characters, with doubling
Can be staged by a cast of 18-20. Extras
Simple settings. Period 19th century
A wealth of pretty, singable music, witty lyrics and
plenty of scope for dancing and colourful staging make
this musical version of a well-loved story a real piece
of Christmas cheer
A Christmas Carol
Christmas play. Shaun Sutton
From the story by Charles Dickens
M24 F15
Composite setting: an office, a street, a parlour
Period 19th century
This version of the famous story contains nearly forty
characters, but with reasonable doubling it can be
performed by a cast of twenty — 10 men, 6 women, 2
boys and girls. The story of Scrooge’s conversion from
miserliness to benevolence contains scenes that elaborate
a Christmas play into a simple form of Christmas
pantomime.
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The Professional Catalogue
Christmas Crackers
Dick Whittington
M7 F2
An empty stage
12 Principals. Chorus
4 Interiors. 8 Exteriors
Children’s play. Willis Hall
This is the hilariously funny sequel to Kidnapped at
Christmas. Crosby and Gilbert, our two convict friends
are spending a lonely Christmas Eve eating baked beans
on the stage of an empty theatre when they encounter
their old enemies — Detective Constable Grummett (and
his wife and horrible son) and Constables Mullins and
MacBain. Add a failed beauty queen, some pantomime
costumes and a green skeleton, and an evening of fun
is assured for all.
Crocker and Gilder
Dick Whittington
Small-cast pantomime. John Crocker
11 principals can be played by cast of 10
Dick Whittington
Verne Morgan
Cinderella
12 Principals. 6 Small Parts. Chorus. Dancers.
Children
5 simple settings
16 Principals. Chorus
8 Interiors. 4 Exteriors
Dick Whittington and Wondercat
Cinderella
Flexible cast, minimum of M8 F5. Extra 1M or F.
Chorus of adults or children
Several interior and exterior settings
Betty Astell
Crocker and Gilder
15 Principals. Chorus
7 Interiors. 4 Exteriors
Cinderella (Revised)
Small-cast pantomime. John Crocker
10 principals can be played by cast of 9
Cinderella
Norman Robbins
12 Characters. Chorus
Various simple settings
Cinderella
David Wood
16M or F (variable). Extras
Various interior and exterior scenes
The Clown
Play. Brian Way
M2 F2
A more serious, biographical approach to the clown’s
story. The play depicts the clown’s many years of hard
work before establishing a famous act with Jock, the
Ringmaster, and the loss of his laugh when Jock is killed
in a civil war. His laugh returns when he is chosen to
take Jock’s place.
Dick Turpin
Paul Reakes
14 characters. Extras
Various interior and exterior settings
Dick Whittington
Betty Astell
13 Principals. Chorus
4 Interiors. 5 Exteriors
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David Wood
Donald and the Dragon
Play. Dorothy Carr
M9 F9, doubling possible. Extras
Various simple settings
A fierce but misunderstood Dragon learns about
friendship when the crabby old Prime Minister sends
Donald to kill him, or be killed. The lovely young
Princess escapes the confinement of palace life and
joins in the adventure too, with the help of mischievous Terry. Children and adults will warm to the host
of engaging characters who fill this story with laughter
and excitement, whilst the simply conceived settings
will transport them, from the first moment, into the
land of magic.
The Fantastic Fairground
Bernard Goss. Music by Chris Hamel-Cook
M6 F2
Open stage, representing Fairground
Tall Tom, a brave highwayman, was many years ago
accused of stealing Lady Melanie’s pearls during an
ancient Hundred Years Fair, and was hanged. But the
pearls were never found. Years later, when the Fair is
magically revived, young Terry and Jack determine to
vindicate Tom, find the culprit, and restore the pearls to
Lady Melanie. Their quest leads them into strange and
exciting adventures but at last, after some hair-raising
escapes, they are successful.
Pantomimes,
Children’s Plays and Musicals
Flibberty and the Penguin
Hijack Over Hygenia
M10 F2, some M characters can be played by F
Five exterior, two interior simple settings
M8 F4, with doubling
An aeroplane interior, a roof, a throne room, a bedroom
Musical play for children. David Wood
Young Penguin has come from Iceland to find his father
and mother. This must be done before the spring weather
gets too warm. He falls in with Flibberty, a genial goblin,
who helps him in his search. They incur the wrath of
Krafty Kingfisher, who accuses the Penguin of stealing
a fish from him. The parent penguins are eventually
discovered in the Zoo. Flibberty and Young Penguin
manage to set them free, and to put Kingfisher in his
place.
The Gingerbread Man
Musical play. Book, music and lyrics by
David Wood
M4 F2
A kitchen dresser
While the “Big Ones” are asleep plenty of activity is
taking place on the kitchen dresser. The cuckoo clock has
lost his voice and might be threatened with the dustbin
in the morning if he doesn’t recover it. The efforts of
the salt cellar and the pepper-mill to help him regain it
involve them in confrontation with the Old Tea-Bag ...
but all is resolved by morning.
Children’s play with music. David Wood
Hygenia is the cleanest kingdom in the world. Disease is
unknown, but one day a villainous Measle enters illegally
and starts bringing the inhabitants out in spots. It is all
the plot of Doctor Spicknspan who, owing to prevailing
healthiness, is always out of work. Things look serious,
but the plot is foiled by the gallantry of the Royal staff:
peace, health and cleanliness are restored.
Humpty Dumpty
Norman Robbins
M9 F5. Chorus
Various simple settings
The Ideal Gnome Expedition
Musical play. David Wood
6 characters M or F
A back yard, an alley, an adventure playground, a street,
a traffic island
10 Principals. Dancers. Chorus
Various simple settings
After rescuing a toy duck from the dustbin in their
back yard, Mr Fisher and Mr Wheeler, two temporarily
nomadic garden gnomes, decide to venture into the big
wide world. Their object is to find a holiday island, just
like the “Big Ones”, but being unused to the hazards of
the town, they almost don’t make it. Although nothing
turns out quite as expected, they all agree that it is the
best holiday they’ve ever had.
Grand Old Duke of York
Jack and the Beanstalk
M8 F5. Chorus
Various simple interior and exterior settings
14 Principals. Chorus
6 Interiors. 7 Exteriors
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
John Morley
Norman Robbins
Crocker and Gilder
Hans, the Witch and the Gobbin
Jack and the Beanstalk
M7 F6
Composite setting
M6 F4. Extra 2M or F. Chorus. Children. Dancers.
Various simple settings
Play. Alan Cullen
The story of Hans, a young medical student, and his
search for the Princess who has lost her memory to a
witch called Daisy. Hans, who is aided by the Gobbin —
a gormless kind of Goblin with magical powers — goes
through many adventures before he wins his Princess.
Hercules—the Panto!
Julia Banks
M4 F8,1M or F. Large chorus
Various settings
Hickory Dickory Dock
Norman Robbins
M10 F8 (some interchangeable). Extras
Various simple settings on an open stage
Verne Morgan
Jack and the Giant
David Wood
Mixed cast of 12
Various simple settings
Jungle Book
Play. John Hartoch. Adapted
from stories by Rudyard Kipling
Minimum 13 with doubling
Various simple jungle settings
Mowgli, the “man-cub”, lost in the jungle, is rescued
from the clutches of the fearsome tiger, Shere Khan, by
Baloo the bear and Bagheera the black panther. Brought
up with a family of wolf-cubs, the time eventually comes
for Mowgli to return to the world of Man. But Mowgli
is not finished with the jungle, for one day he returns to
settle the score with Shere Khan ...
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The Professional Catalogue
Kidnapped at Christmas
Mother Goose
M7 F2
Six simple settings
16 Principals. Chorus
4 Interiors. 6 Exteriors
Play. Willis Hall
Convicts Gilbert and Crosby are fed up at the thought of
another Christmas in prison, especially with the prison
Christmas dinner. They manage to escape and their
adventures on the run, in various disguises, dodging a
host of amazing characters, are all tremendous fun.
Larry the Lamb in Toytown
Musical play for children. David Wood
and Sheila Ruskin.
Adapted from the stories of S. G. Hulme-Beaman
M9 (young, middle age) F1 (middle age). A town
square and houses, a forest
The Toytown characters are threatened by a “fearsome
dragon” and a villainous highwayman — but Larry the
Lamb and Dennis the Dachshund set everything to rights
in time for the Mayor’s special Christmas tea party.
Little Bo-Peep
Paul Reakes
12 Principals. Chorus
Various settings
Little Boy Blue
Paul Reakes
14 Principals. Chorus
Various settings
Little Jack Horner
Paul Reakes
13 Principals. Chorus. Children
Various simple settings
Little Miss Muffet
Paul Reakes
13 Principals. Chorus. Children
Various simple settings
Meg and Mog Show
Book, music and lyrics by David Wood
Based on Meg and Mog books by
Helen Nicoll and Jan Piènkowski
15 characters, may be played by F1 and 6 or 7 M or F.
Extras optional
Various simple settings
Ingeniously combining stories from five of the books
we see Meg, Mog and Owl set off on an adventure to
find the ingredients for a getting-rid-of-Steggy spell —
an adventure that takes them to a medieval castle, zoo,
and the moon! Lively songs and plenty of audience
participation ensure a production to enchant all ages!
Mother Goose
Betty Astell
17 Principals. Chorus
4 Interiors. 4 Exteriors
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Crocker and Gilder
Mother Goose
Small-cast pantomime. John Crocker
10 Principals
Various interior and exterior settings
Mother Goose
Verne Morgan
13 Principals. 3 Small Parts. Chorus. Dancers.
Children
5 simple settings
Mother Goose’s Golden Christmas
David Wood
M6 F6, with doubling
Various simple settings
Nutcracker Sweet
Family musical. David Wood
M3 F3. Extra 1M or F
Fairground booths on an open stage
The Nuts, led by the imposing Kernel Walnut, decide
to show that Nuts need not be “nutty”. Unfortunately
William the Conker seems to prove the opposite and
falls under the spell of the wicked Professor Jelly, who
is always on the look-out for nuts to “glaze”. Together
they almost succeed in glazing all our hero nuts, but the
day is saved when Professor Jelly is imprisoned in his
own glaze and turned into a large chocolate.
Old Father Time
Musical play. Book, music and lyrics
by David Wood
Up to 30 characters but can be played by a cast of 12
with doubling and trebling. Four simple settings
Old Father Time lives in Big Ben and makes sure things
happen on time. One day the inconceivable happens
and Big Ben stops! The action of the play chases across
the centuries through prehistoric times and near and
far history until, with the help of some not-too-bright
buskers and a wicked sorceress, Big Ben is started once
more.
Old King Cole
Paul Reakes
12 Principals (1 boy). Chorus. Various simple settings
Old King Cole
or King Cole in Space
Pantomime space oddity. Verne Morgan
13 Principals. Extras. Children. Dancers. Chorus
Various simple settings
Pantomimes,
Children’s Plays and Musicals
Old Mother Hubbard
Percival Plum in Monsterland
M10 F10, doubling, and some M and F
interchangeable
A street, a forest, a well, a cave
16 characters, doubling possible
Various interior and exterior settings
David Wood
Play with music. Mike Lambe
Music by Ray Gay
Norman Robbins
Percival, cook to King Marmaduke the Mean, and in love
with the Princess Victoria, finds she has been betrothed to
the Prince of Darkness. He and Victoria naturally decide
to flee, but the perils they face include an encounter with
a werewolf, some electrifying experiences in Baroness
von Frankenstein’s laboratory and taking tea with a
four thousand-year-old mummy. There is plenty here to
amuse, entertain — and frighten!
The Owl and the Pussycat
Went to See ...
Pinocchio
The Old Woman Who
Lived in a Shoe
M9 F5. Extras. Chorus
Various simple settings.
Musical play for children. David Wood
and Sheila Ruskin
M9 F5. Extras
One basic setting
Play. Brian Way
M7 F5 plus minor roles, doubling possible
An open stage.
The story based on the adventures of Lear’s Owl and
Pussycat who went to sea in a beautiful pea-green boat;
of the Pig with a Ring through its Nose; of the villainous
Plum Pudding Flea and others. These are interlinked with
songs and mimed interludes. After many adventures, the
Plum Pudding Flea is foiled and the two protagonists are
married and live happily ever after.
One of the most popular children’s plays in Britain
and the subject of broad-based critical acclaim, this
stimulating interpretation reaches out and captures
youthful audiences with unprecedented spirit. The
timeless story of the wooden puppet who must earn
the right to fulfil his longing to be a real boy brilliantly
conveys lessons of responsibility and respect for the
feelings of others. A charmingly innocent, powerfully
believable play.
The Pantomime Play
Plotters of Cabbage Patch Corner
M1 F1. 19 other characters could be played by
children: 5 girls, 14 either sex
A living-room (curtains), a wood, a bedsitter (curtains)
M6 F4. 1M 1F voices only
A garden
Play. Douglas Jackson
On her way through the woods Red Riding Hood meets
various well-known fairy-story characters, and the grim,
greedy Wolf. The Wolf arrives first at the Grandma’s
bedsitter, tricks Grandma, then eats her. Later he eats
Red also. A quick-witted Rabbit raises the alarm and
Red and Grandma survive.
The Papertown Paperchase
Musical play for children. David Wood
12 characters, doubling possible. Extras
Nine simple settings
The Salamander is in trouble with the Fireflies because
he is unable to breathe fire. To redeem himself he is sent
on a mission to burn down Papertown. The townspeople
gather their resources to meet the threat: even the two
petty criminals, Blotch and Carbon, are released to join
forces. In the end Salamander, who has fallen for timid
little Tishoo, helps to thwart the Fireflies, and Papertown
is saved from destruction.
