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The Boy Friend
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The Boy Friend (sometimes mis-spelled The Boyfriend) is a musical by Sandy Wilson. The musical was written at a time when the United Kingdom was still recovering from the devastating effects of World War II and is set in the carefree world of the French Riviera in the Roaring 1920s, a similar period of peace and gradual recovery after the rigours of World War I.
The musical's original 1954 London production ran for 2,078 performances, making it briefly the third-longest running musical in West End or Broadway history (after Chu Chin Chow and Oklahoma!, until it was demoted a rank by Salad Days.
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Encyclopedia
The Boy Friend (sometimes mis-spelled The Boyfriend) is a musical by Sandy Wilson. The musical was written at a time when the United Kingdom was still recovering from the devastating effects of World War II and is set in the carefree world of the French Riviera in the Roaring 1920s, a similar period of peace and gradual recovery after the rigours of World War I.
The musical's original 1954 London production ran for 2,078 performances, making it briefly the third-longest running musical in West End or Broadway history (after Chu Chin Chow and Oklahoma!, until it was demoted a rank by Salad Days. It marked Julie Andrews' American debut.
The Boy Friend is a comic pastiche of 1920s shows (in particular early Rodgers and Hart). The title is an obvious parody of 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 was to write a sequel to the The Boy Friend. Set ten years later, and, appropriately, a pastiche of 1930s musicals (in particular those of Cole Porter) it was entitled Divorce Me, Darling! and ran for 91 performances at London's Globe Theatre in 1965. It is sometimes revived as a "double bill" with The Boy Friend.
Productions
London
The musical was first performed in London in 1953. It opened at the Players' Theatre Club on April 14, 1953, and reopened in an expanded version on October 13. 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. The light, tuneful piece proved immensely popular with the British public and ran for more than five years, a total of 2,082 performances.
In 1995, on its 40th anniversary, the musical returned to The Players' Theatre in London in a new production that was as near a reproduction of the original as possible. It was directed by Maria Charles, who played the original Dulcie. The choreography was by Geoffrey Webb who was also in the original production. It was originally planned that the choreography would be done by Larry Drew, the original Bobby van Husen, but he died suddenly during the early planning stages of the production. Set design was by Disley Jones who was responsible for the hat designs in the original production. Among the cast were Gemma Page, Oliver Hickey, Sophie Louise Dann and John Rutland (in his original role as Lord Brockhurst). Following its success at the Players' it went on a nationwide tour and was very successful.
A production played in 2006 at the Open Air Theatre at Regent's Park, London. This also proved to be a highly acclaimed production, and was revived during the Open Air Theatre's 2007 season.
Broadway
The Boy Friend opened on Broadway at the Royale Theatre on September 30 1954 and closed on November 26, 1955 after 485 performances. Starring was newcomer Julie Andrews in her Broadway debut as Polly, with a cast including John Hewer, Geoffrey Hibbert, Dilys Laye, Bob Scheerer, Anne Wakefield, Millicent Martin, and Moyna MacGill (some of whom had earlier and present connections with The Players' Theatre in London). Andrews received the Theatre World Award.
Andrews was "discovered" by My Fair Lady producers during her appearance in this play, prompting her casting in the lead in that production, and catapulting her to Broadway fame (and beyond) in the following years.
A revival opened on Broadway at the Ambassador Theatre on April 14, 1970, and ran for 111 performances. Starring were Judy Carne as Polly, Sandy Duncan as Maisie and Ronald Young as Tony. Duncan received the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance as well as a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
Regional revival and North American tour
In 2003, Julie Andrews made her directorial debut with a production of The Boy Friend at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, NY, starring Meredith Patterson as Polly Browne and Sean Palmer as Tony Brockhurst.
This production was revived at the Goodspeed Opera House, running from July 2005 through September 24, 2005, where Sean Palmer returned as Tony and Jessica Grové took over the role of Polly. Costume and scenic design were by Tony Walton, with choreography by John DeLuca. The show was performed in two acts, instead of three, and the song "Safety in Numbers" was moved from the scene on the beach to the Carnival Ball. The production next toured the United States and Canada, playing 11 cities, including Chicago, Boston, Orange County, and Toronto, from October 2005 through March 2006. The touring cast included Bethe Austin as Hortense, Paul Carlin as Percival, Andrea Chamberlain as Maisie, Drew Eshelman as Lord Brockhurst, Rick Faugno as Bobby Van Husen, Nancy Hess as Madame Dubonnet, Darcy Pulliam as Lady Brockhurst, Scott Barnhardt as Alphonse, Andrew Briedis as Pierre, Jordan Cable as Marcel, Margot de La Barre as Nancy, Pamela Otterson as Monica, Krysta Rodriguez as Fay, Eric Daniel Santagata as Phillipe, Tom Souhrada as Garcon, and Kirsten Wyatt as Dulcie.
