A new musical comedy THE SMALLEST SHOW ON EARTH

A NEW MUSICAL COMEDY
WITH MUSIC & LYRICS BY IRVING BERLIN
BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT WITH STUDIOCANAL
DIRECTED BY THOM SOUTHERLAND
STARRING LIZA GODDARD & BRIAN CAPRON
THE SMALLEST SHOW ON EARTH
TO TOUR THE UK FROM 25 SEPTEMBER 2015

Mercury Theatre, Colchester, Brian Eastman and Christabel Albery present a new musical comedy based on the StudioCanal Peter Sellers/Margaret Rutherford film The Smallest Show on Earth.  The stage show, which has a book by Thom Southerland and Paul Alexander, contains some of Irving Berlin’s greatest songs, including Blue Skies, Shakin’ the Blues Away, Let Yourself Go, Steppin’ Out with my Baby and How Deep is the Ocean, as well as some rediscovered gems.

Director Thom Southerland said “Berlin’s music provides the perfect accompaniment to our 1950s story, not only in lyric, but in style and period too.”

The UK tour of The Smallest Show on Earth will begin performances on Friday 25 September at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester, before playing Coventry, High Wycombe, Glasgow, Plymouth, Crewe, Swansea and Malvern.

Newly-weds Matt and Jean Spenser inherit a cinema and think their fortune is made.  But the Bijou, better known as the fleapit, is the victim of a dirty tricks campaign from its rival flashy neighbour The Grand.  The Bijou’s benevolent manageress Mrs Fazackalee and unreliable projectionist Mr Quill combine with Matt and Jean to outwit the opposition and restore the Bijou to its former glory.

StudioCanal’s The Smallest Show on Earth was a 1957 British Lion film written by William Rose (Genevieve, The Ladykillers) and directed by Basil Dearden (Blue Lamp, League of Gentlemen). It starred Peter Sellers as Mr Quill and Margaret Rutherford as Mrs Fazackalee, along with Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Matt and Jean.