Musical play for children. David Wood
The insects in the garden are overshadowed by humans
— the Big Ones. Infuriated by constant “spraying”, Slug,
Greenfly and Maggot call for rebellion and ruination of
the garden. The others oppose this, and war is declared.
The garden goes to ruin, and the Big Ones decide to build
a garage on it. The insects combine forces to restore
the garden to its original beauty and thus preserve their
home.
Puss in Boots
Crocker and Gilder
16 Principals. Chorus. 5 Interiors. 5 Exteriors
Puss in Boots
Norman Robbins
13 Principals. Extras
Various interior and exterior scenes
Queen of Hearts
Betty Astell
12 Principals. Chorus
5 Interiors. 6 Exteriors
Queen of Hearts
Crocker and Gilder
14 Principals. Chorus
5 Interiors. 6 Exteriors
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The Professional Catalogue
The Railway Children
Book and lyrics by Julian Woolford
Music by Richard John
From the novel by E. Nesbit
M5 F5 (with doubling), 1 boy, 1 girl.
Chorus of children.
A superb adaptation for the musical stage of E. Nesbit’s
quintessentially English classic. An idyllic Edwardian
family Christmas is interrupted by a knock at the door
and their lives are changed forever. Father is wrongfully
arrested and Mother and the three children, Roberta,
Peter and Phyllis, are forced to move to the country.
Discovering a railway near their new house is just the
beginning of a series of adventures and crises set over
one long summer. Julian Woolford’s and Richard John’s
musical brings a masterful emotional depth to this rite
of passage story, developing from youthful passion
for adventure to an adult sense of responsibility, and
featuring heartfelt ballads, stirring choral numbers and
tuneful melodies.
Red Riding Hood
Crocker and Gilder
13 Principals. Chorus
5 Interiors. 5 Exteriors
Red Riding Hood
Norman Robbins
M7 F4. Chorus. Dancers. Children
Various simple settings
A Right Christmas Caper
Play. Willis Hall
M7 F2. Four simple settings
This is the third Christmas Eve spent in the company
of convicts Gilbert and Crosby (the first two being
Kidnapped at Christmas and Christmas Crackers). Our
lovable heroes are back in prison again with Warders
Mullins and MacBain. However, they intend to escape
to find a Christmas tree, and when they do are pursued
again by Detective Constable Grummett (who is closely
followed by his horrid son and wailing wife).
Robin Hood
Musical celebration. David Wood
and Dave and Toni Arthur
M14 or F14 (minimum)
An open space
This is a series of playlets which tell the various
well-known tales of Robin Hood. The possibilities
for presenting the play are numerous — open stage,
promenade, open air as well as as on a proscenium
stage. There is a basic cast of fourteen, but the authors
envisage productions “in which large numbers of local
people take part”, emphasizing the basic concept of the
play which is that of a musical celebration by a whole
community.
Robinson Crusoe
Crocker and Gilder
12 Principals. Chorus
2 Interiors. 7 Exteriors
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Robinson Crusoe and the Pirates
Paul Reakes
M9 F3, with doubling. Chorus
Various settings
Rumpelstiltskin
Norman Robbins
M9 or 10, F2 or 3. Extras
Various simple settings
Santa in Space
Paul Reakes
14 Principals. Chorus. Children
Various settings
Sinbad the Sailor
Crocker and Gilder
15 Principals. Chorus
3 Interiors. 8 Exteriors
Sinbad the Sailor
Paul Reakes
17 Principals. Chorus. Children
Various interior and exterior settings
Sinbadaladdin!
Richard Lloyd
22 Principals. Extras
Various interior and exterior settings
Richard Lloyd’s hilarious new pantomime Sinbadaladdin!
adds elements of the tale of Sinbad the sailor to the
tradtional story of Aladdin. The result is a bumper
pantomime offering parts for two principal boys and
two genies — the Slave of the Lamp and the Slave of
the Ring, as well as many other good roles for both male
and female actors.
Sing a Song of Sixpence
Norman Robbins
M8 F9. Extras
Various simple settings
The Sleeping Beauty
Crocker and Gilder
12 Principals. Chorus
3 Interiors. 4 Exteriors
The Sleeping Beauty
Small-cast pantomime. John Crocker
10 principals, can be played by a cast of 9
Various interior and exterior settings
Snow White
Norman Robbins
15 characters. Chorus. Various simple settings.
Pantomimes,
The Sweeney Todd
Shock ’n’ Roll Show
Musical play. Peter Miller and Randall Lewton
20 main speaking parts, large supporting cast
Various interior and exterior settings.
Billy and Tommy encounter the Demon Barber and his
murderous accomplice Mrs Lovett. When Billy decides
he needs a shave before travelling home to give his Susan
a string of pearls the scene is set for musical mayhem
with plenty of blood, pies and horrible murder thrown
in for good measure!
1066 And All That
Book and lyrics by Reginald Arkell
from the Memorable History of the same name
by W. C. Seller and R. J. Yeatman
Characters 20. Extras
“What good did history ever do me?” moans the
Common Man, settling down for a nap while his wife
and son traipse round the waxworks. His dreams recall
those items from long-ago school lessons most likely
to stick, however imperfectly, in the non-historian’s
mind: Alfred burning the cakes; Canute inventing sea
bathing; King John losing his washing, and Henry VI
marrying VIII wives — or vice versa. From the Roman
Conquest to the Space Age, history is hilariously proved
to consist only of the bits you can vaguely remember.
Each scene is complete in itself with linking comments
from a Compère.
There Was an Old Woman …
Family musical. David Wood
6 main characters. Children
A glade, a hilltop
Happily crowded to the laces of the shoe they live in,
Mother Shipton and her family are faced with eviction
as the Giant, whose shoe it was originally, has now come
looking for it. The Great Boon arrives and attempts to
save the family from the Giant. However, after a lot of
adventures, muddles and magic all ends happily. There
is even a circus — with all the acts provided by Mother
Shipton’s clever children.
The Three Musketeers —
Le Panteau!
Richard Lloyd
20 principals. Extras
Various settings
Through the Looking Glass
Play. V. A. Pearn
Any number of characters
Composite setting
A dramatization from the story by Lewis Carroll. Playing time about 75 minutes.
Children’s Plays and Musicals
Tickle
Play with music. David Wood
Minimum cast of 6 players, of either sex
A bare stage
A workman sneezes violently. The “tickle” is ejected
— and arrives, pathetic as a new born baby, on the
stage. He is only anxious to find a friend and a home.
He becomes involved with three wicked Germs and
causes chaos but finally finds his friend and a safe
home — with a laughing hyena.
Toad of Toad Hall
Musical play. A. A. Milne.
Music by H. Fraser-Simson
Any number of characters
Six interiors, four exteriors
A dramatization of Kenneth Grahame’s The Wind in
the Willows, with the kindly Rat, wise Badger, gentle
Mole, and conceited, foolish Toad, who is always in
trouble. His addiction to firstly caravanning, and then
cars, his subsequent imprisonment, and the fight with
the weasels and stoats are all included.
Tom Thumb
Paul Reakes
15 Principals. Chorus
Simple interior and exterior settings
Treasure Island
Play. Dramatized by Jules Eckert Goodman
from the story by R. L. Stevenson
M24 F1
3 Interiors. 5 Exteriors
The Ugly Duckling
Comedy. A. A. Milne
M4 F3
A throne-room
To prevent the Princess growing vain, her fairy
godmother has withheld the gift of beauty from her —
until the day she falls in love.
The White Cat
Norman Robbins
15 Principals. Dancers. Various frontcloth and full
stage settings
Wind in the Willows
Musical play based on Kenneth Grahame’s novel
Book and lyrics by Willis Hall
Music by Denis King
15 characters. Extras
Various settings
A delightful dramatization, with enchanting songs, of
Kenneth Grahame’s classic tale of river-bank animals.
Toad finds himself in prison but manages to escape, but
not before Toad Hall, his pride and joy, has been overrun
by the wicked Weasels. Thanks to the efforts of his kind
and concerned friends, however, all ends happily, after
an exciting battle to regain Toad’s home.
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The Professional Catalogue
The Wind in the Willows
A. A. Milne and H. Fraser-Simson
(See Toad of Toad Hall)
The Wind in the Willows
Family entertainment. John Morley
Adapted from the novel by Kenneth Grahame
22 characters, chorus. Doubling possible
Various interior and exterior settings
John Morley has taken the well-loved characters of Toad,
Mole, Ratty and Badger from Kenneth Grahame’s classic
tale and woven their exploits into an exciting adventure
story for all the family. Designed to be staged simply or
elaborately, the casting is also very flexible with choice
of music left up to individual producers. This delightful
play will provide an evening of magic and joy for all.
The Wizard of Wobbling Rock
Play with music. Book and lyrics by Patricia
Wood. Music by Christopher Lummis
37 characters
Various interior and exterior settings
Wicked Wizard of Wobbling Rock has taken over the
Isle of Dippy, forcing the Islanders to emigrate. On the
way, Princess Poppy is kidnapped by two Warlocks and
chained up in the Wizard’s cave with Duke Devastation.
But of course all ends happily with the help of the
Bookworms, three lesser-spotted Ding-Dings and some
of the Wizard’s Shrinking Spray! Simple settings
and charming songs combine to give an evening of
enchantment for all.
Worzel Gummidge
Book and lyrics by Keith Waterhouse and Willis
Hall. Music by Denis King. Based on the characters created by Barbara Euphan Todd
M12, doubling possible, F4. 1 boy, 1 girl. Extras
Various interior and exterior settings
All the familiar characters of the television series are
brought to life again in this stage adaptation. Worzel
creates havoc and farce wherever he goes in his frenzied
efforts to win Aunt Sally’s unwilling hand until he finds
himself before the scarecrow court on a very serious
charge. But the final resolution is a happy one with a
birthday cake enormous enough to satisfy even Worzel’s
appetite!
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Section Five
One Act Plays
One Act Plays
Alarm Call Sheila Hodgson. M7
Albert Richard Harris. M2 F1
Autobahn (includes Funny, Bench Seat, All
Apologies, Merge, Long Division, Road Trip,
Autobahn) Neil LaBute
Baby Wolf Mankowitz. M2
Background Artiste Stephen Smith. M2 F3
Bang, You’re Dead! Paul Reakes. M2 F2
The Bear Anton Chekhov. Adapted Bernard
Lawrence. M2 F1
Beata Beatrix Gillian Plowman. M3 F4
The Bespoke Overcoat Wolf Mankowitz. M4
Birdbath (see Encounters) Leonard Melfi. M1 F1
Black and Silver (see Two of Us) Michael Frayn.
M1 F1
Black Comedy Peter Shaffer. M5 F3. (See also
full-length plays)
Branwell Bettine Manktelow. M1 F3
Bread of Heaven Rae Shirley. M1 F5
Breath Samuel Beckett
Bright Boy Martin Jarvis.
Bright Interval Cherry Vooght. F6
The Brighton Line (see Couples). Bettine
Manktelow. M1 F2
Bus Stop Rae Shirley. F7
Calling Colin and Mary Crowther. F6
Carrot (see Duets) David Tristram. M2
Carry Me Kate Rachel Musgrove. M3 or 6 F2
Cecily Gillian Plowman. F3
Centuries Michael Snelgrove. M12 F3
Chamber Music Arthur Kopit. M2 F8
Chinamen (see Two of Us). Michael Frayn. M1 F1
Close to Croydon Gillian Plowman. M1 F1. M1
F1 Voices only
Coffee Break David Tristram (sketch). F2
Come and Go Samuel Beckett. 3 characters
Couples (Includes: The Brighton Line, Party
Games, Squatter’s Rights). Bettine Manktelow.
(See also full-length plays)
The Crimson Coconut Ian Hay. M4 F2
Cruise Missile (see Deckchairs III). Jean
McConnell. F2
Cupboard Love (see Deckchairs III). Jean
McConnell. F2
Cut and Dried Eric Chappell. M5 F2. (See
Fiddlers Three)
Dancers (see Deckchairs). Jean McConnell. F2
The Dark Jonathan Holloway. M3 F1
David’s Birthday Gillian Plowman. M3 F2
Day Trippers (see Deckchairs II). Jean
McConnell. F2
The Deadly Attachment Jimmy Perry and
David Croft (see Dad’s Army). M13
Dear Diva by Jan Harris M1 F2
Death Woody Allen. M18 F2
Doggies (see Deckchairs). Jean McConnell. F2
The Drunkard’s Dilemma Andrew Sachs. M3 F1
Duck Variations David Mamet. M2
Duets (Includes: Carrot, Peas, Late Entry, The
Extraordinary Revelations of Orca the Goldfish)
David Tristram
Early Blight (see Deckchairs). Jean McConnell. F2
Encounters (Includes: Birdbath, Ferryboat,
Halloween, Lunchtime, The Shirt, Times
Square). Leonard Melfi
Endgame Samuel Beckett. M3 F1
The Extraordinary Revelations of Orca
the Goldfish. (see Duets) David Tristram. M1 F1
Ferryboat (see Encounters). Leonard Melfi. M1 F1
Floral Dance (Sketch) Jimmy Perry and David
Croft (see Dad’s Army)
Footfalls Samuel Beckett. F1/2
Footprints in the Sand Colin Crowther. M1 F3
Four-Play Colin Smith. M2 F2
Fugue in a Nursery (see Torch Song Trilogy)
Harvey Fierstein. M3 F1
Future Perfect Emily Thwaite and Bill Sanderson.
