The Boy Friend (musical)
The Boy Friend (sometimes misrepresented The Boyfriend) is a musical by Sandy Wilson. Its original 1954 London production ran for 2,078 performances, briefly making it the third-longest running musical in West End or Broadway history (after Chu Chin Chow and Oklahoma!) until they were all surpassed by Salad Days. The Boy Friend marked Julie Andrews' American stage debut.
This article is about the stage musical. For the film adaptation, see The Boy Friend (1971 film).
Set in the carefree world of the French Riviera in the Roaring Twenties, The Boy Friend is a comic pastiche of 1920s shows, in particular early Rodgers and Hart musicals such as The Girl Friend. Its relatively small cast and low cost of production makes it a continuing popular choice for amateur and student groups.
Sandy Wilson wrote a sequel to The Boy Friend. Set ten years later, and, appropriately, a pastiche of 1930s musicals, in particular those of Cole Porter, it was titled Divorce Me, Darling! and ran for 91 performances at London's old Globe Theatre in 1965. It is sometimes revived as a "double bill" with The Boy Friend.
The original score and manuscripts for the script and lyrics can be found in Wilson's archive at the Harry Ransom Center.[1]
Productions[edit]
London[edit]
The musical was first performed in London in 1953. It opened at the Players' Theatre Club on 14 April 1953, and reopened in an expanded version on 13 October. It transferred for a short season to the Embassy Theatre, Swiss Cottage and then opened at Wyndham's Theatre in the West End on 14 January 1954. Choreography was by John Heawood.[2] The light, tuneful piece proved immensely popular with the British public, including the Queen,[3] and ran for more than five years, a total of 2,082 performances.
The principal role of Polly Browne was to have been played by Diana Maddox, who fell ill on the afternoon of the final dress rehearsal. Anne Rogers (at that point playing a minor role) volunteered to take over, having learnt the role on her own. The show opened the following evening and made an overnight star of Rogers, who stayed with the production through its expanded versions to the triumphant West End first night at Wyndham's. The cast also included Hugh Paddick in his first leading West End role as Percival Browne,[4] Joan Sterndale-Bennett as Madam Dubonnet, and Violetta Farjeon as Hortense.[5]