Cast announced for the 1st London revival of ‘BETTY BLUE EYES’

Cast announced for the 1st London revival of 
‘BETTY BLUE EYES’

Union Theatre
29 March – 22nd April, 2023

Sam Kipling (Gilbert Chilvers) recently played George in the world premiere of ‘Tasting Notes’ at Southwark Playhouse. He was Josephine in Sasha Regan’s all-male ‘HMS Pinafore’ and Edith in Sasha Regan’s all-male ‘Pirates of Penzance’.

Amelia Atherton (Joyce Chilvers) recently appeared in the UK & Ireland Tour of ‘Waitress’ as Cover Norma/Cover Becky. She was Offie nominated, Best Supporting Performance for ‘Next Thing You Know’ at the Garden Theatre.

Jayne Ashley (Mother Dear) was recently in the UK tours of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, ‘Cilla’ and ‘Sunny Afternoon’ and played Julie Saunders in ‘Bad Girls The Musical’ at the Union.

David Pendlebury (Inspector Wormold) was Judge Turpin in Sondheim’s ‘Sweeney Todd’ at the English Theatre Frankfurt, and The Senator in ‘Hello Again’ at the Union.

Stuart Simons (Dr Swaby) was the male Company Cover in Sondheim’s Passion at Hope Mill Theatre. He was Dad Bostock in ‘Whistle Down the Wind’ at the Union.

Josh Perry (Henry Allardyce) recently graduated with a First Class Degree in Performance in Musical Theatre after playing Sweeney Todd in ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ at Performance Preparation Academy.

Tom Holt (Francis Lockwood) was lead vocalist on ‘A Tropical Tale’ and and The Conductor on ‘The Polar Express – The Tram’.

Emma Jane Fearnley (Mrs Roach / Ensemble) is a recent graduate of the London School of
Musical Theatre making her professional debut.

Jade Marvin (Mrs Lester / Ensemble) played Catherine of Aragon in ‘Six the Musical’. She was also in ‘Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens’ (Union); ‘Bad Girls: The Musical’ (Upstairs at The Gatehouse); ‘Mythic’ (Charing Cross Theatre).

Katie Stasi (Mrs Turnbull / Ensemble) was in ‘Gradfest: Christmas Tidings at St Paul’s Church and Glinda in ‘The Wizard of Oz’.

The rest of the cast are:
Laurel Dougall, Aimée McQueen, Shannon Farrell, Hannah Lawton, Kane Stone, Jonny Weston, Georgia Boothman, George Dawes

Veronica Allardyce will be played by members of the Union Youth Theatre;

Nellie Regan, Ava Jennings-Grant and Coco Bennett

Creative team:
Director Sasha Regan
Musical Director Aaron Clingham
Choreographer Kasper Cornish

Designer Reuben Speed
Casting Adam Braham
Produced by Sasha Regan & Stuart Simons

Premiering in 2011, ‘Betty Blue Eyes’, Book by Ron Cowen & Daniel Lipman, Music by George Stiles  Lyrics by Anthony Drewe based on the film ‘A Private Function’ by Alan Bennett and Malcolm Mowbray, received nominations for ‘Best New Musical’ in the Olivier Awards, The Evening Standard Awards and the WhatsOnStage.com Awards.

It is 1947, war has ended but Britain’s citizens are suffering under the burden of food rationing, high unemployment and the coldest winter for decades.

The only bright spark on the horizon is the impending marriage of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip. Enter Betty, an adorable pig who is being illegally reared to ensure local dignitaries of a small community in Yorkshire can celebrate the Royal Wedding with a lavish banquet whilst the local population make do with Spam.

‘Betty Blue Eyes’ is an utterly British musical, full of eccentric characters, such as odd couple Gilbert Chilvers – a humble chiropodist, and his wife Joyce, a nobody determined to be somebody; Inspector Wormold – an obsessive destroyer of illegal meat; Mother Dear – “She’s 74 and ravenous”; along with a weird assortment of bullies, spivs and snobs, and of course, Betty the pig.

It has a deliciously infectious, toe-tapping, retro contemporary score by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, with a book by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, adapted and expanded from Alan Bennett and Malcolm Mowbray’s hilariously funny and sharply observed comic film ‘A Private Function’.