F3
A Gaggle of Saints Neil LaBute. M1 F1
Gladly Otherwise N. F. Simpson. M2 F1
God Woody Allen. M20 F8. A theatre
The Godiva Affair Jimmy Perry and David Croft
(see Dad’s Army). M14 F3
Growing Pains Ian Armstrong. M2 F4
The Guilt Card (see Deckchairs II) Jean
McConnell. F2
Halloween (see Encounters) Leonard Melfi. M1 F1
The Hebrew Lesson Wolf Mankowitz. M4
Hunting Pink William Norfolk. M3 F3
I Do Solemnly Declare Simon Farquhar. M2 F2
Inheritance Jill Woods. F3 1F extra
The International Stud (see Torch Song
Trilogy). Harvey Fierstein. M2 F1
Iphegenia in Orem Neil LaBute. M1
It Should Happen to a Dog Wolf Mankowitz. M2
The Janna Years Gillian Plowman. M2 F3
Johnny, Don’t Jump Alan Ogden. M5 F3
Just the Two of Us. Ros Moruzzi. M1 F6
A Kind Of Vesuvius Gillian Plowman. M3
Krapp’s Last Tape Samuel Beckett. M1
Lady Audley’s Secret Constance Cox. M4 F8
Last Post (see Deckchairs III). Jean McConnell. F2
Late Entry (see Duets). David Tristram. M1 F1
Late Frost (see Deckchairs). Jean McConnell. F2
Laughing Song William Norfolk. M2 F1
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The Professional Catalogue
A Light Lunch Bridget Derrett. M3 F1
Lions and Donkeys Steve Harper. M4
Little Grimley Presents Strictly Sex Factor
on Ice David Tristram. M2 F2
Lonesome Like Harold Brighouse. M2 F2
Lovers Tony Rushforth. M1 F2
Lunchtime (see Encounters). Leonard Melfi. M1 F1
Luv Murray Schisgal. M2 F1
The Man in the Bowler Hat A. A. Milne. M5 F2
Mantrap Paul Reakes. M3 F2
Maria Marten Constance Cox. M5 F9
Maria Marten Richard Dennis. M2 F1
The Master and the Maid Michael Kilgarriff.
M2 F2
Medea Redux Neil LaBute. F1
Melody Deirdre Kinahan. M1 F1
Mirage David Foxton. M4 F2
The Monkey’s Paw W. W. Jacobs and L.
N.Parker. M4 F1
The Monkey’s Paw Adapted by Jonathan
Holloway from the short story by W.W.Jacobs. M4
F1, with doubling.
Mr Foot (see Two of Us). Michael Frayn. M1 F1
Mum’s Army Jimmy Perry and David Croft (see
Dad’s Army). M10 F8
Murder Play Brian J. Burton. M3 F3
New Quixote (see Two of Us). Michael Frayn. M1 F1
Noah’s Ark Colin and Mary Crowther. Large cast
Not I Samuel Beckett. M1 F1
One Month to Pay Brian J. Burton. M3 F3
Other People Geoff Saunders. M2 F2
Out For the Count Martin Downing. M5 F4
Party Games (See Couples). Bettine Manktelow
M2 F2
Passport to Romance Harold Brighouse. M2 F2
Peas David Tristram. M1 F1
People Like Us Cherry Vooght. F4
Philip and Rowena Gillian Plowman. M3 F4
Play Samuel Beckett. M1 F2
The Pomegranate Seeds Sebastian Hayes. 16
named characters
Primrose Way Ron Nicol. M1 F3
Private Ear Peter Shaffer. M2 F1. (See also fulllength plays)
The Proposal Chekhov, adapted by West. M2 F1
Public Eye Peter Shaffer. M2 F1.(See also fulllength plays)
The Railway Siding Jonathan Holloway. M5 or 3
with trebling F1
Red Spy at Night Robert King. M3 F2
Remembering Things Michael Fosbrook. M1 F2
Right Honourable Lady Francis Beckett. M2 F3
104
Rockaby Samuel Beckett. F1
Semblance of Madness! John H. Newmeir. M3
Sexual Perversity in Chicago David Mamet.
M2 F2. (See also full-length plays)
Sganarelle Molière, adapted by Miles Malleson.
M4 F3
The Shirt (see Encounters). Leonard Melfi. M2 F1
Shoppers (see Deckchairs). Jean McConnell. F2
Short Changed (see Deckchairs II). Jean
McConnell. F2
Silent Night Colin and Mary Crowther. M3 F2
The Space Between the Years John Scholes.
M2 F2
The Spider and the Bird Georgia Dobbs. 20
named parts
Spotlight Buddy Thomas. M2 F2
Split Ends Frank Vickery. M2 F2. A living-room
Squatters’ Rights (see Couples). Bettine
Manktelow. M2 F2
Stop and Run Diana Raffle. M2 F3
The Stubbs Steve Harper. M3 F3
That Time Samuel Beckett. 1 character, 3M voices
Theatre 1 and 2 Samuel Beckett. Th1: M2, Th2: M3
Theatrical Digs (see Deckchairs II). Jean
McConnell. F2
There’s None So Blind Gillian Plowman. M4 F3
The Tiger Murray Schisgal. M1 F1
Times Square (see Encounters). Leonard Melfi.
M3 F4
Tippers Gillian Plowman. M3 F2
Torch Song Trilogy (Includes: Fugue in a
Nursery, The International Stud, Widows and
Children First) Harvey Fierstein
A Touch of Rose Madder Jim O’Connor. M2 F1
Two Fat Men Gillian Plowman. M3 F5
Two of Us (Includes: Black and Silver, Chinamen,
Mr Foot, The New Quixote). Michael Frayn
Two Summers Gillian Plowman. M4 F2
The Typists Murray Schisgal. M1 F1
Umjana Land Gillian Plowman. M3 F4
Voyager Tony Rushforth. M2 F2
We Don’t Want to Lose You Eric Chappell. M4
F2. (See Fiddlers Three)
What’s for Pudding? David Tristam. M3 F2
White Liars Peter Shaffer. M3 F1. (See also fulllength plays)
The White Whore and the Bit Player Tom
Eyen. F2. (See also full-length plays)
Whodidit? Neil Harrison. 17 characters may be
played by M3 F2.
Widows and Children First (see Torch Song
Trilogy). Harvey Fierstein. M3 F1
Author Index
Author Index
Dick Whittington 94
Mother Goose 96
Queen of Hearts 97
Batson, George
House on the Cliff 20
Murder on Arrival 28
Ackland, Rodney
Before the Party 5
Diary of a Scoundrel 12
Old Ladies 30
Atkins, Eileen
Vita and Virginia 42
Baxter, Keith
Barnaby and the Old Boys 5
Adler, Marion
Gunmetal Blues 78
Aubrey, John
Brief Lives 7
Beatts, Annie
Leader of the Pack 79
Albee, Edward
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 69
Auburn, David
Proof 64
Beckett, Frances
Right Honourable Lady
Alcott, Louisa M.
Little Women 24
Austen, Jane
Mansfield Park 26
Northanger Abbey 29
Pride and Prejudice 63
Sense and Sensibility 34
Beckett, Samuel
Breath 103
Come and Go 103
Endgame 103
Footfalls 103
Krapp’s Last Tape 103
Not I 104
Play 104
Rockaby 104
That Time 104
Theatre 1 and 2 104
Waiting For Godot 42
Alfieri, Richard
Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks 66
Allen, Woody
Death 103
Don’t Drink the Water 54
God 103
Play It Again, Sam 63
Anderson, Benny
Chess 75
Antrobus, John
When Did You Last See Your
Trousers? 43
Arbuzov, Aleksei
Chance Visitor 8
Old-World 30
Promise 33
Archer, Jeffrey
Beyond Reasonable Doubt 6
Perfect Murder 32
Archibald, William
Innocents 57
Arkell, Reginald
1066 And All That 88, 89
Armit, Ian
Curse of the Werewolf 76
Armstrong, Ian
Growing Pains 103
Arthur, Toni
Robin Hood 98
Asche, Oscar
Chu Chin Chow 75
Aspengren, Kate
Flyer 55
Astell, Betty
Aladdin 93
Cinderella 94
Axelrod, George
Goodbye Charlie 56
Seven Year Itch 65
Ayckbourn, Alan
Tons of Money (Revised) 41
Baldwin, James
Amen Corner 49
Blues for Mister Charlie 50
Bailey, Alan
Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming
86
Banks, Julia
Hercules — the Panto! 95
Bannerman, Kay
All for Mary 3
Don’t Tell Father 12
Earl and the Pussycat 13
Let Sleeping Wives Lie 24
She Was Only an Admiral’s
Daughter … 35
Barlow, Patrick
39 Steps 39
Barker, Wayne
Clue the Musical 75
Barret, Earl
Wife Begins at Forty 45
Barrie, J.M.
Peter Pan 82
Barry, Philip
Philadelphia Story 63
Bart, Lionel
Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be 77
Bartel, Paul
Eating Raoul 77
Bedloe, Christopher
Christmas Carol 75, 93
Beevers, Geoffrey
Adam Bede 3
Silas Marner 36
Beghel, Larry
Page 3 Murder 31
Bell, Mary Hayley
Duet for Two Hands 13
Bellon, Loleh
Thursday’s Ladies 40
Benfield, Derek
Fish Out of Water 15
Murder for the Asking 27
Panic Stations 31
Running Riot 34
Bennett, Alan
Enjoy 14
Forty Years On 16
Getting On 17
Habeas Corpus 18
Old Country 30
Bennett, Michael
Seesaw 85
Benyon, Richard
Shifting Heart 35
Bernard, Jeffrey
Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell 22
Besoyan, Rick
Little Mary Sunshine 80
105
Author Index
Birch, Michael
Second From Last in the Sack Race 34
Brown, Warner
Biograph Girl 74
Charlap, Mark
Peter Pan, 82
Bitterman, Shem
Job 58
Buchan, John
39 Steps 39
Cheever, John
Children 52
Blake, Richard
Diary of a Nobody 12
Burke, Stewart
Key to Murder 22
Blum, Galen
Clue the Musical 75
Burney, Fanny
A Busy Day 7
Chekhov, Anton
Bear 103
Parasol 31
Proposal 104
Bohmler, Craig
Gunmetal Blues 78
Burton, Brian J.
Being of Sound Mind 5
Murder Play 104
One Month to Pay 104
Bolt, R. R.
Sisterhood 36
Bond, Nelson
Animal Farm 49
Boucicault, Dion
London Assurance 25
Bowles, Jane
In the Summer House 58
Boyd, Julianne
A . . . My Name is Alice 73
A . . . My Name is Still Alice 73
Bray, Barbara
Thursday’s Ladies 40
Breen, John
Alone It Stands 3
Bricusse, Leslie
Pickwick 83
Revenge of Sherlock Holmes 83
Scrooge 84
Briggs, Raymond
When the Wind Blows 44
Brighouse, Harold
Game 16
Hobson’s Choice 19
Lonesome Like 104
Mary’s John 26
Passport to Romance 104
Northerners 29
Zack 45
Brontë, Charlotte
Jane Eyre 22
Jane Eyre 58
Wuthering Heights 45
Brooke, Harold
All for Mary 3
Don’t Tell Father 12
Earl and the Pussycat 13
Let Sleeping Wives Lie 24
She Was Only an Admiral’s
Daughter … 35
106
Campbell, Norman
Anne of Green Gables 73
Chinn, Jimmie
Albert Make Us Laugh 3
Different Way Home 12
Garden Party 16
Home Before Dark, or the Saga of
Miss Edie Hill 19
Something to Remember You By 36
Straight and Narrow 38
Sylvia’s Wedding 39
Take Away the Lady 39
Too Long an Autumn 41
Capra, Frank
It’s a Wonderful Life 78
Chiodo, Tom
Clue The Musical 75
Carmichael, Fred
What If 69
Christopher-Wood, John
Elsie and Norm’s “Macbeth” 14
Carnelia, Craig
Is There Life After High School? 78
Clapham, Peter
Little Women 24
The Other Fellow’s Oats 30
Busch, Charles
Red Scare on Sunset 64
Carr, Dorothy
Donald and the Dragon 94
Carr, Leon
Secret Life of Walter Mitty 85
Chapman, John
Key for Two 22
Shut Your Eyes and Think of England
36
Chappell, Eric
Banana Box (alternative title: Rising
Damp) 5
Cut and Dried (Fiddlers Three) 103
Double Vision 13
False Pretences 14
Fiddlers Three 15
Haunted 19
Haywire 19
Heatstroke 19
It Can Damage Your Health 21
Natural Causes 28
Rising Damp (See The Banana Box)
Side Effects 36
Something’s Burning 37
Summer End 38
Theft 39
Up and Coming 42
We Don’t Want to Lose You (see
Fiddlers Three) 104
Wife After Death 45
Clark, Kathleen
Southern Comforts 66
Clemens, Brian
Anybody for Murder? 4
Devil at Midnight 11
Edge of Darkness 13
Inside Job 21
Murder Weapon 28
Shock! 35
Sting in the Tail 37
Strictly Murder 38
Will You Still Love Me in the
Morning? 45
Coburn, D.L.
Gin Game 58
Cohen, Douglas J
No Way To Treat A Lady 81
Coleman, Cy
On the Twentieth Century 82
Seesaw 85
Colette
Gigi 56
Colley, Peter
I’ll Be Back Before Midnight 57
When the Reaper Calls 69
Author Index
Comden, Betty
On the Twentieth Century 82
Peter Pan 82
Cooney, Michael
Cash On Delivery 7
Tom, Dick and Harry 40
Cooney, Ray
Caught in the Net 7
Funny Money 16
It Runs in the Family 21
Out of Order 30
Run for Your Wife 33
Tom, Dick and Harry 40
Twice in a Lifetime 88
Two Into One 41
Wife Begins at Forty 45
Corble, Simon
39 Steps 39
Coveney, Alan
Busy Day 7
Coward, Noel
Cowardy Custard 76
Cox, Constance
Lady Audley’s Secret 103
Maria Marten 104
Trilby 41
Craver, Mark
Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming
86
Crisp, N. J.
Dangerous Obsession 9
Suspicions 38
That Good Night 39
Crocker, John
Aladdin 93
Babes in the Wood 93
Cinderella 94
Dick Whittington 94
Jack and the Beanstalk 95
Mother Goose 96
Puss in Boots 97
Queen of Hearts 97
Red Riding Hood 98
Robinson Crusoe 98
Sinbad the Sailor 98
Sleeping Beauty 98
Croft, David
’Allo ’Allo 3
Are You Being Served? 4
Dad’s Army 9
Deadly Attachment (see Dad’s Army)
103, 9
Floral Dance (see Dad’s Army) 103, 9
Godiva Affair (see Dad’s Army) 103, 9
Mum’s Army (see Dad’s Army ) 104, 9
Croose, Jonathan
Saucy Jack . . . 84
Dimon, Nobby
39 Steps 39
Crowley, Matt
Boys in the Band 50
Dobbs, Georgia
Spider and the Bird 104
Crowther, Colin
Calling 103
Footprints in the Sand 103
Noah’s Ark 104
Silent Night 104
Untimely Frost (formerly The Lost
Garden) 42
Dolginoff, Stephen
Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story 88
Crowther, Mary
Calling 103
Silent Night 104
Untimely Frost (formerly The Lost
Garden) 42
Cryer, Gretchen
I’m Getting My Act Together . . . 78
Cullen, Alan
Hans, the Witch and the Gobbin 95
Noah’s Ark 98
Davey, Shaun
Dead 76
Davies, Oliver Ford
King Cromwell 23
Davis, Thulani
Everybody’s Ruby 54
de Fries, Peter
Tunnel of Love 68
de la Barca, Calderón
Life Is A Dream 25
de Latraz, Jean
Pajama Tops 62
De Marne, Denis
Jack the Ripper 78
DePietro, P
Clue the Musical 75
Dean, Basil
Diary of a Nobody 12
Derrett, Bridget
Light Lunch 104
Dickens, Charles
Christmas Carol 75, 93
David Copperfield 10
Nicholas Nickleby 28
Tale of Two Cities 87
Dighton, John
Happiest Days of Your Life 18
Who Goes There! 44
Donellan, Declan
Vanity Fair 42
Dorfman, Ariel
Widows 45
Downing, Martin
House of Dracula 20
House of Frankenstein 20
Out for the Count 104
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan
Crucifer of Blood 53
Revenge of Sherlock Holmes 83
Driver, John
Scrambled Feet 84
du Maurier, Daphne
My Cousin Rachel 28
Rebecca 33
September Tide 34
du Maurier, George
Trilby 41
Dukes, Ashley
Squaring the Circle 37
Dumas, Alexandre
Three Musketeers 40
Dunai, Frank
Parasol 31
Dunn, Mark
Cabin Fever 51
Dunne, Peter
Geometry of Love 17
Durrenmatt, Friedrich
Visit 42
Ebb, Fred
Chicago 75
Flora the Red Menace 77
Kiss of the Spider Woman 79
Rink 83
70, Girls, 70 85
Woman of the Year 89
Edwards, Gwynne
Life Is A Dream 24
Surgeon of Honour 38
Three Judgements in One 40
107
Author Index
Eliot, George
Adam Bede 3
Silas Marner 36
Elliott, Tom
Feed 15
Ellis, David
Make Me a Widow 25
Evans, Albert
Pageant 82
Evans, Will
Tons of Money (original version) 40
Tons of Money (revised version) 41
Eyen, Tom
White Whore and the Bit Player 69,
104
Eyre, Ronald
London Assurance 25
Farquhar, Simon
I Do Solemnly Declare 103
Feely, Terence
Murder in Mind 28
Who Killed Santa Claus? 44
Feilbert, Ed
Pajama Tops 62
13 Rue de l’Amour 67
Feinsod, Arthur
Sword Against the Sea 38
Feuer, Jed
Big Bang 74
Eating Raoul 77
Feydeau, Georges
Gown For His Mistress 18
13 Rue de l’Amour 67
Fidler, Michael
Saucy Jack ... 84
Fields, Dorothy
Seesaw 85
Fields, Joseph
Tunnel of Love 68
Fierstein, Harvey
Cage Aux Folles 74
Fugue in a Nursery 103
see Torch Song Trilogy 68
International Stud 103
see Torch Song Trilogy 68
Torch Song Trilogy 68, 104
Widows and Children First 104
see Torch Song Trilogy 68
Finn, William
Falsettos 77
108
Fisher, Robert
Minnie’s Boys 81
Friedman, William
Me Nobody Knows 80
Fletcher, Lucille
Night Watch 29
Frow, Gerald
Cowardy Custard 76
Foley, John
Pump Boys And Dinettes 83
Fry, Stephen
Me and My Girl 80
Foot, Alistair
No Sex Please — We’re British! 29
Uproar in the House 42
Fugard, Athol
A Place with the Pigs 32
Ford, Nancy
I’m Getting My Act . . . 78
Fornarola, Drew
Devil Boys from Beyond 53
Forrest, Robin
Saucy Jack ... 84
Fosbrook, Michael
Remembering Things 104
Fosse, Bob
Chicago 75
Foxton, David
Mirage 104
Francis, Matthew
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 3
David Copperfield 10
Northanger Abbey 29
Prisoner of Zenda 32
Francis, William
Portrait of a Queen 32
Franks, Alan
Mother Tongue 27
Fraser-Simson, H.
Toad of Toad Hall 99
Wind in the Willows 100
Fratti, Mario
Nine 81
Frayn, Michael
Black and Silver 103
Chinamen 103
See Two of Us 41
Mr Foot 104
See Two of Us 41
New Quixote 104
Two of Us 41, 104
Freeman, Dave
Bedfull of Foreigners 5
Key for Two 22
Kindly Keep It Covered 23
Friedman, Eve
Teibele and Her Demon 67
Friedman, Seth
Personals 82
Furber, Douglas
Me and My Girl 80
Galton, Ray
When Did You Last See Your
Trousers? 43
Gardner, Herb
I’m Not Rappaport 57
Thousand Clowns 68
Gardner, John
Dazzle 76
Dracula Spectacula 76
Garland, Patrick
Brief Lives 7
Gay, Noel
Me and My Girl 80
Radio Times 83
Gay, Ray
Percival Plum in Monsterland 97
Gee, Shirley
Ask for the Moon 4
Gelman, Alexander
Misha’s Party 26
Gershe, Leonard
Butterflies Are Free 51
Gibson, William
Miracle Worker 60
Two For the Seesaw 68
Gilbert, Willie
Catch Me If You Can 51
Gilder, Eric
Aladdin 93
Babes in the Wood 93
Cinderella 94
Dick Whittington 94
Jack and the Beanstalk 95
Mother Goose 96
Puss in Boots 97
Queen of Hearts 97
Red Riding Hood 98
Robinson Crusoe 98
Sinbad the Sailor 98
Sleeping Beauty 98
Author Index
Giovanni, Paul
Crucifer of Blood 53
Green, Janet
Murder Mistaken 28
Hamel-Cook, Chris
Fantastic Fairground 77, 95
Glickman, William
Plain and Fancy 83
Green, Mawby
Pajama Tops 62
13 Rue de l’Amour 67
Hamilton, Cicely
Diana of Dobson’s 12
Goggin, Dan
Nunsense 81
Greenwood, Duncan
Murder by the Book 28
Hamilton, Patrick
Duke in Darkness 13
Gaslight 17
Man Upstairs 26
Miss Roach’s War 27
Rope 33
Greenwood, Walter
Cure for Love 9
Hammonds, Kevin
Brenda Bly Teen Detective 74
Grenfell, Joyce
Various sketches 18
Haney, Frank
Lust ’n’ Rust 80
Grossman, Larry
Minnie’s Boys 81
Hanff, Helene
84 Charing Cross Road 13
Goold-Verschayle, N.
Squaring the Circle 37
Grossmith, George and Weedon
Diary of a Nobody 12
Hansberry, Lorraine
Raisin in the Sun 64
Goss, Bernard
Big Noise at Fort-Issimo 93
Fantastic Fairground 77, 94
Guare, John
House of Blue Leaves 57
Hardwick, Mark
Pump Boys and Dinettes 83
Smoke on the Mountain
Homecoming 86
Goldman, James
Lion in Winter 59
Goodman, Jules Eckert
Treasure Island 41, 99
Goodrich, Frances
Diary of Anne Frank 53
Goodrum, John
Comedy of Terrors 8
Sorry, I Love You ... 37
Gourlay, Logan
Dead Ringer 10
Graczych, Ed
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy
Dean, Jimmy Dean 52
Graham, Andy
Sense and Sensibility 34
Graham, Boyd
Big Bang 74
Eating Raoul 77
Greenwich, Ellie
Leader of the Pack 79
Gurney, A. R.
Children 52
Hackett, Albert
Diary of Anne Frank 54
Haddow, Jeffrey
Scrambled Feet 84
Hague, Albert
Plain and Fancy 83
Haimsohn, George
Dames At Sea 76
Graham, John
Pardon Me, Prime Minister 31
Hall, Bob
Passion of Dracula 62
Grahame, Kenneth
Wind in the Willows 9, 100
Hall, Carol
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas 73
Grainger, Gawn
Murder on Arrival 28
Hall, Roger
Conjugal Rites 8
Middle Age Spread 26
Grant, Abi
Radio Times 83
Grant, Bob
Darling Mr London 10
Home Is Where Your Clothes Are 19
Gray, Jack
Love from Judy 79
Green, Adolph
On the Twentieth Century 82
Green, Benny
Cole 76
Hall, Willis
Children’s Day 8
Christmas Crackers 94
Jane Eyre 22
Kidnapped at Christmas 96
Mansfield Park 26
Right Christmas Caper 98
Three Musketeers 40
Walk On Walk On 43
Who’s Who? 44
Whoops-a-Daisy 44
Wind in the Willows 99
Worzel Gummidge 89, 100
Harling, Robert
Steel Magnolias 67
Harman, B
Olympus on My Mind 81
Romance/Romance 84
Harper, Steve
Lions and Donkeys 104
Stubbs 104
Harron, Donald
Anne of Green Gables 73
Harris, Jan
Dear Diva 103
Harris, Richard
Albert 103
Business of Murder 7
Maintenance Man 25
Stepping Out (Play) 37
Stepping Out (Musical) 87
Hartoch, John
Jungle Book 95
Harrison, John
Holidays 19
Harrison, Neil
Whodidit? 104
Hassall, Christopher
Careless Rapture 75
Glamorous Night 77
King’s Rhapsody 79
109
Author Index
Hastings, Charlotte
Wayward Spirit 43
Holland, Vyvyan
Importance of Being Earnest 20
Jarvis, Martin
Bright Boy 103
Hawdon, Robin
Birthday Suite 6
Holloway, Jonathan
Dark 9, 103
Darkness Falls (double bill: The
Monkey’s Paw and The Dark) 9
Les Misérables 24
Monkey’s Paw 9, 104
Nicholas Nickleby 28
Railway Siding 104
Jeffries, Brian
Pastimes 31
Hay, Ian
Crimson Coconut 103
Sport of Kings 37
White Sheep of the Family 44
Hayes, Sebastian
Pomegranate Seeds 104
The Heather Brothers
Blood Money 6
Lust 80
Slice of Saturday Night 86
Holt, Will
Me Nobody Knows 80
Hecht, Ben
Front Page 55
Twentieth Century 68
Home, William Douglas
Betzi 5
Dame of Sark 9
Editor Regrets 13
In the Red 21
Kingfisher 23
Lord’s Lieutenant 25
Heneker, David
Biograph Girl 74
Hood, Janet
Elegies for Angels, Punks . . . 77
Henley, Beth
Crimes of the Heart 53
Hope, Anthony
Prisoner of Zenda 32
Henry, Buck
Graduate 18
Horsler, Peter
Cut and Run 9
Herman, Jerry
Cage Aux Folles 74
Mack and Mabel 80
Horwitt, Arnold B.
Plain and Fancy 83
Hesketh, Barrie
Ostrich 30
Howe, Tina
Painting Churches 62
Hesketh, Marianne
Ostrich 30
Hughes, Douglas E.
Party to Murder 62
Who’s Under Where? 70
Highsmith, Patricia
Strangers on a Train 38
Hugo, Victor
Les Misérables 24
Hill, Ken
Curse of the Werewolf 76
Invisible Man 21
Mummy’s Tomb 81
Phantom of the Opera 82
Husson, Albert
My Three Angels 60
Hirst, Garnet
Shadows on Oak Island 65
Jackson, Douglas
Pantomime Play 97
Hitchcock, Alfred
39 Steps 39
Jacobs, W.W.