‘Betty Blue Eyes’, directed by Sasha Regan, is the first in-house production at the Union Theatre since Covid.

Stiles and Drewe – Music and Lyrics

Stiles and Drewe are a multi award-winning musical theatre writing partnership whose shows have been seen all over the world and have been translated into many languages.

Their scores include the international smash-hit Cameron Mackintosh/Disney production of ‘Mary Poppins’, the Olivier Award-winning ‘Honk!,’ which has been seen by more than 6 million people in over 8,000 productions, and the West End productions of ‘Half A Sixpence’ and ‘The Wind in the Willows’. Their other shows are ‘Soho Cinders’, ‘Travels With My Aunt’, ‘Peter Pan – A Musical Adventure’, ‘Just So’ and ‘Tutankhamun’.

George and Anthony have also completed a trilogy of 50-minute musicals for younger audiences, ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’ and ‘The Three Little Pigs’.

Current projects include ‘Identical’ based on ‘The Parent Trap’ and ‘Becoming Nancy’ with director/ choreographer Jerry Mitchell.

Future projects include a stage version of Robert Harling’s film ‘Soapdish’.

Independently, as a composer, George’s credits include the musicals ‘Moll Flanders’, ‘The Three Musketeers’, ‘Tom Jones’ and the scores for Sam Mendes’ stage productions of ‘Twelfth Night’ and ‘Uncle Vanya’ (Donmar Warehouse/BAM NYC).

Independently, as a lyricist, Anthony’s credits include ‘The Card’ (Watermill/Regent’s Park) and ‘A Twist Of Fate’ (Singapore Rep).

Honk! has won many international awards including the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Mary Poppins has won 45 major theatre awards around the globe, including Tony, Olivier, Helpmann and London Evening Standard Awards. Stiles and Drewe were nominated for Best New Musical at the 2016 WhatsOnStage Awards for Half A Sixpence and Betty Blue Eyes was nominated for the 2012 Olivier Award. Other awards include the TMA Best Musical Award for Moll Flanders and The Straits Times Award for Best Musical for A Twist of Fate.

Stiles and Drewe’s passion for new musical theatre is recognised via the annual Stiles and Drewe Prize for Best New Song, now in its 13th year, and their Mentorship Award supported by Music Theatre International (Europe). They are also founding board members of Mercury Musical Developments (MMD), Associate Artists at The Watermill Theatre and patrons of the London Musical Theatre Orchestra (LMTO) and The Musical Theatre Academy (MTA).

‘Mary Poppins’ has won 45 major theatre awards around the globe, including Tony, Olivier, Helpmann and London Evening Standard Awards. Stiles and Drewe were nominated for Best New Musical at the 2016 WhatsOnStage Awards for ‘Half A Sixpence’. Other awards include the TMA Best Musical Award for ‘Moll Flanders’.

Along with Anthony, George’s passion for new musical theatre writing is recognised via the annual Stiles and Drewe Prize for Best New Song, and their Mentorship Award supported by Music Theatre International (Europe). They are founding board members of Mercury Musical Developments (MMD), Associate Artists at The Watermill Theatre and patrons of the London Musical Theatre Orchestra and the Music Theatre Academy (MTA).

Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman – Book

Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman are American writers and producers. Their work together includes: ‘Queer as Folk’ (2000–2005) US TV series, ‘Sisters’ (1991) TV series, ‘The Love She Sought’ (1990) (TV film), ‘An Early Frost’ (1985) (TV film), ‘Knots Landing’ (1984). Ron Cowen’s first play, ‘Summertree’ won a Drama Desk Award and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Sasha Regan and Stuart Simons
present

Betty Blue Eyes

Book by
Ron Cowen & Daniel Lipman

Music by George Stiles
Lyrics by Anthony Drewe

Based on the Handmade film ‘A Private Function’
and the original story by Alan Bennett and
Malcolm Mowbray
Adapted from the screenplay by Alan Bennett

Director – Sasha Regan

Union Theatre
Arch 22 & 23 Old Union Yard  Arches
229 Union Street
London SE1 0LR

29 March – 22nd April

Tuesday to Saturday at 7.30pm
Saturday Matinee 2.30pm

Previews: Previews 29th, 30th, 31st, March  

Tickets:
Previews  £20
Tickets £25

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Originally produced in London by Cameron Mackintosh

Presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International