Darkness Falls (part of double bill) 9
Monkey’s Paw 9, 104
Hoar, Peter
Murder on Arrival 28
Hodgson, Sheila
Alarm Call 103
Hodgson-Burnett, Frances
Secret Garden 85
110
Huxley, Aldous
Gionconda Smile 17
James, Henry
Aspern Papers 4
Innocents 57
Janes, Hugh
Dead-Lock 10
Perfect Murder 32
Two of a Kind 41
Jerome, Helen
Jane Eyre 58
Pride and Prejudice 63
John, Richard
Railway Children 98
Johnson, Terry
Graduate 18
Jones, Charles
Papa’s Angels 62
Jones, LeRoi
Dutchman 54
Kander, John
Chicago 75
Flora the Red Menace 77
Kiss of the Spider Woman 79
Rink 83
70, Girls, 70 85
Woman of the Year 89
Kane, Richard
Miss Roach’s War 27
Kanin, Michael
Woman of the Year 89
Kash, Marcia
A Party to Murder 62
Who’s Under Where? 70
Kataev
Squaring the Circle 37
Kauffman, Marta
Personals 82
Kelly, Frank
Pageant 82
Kelly, George
Show-Off 66
Kelly, Tim
Frankenstein 55
Hound of the Baskervilles 56
Kesey, Ken
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 61
Kessler, Lyle
Orphans 62
Keyes, Steven
Moonlight Cocktail 60
Author Index
Kilgarriff, Michael
Master and the Maid 104
Kimball, Carol
Lust ‘n’ Rust 80
Kimmins, Anthony
Amorous Prawn 3
Kinahan, Diedre
Melody 104
Kindley, Jeffrey
Is There Life After High School? 78
King, Denis
Stepping Out (Musical) 87
Wind in the Willows 99
Worzel Gummidge 89, 100
King, Robert
Murder by the Book 27
Red Spy at Night 104
King, Stephen
Misery 26
Kilty, Jerome
Dear Love 53
Kipling, Rudyard
Jungle Book 95
Klein, Alan
Mummy’s Tomb 81
Knott, Frederick
Dial “M” for Murder 53
Wait Until Dark 69
Kopit, Arthur
BecauseHeCan 50
Chamber Music 103
Nine 81
Oh, Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung
You in the Closet and I’m Feeling
So Sad 61
Kops, Bernard
Playing Sinatra 32
Kreiger, Henry
Side Show 85
Kushner, Tony
Widows 45
LaBute, Neil
Autobahn 49
Bash 50
Distance From Here 53
Fat Pig 54
Gaggle of Saints 103
In a Dark House 57
Iphegenia in Orum 103
Medea Redux 104
Mercy Seat 59
Reasons to be Pretty 64
Shape of Things 66
Some Girl(s) 66
This is How It Goes 67
Laird, Marvin
Ruthless the Musical 84
Lonergan, Kenneth
Waverley Gallery 69
Longbottom, Robert
Pageant 82
Loos, Anita
Gigi 56
Lambe, Mike
Percival Plum in Monsterland 97
Lovegrove, Arthur
Goodnight Mrs Puffin 18
Miss Adams Will Be Waiting 27
Lapine, James
Falsettos 77
Ludlam, Charles
Mystery of Irma Vep 60
Lardner Jr, Ring
Woman of the Year 89
Ludwig, Ken
Lend Me a Tenor 58
Twentieth Century 68
Laurence, Charles
My Fat Friend 28
Lawrence, Bernard
Bear 103
Leach, Roger
Audience with Murder 4
Leigh, Carolyn
Peter Pan 82
Lesser, Tony
Bedwinner 5
Letts, Tracy
Killer Joe 58
Lewis, Jonathan
Our Boys 30
Levin, Ira
Deathtrap 53
Veronica’s Room 68
Link, Peter
Good Doctor 56
Livingstone, Robert H
Me Nobody Knows 80
Lloyd, Jeremy
’Allo ’Allo 3
Are You Being Served? 4
Lloyd, Richard
Arabian Knights 93
Sinbadaladdin! 98
Three Musketeers — Le Panteau! 99
Logan, John
Hauptmann 56
Lomas, Derek
Night of the Vixen 29
Lummis, Christopher
Wizard of Wobbling Rock 100
Macalpine, Joan
Tom Jones 40
MacArthur, Charles
Front Page 55
Twentieth Century 68
Macdonald, Sharman
Borders of Paradise 6
Shades 35
When I Was a Girl, I Used to Scream
and Shout … 44
Winter Guest 45
Malleson, Miles
Imaginary Invalid 20
Miser 26
Prodigious Snob 32
School For Wives 34
Sganarelle 104
Slave of Truth 36
Tartuffe 39
Mamet, David
American Buffalo 49
Life in the Theatre 58
Duck Variations 103
Sexual Perversity in Chicago 65, 104
Manchester, C
Secret Life of Walter Mitty 85
Manhoff, Bill
Owl and the Pussycat 62
Mankowitz, Wolf
Baby 103
Bespoke Overcoat 103
Hebrew Lesson 103
It Should Happen to a Dog 103
Pickwick 83
111
Author Index
Manktelow, Bettine
Branwell 103
Brighton Line (see Couples) 103
Couples (includes: The Brighton Line,
Party Games, Squatter’s Rights) 8,
103
Curtain Call 9
Curtain Up on Murder 9
Death Walked In 10
Murder Weekend 28
Party Games (see Couples ) 8, 104
Spygame 37
Squatters’ Rights (see Couples) 8, 104
They Call It Murder 39
White Cliffs 44
Mann, Charlotte
Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens 84
Marriot, Anthony
Darling Mr London 10
Home Is Where Your Clothes Are 19
No Sex Please — We’re British! 29
Shut Your Eyes and Think of England
36
Uproar in the House 42
Marshall, Gary
Happy Days, A New Musical 78
Martin, Hugh
Love from Judy 79
Martin, Jane
Anton in Show Business 49
Keely and Du 58
Martin, Norman L.
70 Girls 70 85
Martin, Steve
Picasso at the Lapin Agile 63
Martucci, Vinnie
Clue the Musical 75
Marx, Arthur
Minnie’s Boys 81
Maschwitz, Eric
Love from Judy 79
Maskell, Valerie
Kitsch Room 23
Massy, Wilfred
Happy Days 18
Masterson, Peter
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas 73
Mastrosimone, William
Extremities 54
Matthews, Seymour
Anagram of Murder 4
112
Dead Man’s Hand 10
Who Dies Wins 44
Maugham, W. Somerset
Before the Party 5
Mawdsley, Simon
Audacity 4
Painting by Numbers 31
McClelland Glass, Joanna
If We Are Women 20
McConnell, Jean
Café Brosse 7
Cruise Missile 103
see Deckchairs III 11
Cupboard Love 103
see Deckchairs III 11
Dancers 103
see Deckchairs I 10
Day Trippers 103
see Deckchairs II 11
Deckchairs I 10
Deckchairs II 11
Deckchairs III 11
Deckchairs IV 11
Doggies 103
see Deckchairs I 10
Early Blight 103
see Deckchairs I 10
Guilt Card 103
see Deckchairs II 11
Last Post 103
see Deckchairs III 11
Late Frost 103
see Deckchairs I 10
Shoppers 104
see Deckchairs I 10
Short Changed 104
see Deckchairs II 11
Theatrical Digs 104
see Deckchairs II 11
Haunted Through Lounge and
Recessed Dining Nook at Farndale
Castle 15
They Came from Mars and Landed
Outside the Farndale Church Hall in
Time for the Townswomen’s Guild’s
Coffee Morning 15
We Found Love and an Exquisite Set
of Porcelain Figurines Aboard the
SS Farndale Avenue 15
McKay, Gardner
Seamarks 65
McKelvey, Peter
House of Secrets 20
McManus, James
Cherry Smoke 52
McNally, Terence
Kiss of the Spider Woman 79
Rink 84
Medoff, Mark
Children of a Lesser God 52
Melfi, Leonard
Birdbath (see Encounters) 103
Encounters (Includes: Birdbath, Ferry
Boat, Halloween, Lunchtime, The
Shirt, Times Square) 103
Ferryboat (see Encounters) 103
Halloween (see Encounters) 103
Lunchtime (see Encounters) 104
Shirt (see Encounters ) 104
Times Square (see Encounters) 104
Mellor, Kay
Passionate Woman 31
Melville, Herman
Moby Dick — Rehearsed 60
McGee, Daniel
Paddywack 30
Melvyn, Glenn
Love Match 25
McGillivray, David
(see Farndale Avenue Comedies 15)
Chase Me Up Farndale Avenue, S’Il
Vous Plaît! 15
Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic
Society’s Production of A Christmas
Carol 15
Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic
Society’s Production of Macbeth 15
Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic
Society Murder Mystery 15
Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Operatic
Society’s Production of The Mikado
15
Menchell, Ivan
Cemetery Club 21
Milholland, Charles Bruce
Twentieth Century 68
Milmore, Jane
Confessions of a Dirty Blonde 52
Millar, Ronald
Abelard and Heloise 3
Bride and the Batchelor 6
Bride Comes Back 6
Coat of Varnish 8
More the Merrier 27
Miller, Charles
Brenda Bly Teen Detective 74
Author Index
Miller, Peter
Sweeney Todd Shock ‘n’ Roll Show
87, 99
Miller, Robin
Dames At Sea 76
Milne, A. A.
Man In the Bowler Hat 104
Toad of Toad Hall 99
Ugly Duckling 100
Wind in the Willows
see Toad of Toad Hall 99
Moliére
Imaginary Invalid 20
Miser 26
Prodigious Snob 32
School For Wives 34
Sganarelle 104
Sisterhood 36
Slave of Truth 36
Tartuffe 39
Mtwa, Percy
Woza Albert! 45
Murray, John
Monkey Walk 60
Musgrove, Rachel
Carry Me Kate 103
Nash, Richard N.
Rainmaker 64
Nelson, Richard
Dead 76
Misha’s Party 26
Madame Melville 59
New England 61
Nesbit, E
Railway Children 33, 98
Newmeir, John H.
Semblance of Madness 104
Monckton, Lionel
Anne of Green Gables 73
Ngema, Mbongeni
Woza Albert! 45
Monk, Debra
Pump Boys and Dinettes 83
Nicol, Ron
Primrose Way 104
Montgomery, Bob
Nothing But the Truth 29
Nicolaeff, Ariadne
Chance Visitor 8
Promise 33
Montgomery, L.M.
Anne of Green Gables 73
Moore, Simon
Misery 27
Morgan, Cass
Pump Boys and Dinettes 83
Morgan, Diana
My Cousin Rachel 28
Morgan, Verne
Dick Whittington 94
Jack and the Beanstalk 95
Mother Goose 96
Old King Cole or King Cole in
Space 96
Morley, John
Goldilocks and the Three Bears 95
Wind in the Willows 100
Morley, Robert
Ghost on Tiptoe 17
Moruzzi, Roz
Just the Two of Us 103
Moss, Roger S.
Nightmare: the Fright of Your Life 29
Nicoll, Helen
Meg and Mog Show 96
Nigro, Dan
My Sweetheart’s the Man on the
Moon 60
Nobbs, David
Second From Last in the Sack Race 34
Norfolk, William
Caramba’s Revenge 7
Charlatan 8
Hunting Pink 103
Laughing Song 103
Lights Are Warm and Coloured 24
King’s Rhapsody 79
Perchance to Dream 82
We Proudly Present 43
Obey, André
Frost at Midnight 16
O’Brien, Richard
Rocky Horror Show 84
O’Connor, Jim
Touch of Rose Madder 104
Ockrent, Mike
Me and My Girl 80
Ogden, Alan
Johnny, Don’t Jump 103
O’Donoghue, Mary Agnes
Me and Mamie O’Rourke 59
Ogilvy, Ian
Slight Hangover 36
Oliver, Reggie
Imaginary Lines 20
O’Mahony, John Sean
Musical Importance of Being Earnest
81
Ornadel, Cyril
Pickwick 83
Orwell, George
Animal Farm 49
Ostrovsky, Alexander
Diary of a Scoundrel 12
Overmyer, Eric
On the Verge, or the Geography of
Yearning 61
Paley, Joe
Ruthless the Musical 84
Palin, Michael
Weekend 43
Norland, Joanna
Lizzie, Darcy and Jane 24
Parker, L. N.
Monkey’s Paw 104
Norman, Frank
Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be 77
Parker, Michael
The Amorous Ambassador 49
Hotbed Hotel 56
Lone Star Love Potion 59
Sensuous Senator 65
Norton, Frederick
Chu Chin Chow 75
Novello, Ivan
Careless Rapture 75
Fresh Fields 16
Full House 16
Glamorous Night 77
Parkes, Derek
Threat! 39
Parr, Andrew
Dazzle 76
Dracula Spectacula 76
113
Author Index
Parsley, Roger
End of the Pier Show 77
Sense and Sensibility 34
Pascal, Francine
Mack and Mabel 80
Patrick, Robert
Kennedy’s Children 58
Pattison, James
Other Fellow’s Oats 30
Peacock, Trevor
Andy Capp 73
Pearn, V. A.
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland 93
Through The Looking Glass 99
Pember, Ron
Jack the Ripper 78
Perry, Jimmy
Dad’s Army 9
Deadly Attachment 103
see Dad’s Army 9
Floral Dance 103
see Dad’s Army 9
Godiva Affair 103
see Dad’s Army 9
Mum’s Army 104
see Dad’s Army 9
Kind of Vesuvius 103
Philip and Rowena 104
There’s None So Blind 104
Tippers 104
Two Fat Men 104
Two Summers 104
Umjana Land 104
Popplewell, Jack
Darling, I’m Home! 10
Porter, Cole
Cole 76
Preeper, Deborah L.
Shadows on Oak Island 65
Price, Alan
Andy Capp 73
Price, Stanley
Moving 27
Why Me? 45
Quilter, Peter
Just the Ticket 22
Raffle, Diana
Stop and Run 104
Ray, Connie
Smoke on the Mountain
Homecoming 86
Pertwee, Michael
Bit Between the Teeth 6
Do Not Disturb 12
Don’t Just Lie There Say Something 12
Sextet 35
Rayment, Mark
September Tide 34
Phillpotts, Eden
Farmer’s Wife 14
Reakes, Paul
Babes in the Wood 93
Bang, You’re Dead! 103
Dick Turpin 94
Little Bo-Peep 96
Little Boy Blue 96
Little Jack Horner 96
Little Miss Muffet 96
Mantrap 104
Old King Cole 96
Robinson Crusoe and the Pirates 98
Santa in Space 98
Sinbad the Sailor 98
Tom Thumb 99
Picardi, John C.
Seven Rabbits on a Pole 65
Sweepers 67
Pielmeier, John
Agnes of God 49
Piénkowski, Jan
Meg and Mog Show 96
Pitt, George Dibdin
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of
Fleet Street 38
Plater, Alan
Peggy For You 32
Plowman, Gillian
Beata Beatrix 103
Cecily 103
Close to Croydon 103
David’s Birthday 103
Janna Years 103
114
Rayson, Hannie
Life After George 24
Rebeck, Theresa
Bells 50
Redgrave, Lynn
Shakespeare for My Father 66
Redgrave, Michael
Aspern Papers 4
Ribalow, Meir Z.
Sundance 67
Rice, Elmer
Adding Machine 49
Rice, Tim
Chess 75
Richmond, David
Passion of Dracula 62
Ridley, Arnold
Ghost Train 17
Robbins, Norman
Aladdin 93
At the Sign of the “Crippled
Harlequin” 4
Cinderella 94
Grand Old Duke of York 95
Hickory Dickory Dock 95
Humpty Dumpty 95
Late Mrs Early 23
Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe 97
Practice to Deceive 32
Prepare to Meet Thy Tomb 32
Pull the Other One 33
Puss in Boots 97
Red Riding Hood 98
Rumpelstiltskin 98
Sing a Song of Sixpence 98
Snow White 98
Tiptoe Through the Tombstones 40
Tomb with a View 40
White Cat 99
Roberts, Belinda
Angelica! ... and the Monstrous
Monster of the Deep 93
Robins, J.D.
Deliver Us from Evil 11
Robinson, Lanie
Lady Day at Emerson’s . . . 79
Roman, John
Papa’s Angels 62
Roose-Evans, James
84 Charing Cross Road 13
Rose, L Arthur
Me and My Girl 80
Rose, Reginald
Twelve Angry Men 68
Ross, Charles
Dead Ringer 10
Rosser, Austin
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of
Fleet Street 38
Ruhl, Sarah
Clean House 52
Dead Man’s Cell Phone 53
Eurydice 54
Author Index
In the Next Room
or The Vibrator Play 57
Passion Play 63
Rushforth, Tony
Lovers 104
Kerry Dance 22
Voyager 104
Ruskin, Sheila
Larry the Lamb in Toytown 96
Owl and the Pussycat Went to See …
97
Russell, Bill
Elegies for Angels . . . 77
Pageant 82
Side Show 85
Sachs, Andrew
Drunkard’s Dilemma 103
Sackville-West, Vita
Vita and Virginia 42
Sanderson, Bill
Future Perfect 103
Santoriello, Jill
Tale of Two Cities 87
Saunders, Geoff
Other People 104
Schapiro, Herb
Me Nobody Knows 80
Schenkar, Joan
Signs of Life 66
Schimmel, John
Pump Boys and Dinettes 83
Schisgal, Murray
Luv 59, 104
Tiger 104
Typists 104
Scholes, John
Space Between the Years 104
Schwartz, Stephen
Godspell 78
Seller, W.C.
1066 And All That 88, 99
Shaffer, Anthony
Sleuth 36
Shaffer, Peter
Amadeus 3
Black Comedy 103
Equus 14
Five Finger Exercise 16
Gift of the Gorgon 17
Lettice and Lovage 24
Private Ear 104
Public Eye 104
Royal Hunt of the Sun 33
Shrivings 35
White Liars 104
Shapcott, Malcolm
Christmas Carol 75, 93
Sharkey, Jack
Murder Room 60
Sharkey, Thomas M.
It’s a Wonderful Life 78
Shaw, Barnett
Gown For His Mistress 18
Shear, Claudia
Dirty Blonde 53
Shem, Samuel
Bill W. and Dr. Bob 50
Sherriff, R.C.
Home at Seven 19
Journey’s End 22
Shirley, Rae
Bread of Heaven 103
Bus Stop 103
Shue, Larry
Foreigner 55
Nerd 60
Shuman, Earl
Secret Life of Walter Mitty 85
Silver, Joan Micklin
A . . . My Name is Alice 73
A . . . My Name is Still Alice 73
Simon, Barney
Woza Albert! 45
Simon, Lucy
Secret Garden 85
Simon, Neil
Barefoot in the Park 50
Brighton Beach Memoirs 51
Broadway Bound 51
California Suite 51
Come Blow Your Horn 52
Fools 55
The Gingerbread Lady 56
The Good Doctor 56
I Ought to Be in Pictures 57
Last of the Red Hot Lovers 58
Lost in Yonkers 59
Odd Couple 61
Odd Couple (Female Version) 61
Plaza Suite 63
Prisoner of Second Avenue 63
Sunshine Boys 67
Simpson, Alan
When Did You Last See Your
Trousers? 43
Simpson, Dave
Railway Children 33
Simpson, N. F.
Gladly Otherwise 103
Singer, Isaac Bashevis
Teibele and Her Demon 67
Sisson, Rosemary Anne
Ghost on Tiptoe 17
Slade, Bernard
Act of the Imagination 49
Fatal Attraction 55
Fling! 55
I Remember You 57
Return Engagements 64
Romantic Comedy 64
Same Time, Next Year 65
Special Occasions 67
Tribute 67
You Say Tomatoes 70
Smith, Colin
Four-Play 103
Smith, Stephen
Background Artiste 103
Snelgrove, Michael
Bums on Seats 7
Centuries 103
Marking Time 26
Snow, C.P.
A Coat of Varnish 8
Sowerby, Githa
Direct Action 12
Man and Some Women 25
Rutherford and Son 34
Sheila 35
The Stepmother 37
Spewack, Sam and Bella
My Three Angels 60
Spooner, Denis
Anybody for Murder? 4
Sting in the Tale 37
Will You Still Love Me in the
Morning? 45
St John, Billy
Reunion 64
Stein, Joseph
Plain and Fancy 83
Mack and Mabel 80
Stevenson, R. L.
Treasure Island 41, 99
115
Author Index
Stewart, Michael
Mack and Mabel 80
Thomas, Robert
Catch Me If You Can 51
Tute, Warren
Frost at Midnight 16
Stewart-David, Mary
Stepping Out (Musical) 87
Thompson, A.M.
Arcadians 73
Twain, Mark
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 3
Stockwell, Richard
Bad Blood 5
Killing Time 23
Thompson, Dave
Flora the Red Menace 77
Twyman, Alan P.
Cat and the Canary 51
Thwaite, Emily
Future Perfect 103
Ulvaeus, Bjorn
Chess 75
Tiller, Ted
Count Dracula 52
Valency, Maurice
Visit 42
Tinniswood, Peter
Village Fête 42
Valentine
Tons of Money (original version) 40
Tons of Money (revised version) 41
Stoker, Bram
Count Dracula 52
Passion of Dracula 62
Stone, Peter
Woman of the Year 89
Strachan, Alan
Cole 76
Cowardy Custard 76
Todd, Barbara Euphan
Worzel Gummidge 89, 100
Strachan, Keith
Twice in a Lifetime 88
Tolins, Jonathan
If Memory Serves 57
Stratton, Dave
Lust ’n’ Rust 80
Toye, Wendy
Cowardy Custard 76
Sturiale, Grant
Olympus On My Mind 81
Travers, Ben
Bed Before Yesterday 5
Styne, Jule
Peter Pan 82
Tredinnick, Miles
Laugh? I Nearly Went to Miami 23
Sultan, Arne
Wife Begins at Forty 45
Tricker, George
Life Support 59
Surrey, Janet
Bill W. and Dr. Bob 50
Tristram, David
Bolt from the Blue 6
Carrot 103
See Duets 103
Coffee Break 103
Extraordinary Revelations of Orca the
Goldfish 103
See Duets 103
Forget Me Knot 16
Ghost Writer 17
Hypnosis 20
Inspector Drake and the Perfekt
Crime 21
Inspector Drake and the Time
Machine 21
Inspector Drake’s Last Case 21
Inspector Drake and the Black
Widow 21
Late Entry 103
See Duets 103
Little Grimley Presents Strictly Sex
Factor on Ice 104
Opposite Sex 30
Peas 103
See Duets 103
Searching for Dr Branovic 34
Secret Lives of Henry and Alice 34
sex, drugs & rick ’n’ noel 35, 85
Unoriginal Sin 42
What’s for Pudding? 104
Sutton, Shaun
Christmas Carol 93
Talbot, Howard
Arcadians 73
Taylor, Edward
Pardon Me, Prime Minister 31
Taylor, Samuel
Sabrina Fair 65
Touch of Spring 68
Tebelak, John-Michael
Godspell 78
Thackeray, William
Vanity Fair 42
Thomas, Annemarie Lewis
Around the World in 80 Days 73
Thomas, Buddy
Crumple Zone 53
Devil Boys from Beyond 53
Physical 63
Spotlight 104
116
Van Doren Stern, Philip
It’s a Wonderful Life 78
Van Druten, John
Bell, Book and Candle 50
Van Zandt, Billy
Confessions of a Dirty Blonde 52
Vance, Charles
Jane Eyre 22
Wuthering Heights 45
Vickery, Frank
Biting the Bullet 6
Breaking the String 7
Easy Terms 13
Erogenous Zones 14
Family Planning 14
Kiss on the Bottom 23
Loose Ends 25
Love Forty 25
Night on the Tiles 29
Roots and Wings 33
Spanish Lies 37
Split Ends 104
Trivial Pursuits 41
Vooght, Cherry
Bright Interval 103
People Like Us 104
Wakefield, Colin
Audience with Murder 4
Walcott, Derek
Pantomime 62
Walker, Chris
Twice in a Lifetime 88
Walpole, Hugh
Old Ladies 30
Warner, Craig
Strangers on a Train 38
Author Index
Wasserman, Dale
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 61
Williams, Paul
Happy Days, A New Musical 78
Woods, Jill
Inheritance 103
Wasserstein, Wendy
Sisters Rosenweig 66
Williamson, David
Up For Grabs 41
Woolf, Virginia
Vita and Virginia 42
Waterhouse, Keith
Children’s Day 8
Good Grief 18
Jeffrey Bernard Is Unwell 22
Worzel Gummidge 89, 100
Whoops-a-Daisy 44
Who’s Who? 44
Willingham, Calder
Graduate 18
Woolford, Julian
Railway Children 98
Willmott, Phil
Adventures of Jason and the Argonauts 93
Around the World in 80 Days 73
Treasure Island 41, 99
Woollard, Kenneth
Morning Departure 27
Watkins, Maurine Dallas
Chicago 75
Wilson, Sandy
Boy Friend 74
Buccaneer 74
Divorce Me, Darling! 76
Watkinson, Douglas
Dragon’s Tail 13
Way, Brian
Clown 94
Pinocchio 97
Webb, Charles
Graduate 18
Webster, Jean
Love from Judy 79
Weinstock, Jack
Catch Me If You Can 51
Weller, Michael
Heart of Art 56
What the Night Is For 69
Wiltse, David
Temporary Help 67
Wimpens, Arthur
Arcadians 73
Winters, Keith
Shining Hour 35
Wise, Jim
Dames At Sea 76
Wisner, Jimy
Scrambled Feet 84
Wiles, John
Emma Bovary 14
Wood, David
Aladdin 93
Babes in the Magic Wood 93
Cinderella 94
Dick Whittington and Wondercat 94
Flibberty and the Penguin 95
Gingerbread Man 95
Hijack Over Hygenia 95
Ideal Gnome Expedition 95
Jack and the Giant 96
Larry the Lamb in Toytown 96
Meg and Mog Show 96
Mother Goose’s Golden Christmas 96
Nutcracker Sweet 96
Old Father Time 96
Old Mother Hubbard 97
Owl and the Pussycat Went to
See … 97
The Papertown Paperchase 97
Plotters of Cabbage Patch Corner 97
Robin Hood 98
There Was an Old Woman 99
Tickle 99
Wilkinson, Anthony J.
My Big Gay Italian Wedding 60
Wood, James
Christmas Carol 75, 93
Willard, John
Cat and the Canary 51
Wood, Patricia
Wizard of Wobbling Rock 100
Williams, Clifford
Rebecca 33
Woods, Don
Sleeper Murders 36
Welles, Orson
Moby Dick — Rehearsed 60
Wells, H.G.
Invisible Man 21
Wells, Win
Gertrude Stein and a Companion 55
Wentworth, Scott
Gunmetal Blues 78
Wilcox Paston, Collin
Papa’s Angels 62
Wilde, Oscar
Importance of Being Earnest 20
Wyld, Hazel
Garden Party 16
Yeatman, R. J.
1066 And All That 88, 99
Yeats, W. B.
Sword Against the Sea 38
Yeston, Maury
Nine 81
Young, Gail
Cheshire Cats 8
Zerlin Jnr, Walter
(see Farndale Avenue Comedies 15)
Chase Me Up Farndale Avenue, S’Il
Vous Plaît! 15
Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic
Society’s Production of A Christmas
Carol 15
Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic
Society’s Production of Macbeth 15
Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic
Society Murder Mystery 15
Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Operatic
Society’s Production of The Mikado
15
Haunted Through Lounge and
Recessed Dining Nook at Farndale
Castle 15
They Came from Mars and Landed
Outside the Farndale Church Hall in
Time for the Townswomen’s Guild’s
Coffee Morning 15
We Found Love and an Exquisite Set
of Porcelain Figurines Aboard the
SS Farndale Avenue 15
117
Author Index
118
Title Index
Title Index
Numerals
84 Charing Cross Road 13
70, Girls, 70 85
1066 And All That 88, 99
13 Rue de l’Amour 67
39 Steps 39
A
Abelard and Heloise 3
Act of the Imagination 49
Adam Bede 3
Adding Machine 49
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn 3
Adventures of Jason and the Argonauts 93
Agnes of God 49
Aladdin
Astell 93
Crocker (small cast) 93
Crocker and Gilder 93
Robbins 93
Wood 93
Alarm Call 103
Albert 103
Albert Make Us Laugh 3
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland 93
All For Mary 3
’Allo ’Allo 3
Alone It Stands 3
Amadeus 3
Amen Corner 49
American Buffalo 49
Amorous Ambassador 49
Amorous Prawn 3
A ... My Name is Alice 73
A ... My Name is Still Alice 73
Anagram of Murder 4
Andy Capp 73
Angelica! … and the Monstrous Monster
of the Deep 93
Animal Farm 49
Anne of Green Gables 73
Anton in Show Business 49
Anybody for Murder? 4
Arabian Knights 93
Arcadians 73
Are You Being Served? 4
Around the World in Eighty Days 73
Ask for the Moon 4
Aspern Papers 4
At the Sign of the “Crippled Harlequin” 4
Audacity 4
Audience with Murder 4
Autobahn 49, 103
B
Babes in the Magic Wood 93
Babes in the Wood
Crocker and Gilder 93
Morgan 93
Reakes 93
Baby 103
Background Artiste 103
Bad Blood 5
Banana Box 5
Bang, You’re Dead 103
Barefoot in the Park 50
Barnaby and the Old Boys 5
Bash 50
Bear 103
Beata Beatrix 103
BecauseHeCan 50
Bed Before Yesterday 5
Bedfull of Foreigners 5
Bedwinner 5
Before the Party 5
Being of Sound Mind 5
Bell, Book and Candle 50
Bells 50
Bespoke Overcoat 103
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas 73
Betzi 5
Beyond Reasonable Doubt 6
Big Bang 72
Big Noise at Fort-Issimo 93
Bill W. and Dr. Bob 50
Biograph Girl 74
Birdbath 103
Birthday Suite 6
Bit Between the Teeth 6
Biting the Bullet 6
Black and Silver 97
Black Comedy 97
Blood Money 6
Blues for Mister Charlie 50
Bolt from the Blue 6
Borders of Paradise 6
Boy Friend 74
Boys in the Band 50
Branwell 103
Bread of Heaven 103
Breaking the String 6
Breath 103
Brenda Bly: Teen Detective 74
Bride and the Bachelor 6
Bride Comes Back 6
Brief Lives 7
Bright Boy 103
Bright Interval 103
Brighton Beach Memoirs 51
Brighton Line 103
See Couples 8
Broadway Bound 51
Buccaneer 74
Bums on Seats 7
Business of Murder 7
Bus Stop 103
Busy Day 7
Butterflies Are Free 51
C
Cabin Fever 51
Café Brosse 7
Cage aux Folles 74
California Suite 51
Calling 103
Caramba’s Revenge 7
Careless Rapture 75
Carrot 103
See Duets 103
Carry Me Kate 103
Cash on Delivery 7
Cat and the Canary 51
Catch Me If You Can 51
Caught in the Net 7
Cecily 103
Cemetery Club 51
Centuries 103
Chamber Music 103
Chance Visitor 8
Charlatan 8
Chase Me Up Farndale Avenue, S’il
Vous Plaît! 8, 15
Cherry Smoke 52
Cheshire Cats 8
Chess 75
Chicago 75
Children 52
Children of a Lesser God 52
Children’s Day 8
Chinamen 103
Christmas Carol
Bedloe 75, 93
Sutton 93
Christmas Crackers 94
Chu Chin Chow 75
Cinderella
Astell 94
Crocker (small cast) 94
Crocker and Gilder 94
Robbins 94
Wood 94
Clean House 52
Close to Croydon 103
Clown 94
Clue The Musical 75
Coat of Varnish 8
Coffee Break 103
Cole 76
Come and Go 103
Come Back to the 5 & Dime, Jimmy
Dean, Jimmy Dean 52
Come Blow Your Horn 52
Comedy of Terrors 8
Confessions of a Dirty Blonde 52
Conjugal Rites 8
Count Dracula 52
Couples 8
Cowardy Custard 76
Crimes of the Heart 53
Crimson Coconut 103
Crucifer of Blood 53
Cruise Missile 103
See Deckchairs III 11
Crumple Zone 53
Cupboard Love 103
See Deckchairs III 11
Cure For Love 9
Curse of the Werewolf 76
Curtain Call 9
Curtain Up on Murder 9
119
Title Index
Cut and Dried 103
See Fiddlers Three 15
Cut and Run 9
D
Dad’s Army 9
Dame of Sark 9
Dames At Sea 76
Dancers 103
See Deckchairs I 10
Dangerous Obsession 9
Dark 103
See Darkness Falls 9
Darkness Falls 9
Darling, I’m Home! 10
Darling Mr London 10
David Copperfield 10
David’s Birthday 103
Day Trippers 103
See Deckchairs II 11
Dazzle 76
Dead 76
Dead Man’s Cell Phone 53
Dead Man’s Hand 10
Dead Ringer 10
Dead-Lock 10
Deadly Attachment 103
See Dad’s Army 9
Dear Diva 103
Dear Love 53
Death 103
Deathtrap 53
Death Walked In 10
Deckchairs I 10
Deckchairs II 11
Deckchairs III 11
Deckchairs IV 11
Deliver Us From Evil 11
Devil at Midnight 11
Devil Boys from Beyond 53
Dial ‘M’ for Murder 53
Diana of Dobson’s 12
Diary of Anne Frank 54
Diary of a Nobody 12
Diary of a Scoundrel 12
Dick Turpin 94
Dick Whittington
Astell 94
Crocker (small cast) 94
Crocker and Gilder 94
Morgan 94
Dick Whittington and Wondercat 94
Different Way Home 12
Direct Action 12
Dirty Blonde 54
Distance from Here 54
Divorce Me, Darling! 76
Doggies 103
See Deckchairs I 10
Donald and the Dragon 94
Do Not Disturb 12
Don’t Drink the Water 54
Don’t Just Lie There, Say Something 12
Don’t Tell Father 12
120
Double Vision 13
Dracula Spectacula 76
Dragon’s Tail 13
Drunkard’s Dilemma 103
Duck Variations 103
Duet for Two Hands 13
Duets 103
Duke in Darkness 13
Dutchman 54
E
Earl and the Pussycat 13
Early Blight 103
See Deckchairs I 10
Easy Terms 13
Eating Raoul 77
Edge of Darkness 13
Editor Regrets 13
84 Charing Cross Road 13
Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging
Queens 77
Elsie and Norm’s “Macbeth” 14
Emma Bovary 14
Encounters 103
Endgame 103
End of the Pier Show 77
Enjoy 14
Equus 14
Erogenous Zones 14
Eurydice 54
Everybody’s Ruby 54
Extraordinary Revelations of Orca the
Goldfish 103
See Duets 103
Extremities 54
F
False Pretences 14
Falsettos 77
Family Planning 14
Fantastic Fairground 77, 94
Farmer’s Wife 14
Farndale Avenue Comedies 15
Chase Me Up Farndale Avenue, S’Il
Vous Plaît! 15
Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic
Society Murder Mystery 15
Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic
Society’s Production of A Christmas
Carol 15
Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic
Society’s Production of Macbeth 15
Farndale Avenue Housing Estate
Townswomen’s Guild Operatic
Society’s Production of The Mikado
15
Haunted Through Lounge and
Recessed Dining Nook at Farndale
Castle 15
They Came from Mars and Landed
Outside the Farndale Church Hall in
Time for the Townswomen’s Guild’s
Coffee Morning 15
We Found Love and an Exquisite Set
of Porcelain Figurines Aboard the
SS Farndale Avenue 15
Fatal Attraction 55
Fat Pig 54
Feed 15
Ferryboat 103
Fiddlers Three 15
Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be 77
Fish Out of Water 15
Five Finger Exercise 16
Flibberty and the Penguin 95
Fling! 55
Flora the Red Menace 77
Floral Dance 103
Flyer 55
Fools 55
Footfalls 103
Footprints in the Sand 103
Foreigner 55
Forget Me Knot 16
Forty Years On 16
Four-Play 103
Frankenstein 55
Fresh Fields 16
Front Page 55
Frost at Midnight 16
Fugue in a Nursery 103
Full House 16
Funny Money 16
Future Perfect 103
G
Gaggle of Saints 103
See Bash 50
Game 16
Garden Party 16
Garden Pests
See Deckchairs IV 11
Gaslight 17
Geometry of Love 17
Gertrude Stein and a Companion 55
Getting On 17
Ghost on Tiptoe 17
Ghost Train 17
Ghost Writer 17
Gift of the Gorgon 17
Gigi 56
Gin Game 56
Gingerbread Lady 56
Gingerbread Man 95
Gioconda Smile 17
Gladly Otherwise 103
Glamorous Night 77
God 103
Godiva Affair 103
See Dad’s Army 9
Godspell 78
Goldilocks and the Three Bears 95
Goodbye Charlie 56
Title Index
Good Doctor 56
Good Grief 18
Goodnight Mrs Puffin 18
Governess 18
Gown For His Mistress 18
Graduate 18
Grand Old Duke of York 95
Grannies
See Deckchairs IV 11
Grenfell, Joyce 18
Growing Pains 103
Guilt Card 103
See Deckchairs II 11
Gunmetal Blues 78
H
Habeas Corpus 18
Halloween 103
Hans, the Witch and the Gobbin 95
Happiest Days of Your Life 18
Happy Days 18
Happy Days, A New Musical 78
Happy Journey From Trenton to Camden
97
Haunted 19
Hauptmann 56
Haywire 19
Heart of Art 56
Heatstroke 19
Hebrew Lesson 103
Hercules—the Panto! 95
Hickory Dickory Dock 95
Hijack Over Hygenia 95
Hobson’s Choice 19
Holidays 19
Home at Seven 19
Home Before Dark, or the Saga of Miss
Edie Hill 19
Home Is Where Your Clothes Are 19
Hotbed Hotel 56
Hound of the Bakervilles 56
House of Blue Leaves 57
House of Dracula 20
House of Frankenstein! 20
House of Secrets 20
House on the Cliff 20
Humpty Dumpty 95
Hunting Pink 103
Hypnosis 20
I
I Ought to Be in Pictures 57
I Do Solemnly Declare 103
I Remember You 57
I’ll Be Back Before Midnight! 57
I’m Getting My Act Together ... 78
I’m Not Rappaport 57
Ideal Gnome Expedition 95
If Memory Serves 57
If We Are Women 20
Imaginary Invalid 20
Imaginary Lines 20
Importance of Being Earnest 20
In a Dark House 57
In the Next Room or The Vibrator Play 57
In the Red 21
In the Summer House 58
Inheritance 103
Innocents 57
Inside Job 21
Inspector Drake and the Black Widow 21
Inspector Drake and the Perfekt Crime 21
Inspector Drake and the Time Machine 21
Inspector Drake’s Last Case 21
International Stud 103
Invisible Man 21
Iphegenia in Orem 103
See Bash 50
Is There Life After High School? 78
It Can Damage Your Health 21
It Runs in the Family 21
It Should Happen to a Dog 103
It’s a Wonderful Life 78
J
Jack and the Beanstalk
Croker and Gilder 95
Morgan 95
Jack and the Giant 95
Jack the Ripper 78
Jane Eyre
Jerome 58
Hall 22
Vance 22
Janna Years 103
Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell 22
Job 58
Johnny, Don’t Jump 103
Journey’s End 22
Jungle Book 95
Just the Ticket 22
Just the Two of Us 103
K
Keely and Du 58
Kennedy’s Children 58
Kerry Dance 22
Key for Two 22
Key to Murder 22
Kidnapped at Christmas 96
Killer Joe 58
Killing Time 23
Kindly Keep It Covered 23
Kind Of Vesuvius 103
King Cromwell 23
Kingfisher 23
King’s Rhapsody 79
Kiss of the Spider Woman 79
Kiss on the Bottom 23
Kitsch Room 23
Krapp’s Last Tape 103
L
Lady Audley’s Secret 103
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill 79
Larry the Lamb in Toytown 96
Last of the Red Hot Lovers 58
Last Post 103
See Deckchairs III 11
Late Entry 103
See Duets 103
Late Frost 103
See Deckchairs I 10
Late Mrs Early 23
Laugh? I Nearly Went To Miami! 23
Laughing Song 103
Leader of the Pack 79
Lend Me A Tenor 58
Let Sleeping Wives Lie 24
Lettice and Lovage 24
Life After George 24
Life in the Theatre 58
Life Is a Dream 24
Life Support 59
Light Lunch 104
Lights Are Warm and Coloured 24
Lion in Winter 59
Lions and Donkeys 104
Little Bo-Peep 96
Little Boy Blue 96
Little Grimley Presents Strictly Sex
Factor on Ice 104
Little Jack Horner 96
Little Mary Sunshine 78
Little Miss Muffet 96
Little Women 24
Lizzie, Darcy and Jane 24
London Assurance 25
Lonesome Like 104
Lone Star Love Potion 59
Loose Ends 25
Lord’s Lieutenant 25
Lost Garden 25
Lost in Yonkers 58
Love Forty 25
Love from Judy 79
Love Match 25
Lovers 104
Lunchtime 104
Lust 80
Lust ’n’ Rust 80
Luv 59, 104
M
Mack and Mabel 80
Madame Melville 59
Maintenance Man 25
Make Me a Widow 25
Man and Some Women 25
Man in the Bowler Hat 104
Mansfield Park 26
Mantrap 104
Maria Marten 104
Cox 104
Dennis 104
Marking Time 26
Mary’s John 26
Master and the Maid 104
Me and Mamie O’Rourke 59
Me and My Girl 80
121
Title Index
Me Nobody Knows 80
Medea Redux 104
See Bash 50
Meg and Mog Show 96
Melody 104
Mercy Seat 59
Middle Age Spread 26
Minnie’s Boys 81
Miracle Worker 60
Mirage 104
Miser 26
Misérables 24
Misery 26
Misha’s Party 26
Miss Adams Will Be Waiting 27
Miss Roach’s War 27
Moby Dick — Rehearsed 60
Monkey’s Paw 104
See Darkness Falls 9
Monkey Walk 60
Moonlight Cocktail 60
More the Merrier 27
Morning Departure 27
Mother Goose
Astell 96
Crocker (small cast) 96
Crocker and Gilder 96
Morgan 96
Mother Goose’s Golden Christmas 96
Mother Tongue 27
Moving 27
Mr Foot 104
Mummy’s Tomb 81
Mum’s Army 104
See Dad’s Army 9
Murder by the Book 27
Murder for the Asking 27
Murder in Mind 28
Murder Mistaken 28
Murder on Arrival 28
Murder Play 104
Murder Room 60
Murder Weapon 28
Murder Weekend 28
Musical Importance of Being Earnest 81
Musical of Musicals: The Musical! 81
My Big Gay Italian Wedding 60
My Cousin Rachel 28
My Fat Friend 28
My Sweetheart’s the Man on the Moon 60
My Three Angels 60
Mystery of Irma Vep 60
N
Natural Causes 28
Nerd 61
New England 61
New Quixote 104
Nicholas Nickleby 28
Night of the Vixen 29
Night on the Tiles 29
Night Watch 29
Nightmare: the Fright of Your Life 29
Nine 81
122
No Sex Please — We’re British! 29
Noah’s Ark 104
Northanger Abbey 29
Northerners 29
Nothing but the Truth 29
Not I 104
No Way to Treat a Lady 81
Nunsense 81
Nutcracker Sweet 96
O
Odd Couple 61
Odd Couple (female version) 61
Oh, Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung ... 61
Old Country 30
Old Father Time 96
Old King Cole 96
Old King Cole or King Cole in Space 96
Old Ladies 30
Old Mother Hubbard 97
Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe 97
Old-World 30
Olympus on My Mind 81
On the Twentieth Century 82
On the Verge, or the Geography of
Yearning 61
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 61
One Month to Pay 104
Opposite Sex 30
Orphans 62
Ostrich 30
Other Fellow’s Oats 30
Other People 104
Our Boys 30
Out For the Count 104
Out of Order 30
Outdoor Pleasures
See Deckchairs IV 11
Owl and the Pussycat 62
Owl and the Pussycat Went to See ... 97
P
Paddywack 30
Page 3 Murder 31
Pageant 82
Painting By Numbers 31
Painting Churches 62
Pajama Tops 62
Panic Stations 31
Pantomime 62
Pantomime Play 97
Papa’s Angels 62
Papertown Paperchase 97
Parasol 31
Pardon Me, Prime Minister 31
Party Games 104
See Couples 8
Party to Murder 62
Passionate Woman 31
Passion of Dracula 62
Passion Play 63
Passport to Romance 104
Pastimes 31
Peas 104
See Duets 103
Peggy for You 32
People Like Us 104
Perchance to Dream 82
Percival Plum in Monsterland 97
Perfect Murder 32
Personals 82
Peter Pan 82
Phantom of the Opera 82
Philadelphia Story 63
Philip and Rowena 104
Physical 63
Picasso at the Lapin Agile 63
Pickwick 83
Pinocchio 97
Place with the Pigs 32
Plain and Fancy 83
Play 104
Playing Sinatra 32
Play it Again, Sam 63
Plaza Suite 63
Plotters of Cabbage Patch Corner 97
Pomegranate Seeds 104
Portrait of a Queen 32
Practice to Deceive 32
Prepare to Meet Thy Tomb 32
Pride and Prejudice 63
Primrose Way 104
Prisoner of Second Avenue 63
Prisoner of Zenda 32
Private Ear 104
Prodigious Snob 32
Promise 33
Proof 64
Proposal 104
Public Eye 104
Pull the Other One 33
Pump Boys and Dinettes 83
Puss in Boots
Crocker and Gilder 97
Robbins 97
Q
Queen of Hearts
Astell 97
Crocker and Gilder 97
R
Radio Times 83
Railway Children
Nesbit/Simpson 33
Nesbit/Woolford/John 98
Railway Siding 104
Rainmaker 64
Raisin in the Sun 64
Reasons to Be Pretty 64
Rebecca 33
Red Riding Hood
Crocker and Gilder 98
Robbins 98
Title Index
Red Scare on Sunset 64
Red Spy at Night 104
Remember Me
See Deckchairs IV 11
Remembering Things 98
Return Engagements 64
Reunion 64
Revenge of Sherlock Holmes 83
Right Christmas Caper 98
Right Honourable Lady 104
Rink 83
Rising Damp
See Banana Box 5
Robin Hood 98
Robinson Crusoe 98
Robinson Crusoe and the Pirates 98
Rockaby 104
Rocky Horror Show 84
Romance/Romance 84
Romantic Comedy 64
Roots and Wings 33
Rope 33
Royal Hunt of the Sun 33
Rumpelstiltskin 98
Run for Your Wife 33
Running Riot 34
Rutherford and Son 34
Ruthless the Musical 84
S
Sabrina Fair 65
Same Time, Next Year 65
Santa in Space 98
Saucy Jack and the Space Vixens 84
School for Wives 34
Scrambled Feet 84
Scrooge 84
Searching for Dr Branovic 34
Seamarks 65
Second from Last in the Sack Race 34
Secret Garden 85
Secret Life of Walter Mitty 85
Secret Lives of Henry and Alice 34
Seesaw 85
Semblance of Madness! 104
Sense and Sensibility 34
Sensuous Senator 65
September Tide 34
Seven Rabbits on a Pole 65
Seven Year Itch 65
70, Girls, 70 85
sex, drugs & rick ’n’ noel 35, 85
Sextet 35
Sexual Perversity in Chicago 65, 104
Sganarelle 104
Shades 35
Shadows on Oak Island 65
Shakespeare for My Father 66
Shape of Things 66
Sheila 35
She Was Only an Admiral’s Daughter ...
35
Shifting Heart 35
Shining Hour 35
Shirt 104
Shock! 35
Shoppers 104
See Deckchairs I 10
Short Changed 104
See Deckchairs II 11
Show-Off 66
Shrivings 35
Shut Your Eyes and Think of England 36
Side Effects 36
Side Show 85
Signs of Life 66
Silas Marner 36
Silent Night 104
Sinbad the Sailor 92
Crocker and Gilder 98
Reakes 98
Sinbadaladdin! 98
Sing a Song of Sixpence 98
Sisterhood 36
Sisters Rosensweig 66
Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks 66
Slave of Truth 36
Sleeper Murders 36
Sleeping Beauty
Crocker (small cast) 98
Crocker and Gilder 98
Sleuth 36
Slice of Saturday Night 86
Slight Hangover 36
Smoke on the Mountain Homecoming 86
Snow White 98
Some Girl(s) 66
Something’s Afoot 86
Something to Remember You By 36
Something’s Burning 37
Songbook 86
Song of Singapore 86
Sorry, I Love You ... 37
Southern Comforts 66
Space Between the Years 104
Spanish Lies 37
Special Occasions 67
Spider and the Bird 104
Split Ends 104
Spokesong 86
Sport of Kings 37
Spotlight 104
Spygame 37
Squaring the Circle 37
Squatters’ Rights 104
See Couples 8
Steel Magnolias 67
Steel Pier 87
Stepmother 37
Stepping Out 37
Stepping Out – The Musical 87
Sting in the Tale 37
Stop and Run 104
Straight and Narrow 38
Strangers on a Train 38
Strictly Murder 38
Stubbs 104
Summer End 38
Sundance 67
Sunshine Boys 67
Surgeon of Honour 38
Suspicions 38
Sweeney Todd Shock ’n’ Roll Show 87, 99
Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of
Fleet Street 38
Sweepers 67
Sword Against the Sea 38
Sylvia’s Wedding 39
T
Take Away the Lady 39
Tale of Two Cities
Dickens/Ross/Carter 87
Dickens/Santoriello 87
Tarantara! Tarantara! 87
Tartuffe 39
Teibele and Her Demon 67
Temporary Help 67
1066 And All That 99
That Good Night 39
That Time 104
Theatre 1 and 2 104
Theatrical Digs 104
See Deckchairs II 11
Theft 39
There’s None So Blind 104
There Was an Old Woman … 99
They Call It Murder 39
They Came From Mars ...
See Farndale Avenue Comedies 15
They’re Playing Our Song 88
13 Rue de l’Amour 67
39 Steps 39
This Is How It Goes 67
Thousand Clowns 68
Threat! 39
Three Judgements in One 40
Three Musketeers 40
Three Musketeers — Le Panteau! 99
Thrill Me: The Leopold & Loeb Story 88
Through the Looking Glass 99
Thursday’s Ladies 40
Tickle 99
Tiger 104
Times Square 104
Tippers 104
Tiptoe Through the Tombstones 40
Toad of Toad Hall 99
Tom, Dick and Harry 40
Tom Jones 40
Tom Thumb 99
Tomb with a View 40
Tons of Money
Original version 40
Revised version 41
Too Long An Autumn 41
Torch Song Trilogy 68, 104
Touch of Rose Madder 104
Touch of Spring 68
Treasure Island 41, 99
Tree Grows in Brooklyn 88
Tribute 68
Trilby 41
Trivial Pursuits 41
Tunnel of Love 68
123
Title Index
Twelve Angry Men 68
Twentieth Century 68
Twice in a Lifetime 88
Two Fat Men 104
Two for the Seesaw 68
Two Into One 41
Two of a Kind 41
Two of Us 41, 104
Two Summers 104
Typists 104
U
Ugly Duckling 99
Umjana Land 104
Unoriginal Sin 42
Untimely Frost 42
Up and Coming 42
Up for Grabs 42
Uproar in the House 42
V
Vanity Fair 42
Veronica’s Room 69
Village Fête 42
Visit 42
Vita and Virginia 42
Voyager 104
W
Waiting for Godot 42
Wait Until Dark 68
Waldo and Sons 88
Walk On Walk On 43
Water Babies 88
Waverley Gallery 69
Wayward Spirit 43
We Don’t Want to Lose You 104
See Fiddlers Three 15
We Found Love ... 43
See Farndale Avenue Comedies 15
We Must Kill Toni 43
We Proudly Present 43
Weekend 43
What If 69
What’s for Pudding? 104
What the Night Is For 69
When Did You Last See Your Trousers?
43
When I Was a Girl, I Used to Scream
and Shout ... 44
When the Reaper Calls 69
When the Wind Blows 44
Where the Rainbow Ends 89
White Cat 99
White Cliffs 44
White Liars 104
White Sheep of the Family 44
White Whore and the Bit Player 69, 104
Whodidit? 104
Who Dies Wins 44
124
Who Goes There! 44
Who Killed Santa Claus? 44
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? 69
Who’s Under Where? 70
Who’s Who? 44
Whoops-a-Daisy 44
Why Me? 45
Widows 45
Widows and Children First 104
Wife After Death 45
Wife Begins at Forty 45
Will You Still Love Me in the Morning?
45
Wind in the Willows
Hall 99
Morley 100
Winter Guest 45
Wiz 89
Wizard of Wobbling Rock 100
Woman of the Year 89
Worzel Gummidge 89, 100
Woza Albert! 45
Wuthering Heights 45
Y
You Never Know 89
You Say Tomatoes 70
Z
Zack 45
Zombie Prom 89
Zorba 90