Plot
In the Villa Caprice, or Madame Dubonnet's School for Young Ladies, Maisie and the girls live with the maid, Hortense, and Mme. Dubonnet. Hortense orders a costume for "a Miss Polly Browne" and Maisie and the other girls (Dulcie, Nancy, and Fay) sing the sarcastic "Perfect Young Ladies" with Hortense. Polly arrives and tells everyone about her made-up boy friend who is "motoring down from Paris" to meet her for the upcoming carnival ball, and sings about "The Boy Friend". Later, Bobby surprises Maisie and they dance to "Won't You Charleston With Me?"
Polly's widowed father, Percy, then arrives at the school to discover that the headmistress is an old flame of his. They sing "Fancy Forgetting" to rekindle the spark. Polly, though a millionaire's daughter, feels left out because she is the only one of her set who does not have a boyfriend, and she needs a partner for the fancy dress ball. However, when the errand boy, Tony, arrives to deliver her Pierrette costume, they are immediately attracted to each other, and sing "I Could Be Happy With You." Later, they meet at the beach (after the chorus number "Sur La Plage") and sing about "A Room in Bloomsbury". they then kiss and decide to meet at the ball. The comically flirtatious Lord Brockhurst arrives on the scene, leading to a comical meeting with the rigidly mannered Percival Browne. Lord Brockhurst's domineering wife Lady Brockhurst is also introduced. Percival Browne and Dubonnet then sing "The 'You-Don't-Want-To-Play-With-Me' Blues".
When Polly goes to meet Tony on the promenade, Lord and Lady Brockhurst, who are passing by, recognize him. When he runs off, everyone else assumes that he is a thief. The act ends on a sad note.
At the ball, Bobby and the three boys propose to Maisie and the three girls, but the girls reply in unison that "we'll let you know at midnight" and everyone dances to "The Riviera". Lord Brockhurst sings "It's Never Too Late To Fall In Love" with the flirty Dulcie, and is caught out by Lady Brockhurst. Polly confides in Mme. Dubonnet, and they sing "Poor Little Pierrette". Tony later arrives at the ball and takes Polly by surprise. He asks "May I have this dance, Pierrette?" to which Polly replies, "I'm afraid I can't dance with a stranger". He then kisses her to remind her. Polly discovers that Tony is really the son of Lord and Lady Brockhurst, who had left home to try to make his own way in the world. Percy and Mme. Dubonnet announce that they are getting married. The clock strikes midnight, and the girls unanimously say yes to the boys' proposals. The last scene has everyone dancing as soon as Bobby, with the last spoken line in the play, asks "So how about that Charleston?" The show ends with a reprise of "The Boy Friend" and "I Could Be Happy With You."
Songs
Act I
- Perfect Young Ladies - Hortense, Maisie, Dulcie, Fay, Nancy, Ensemble
- The Boy Friend - Polly, Dulcie, Maisie, Fay, Nancy, Marcel, Pierre, Alphonse, Ensemble
- Won't You Charleston With Me? - Bobby, Maisie
- Fancy Forgetting - Madame Dubonnet, Percival
- I Could Be Happy With You - Polly, Tony
- Finale Act 1 - Ensemble
Act II
- Sur La Plage - Dulcie, Nancy, Ensemble
- A Room In Bloomsbury - Tony, Polly
- Nicer In Nice - Hortense ensemble
- The You-Don't-Want-To-Play-With-Me Blues - Madame Dubonnet, Percival
- Safety In Numbers - Maisie, Bobby, Marcel, Alphonse, Pierre
- I Could Be Happy With You (Reprise) - Polly, Tony
- Finale Act 2 - ALL
Act III
- The Riviera - Bobby, Maisie, Dulcie, Fay, Nancy, Marcel, Alphonse, Pierre, Ensemble
- It's Never Too Late To Fall In Love - Lord Brockhurst, Dulcie
- Carnival Tango- Tango Dancers
- Poor Little Pierrette - Madame Dubonnet, Polly
- Finale Act 3 - ALL
Film version
Ken Russell's 1971 film version of the show, starring Twiggy and Christopher Gable, was an alternative interpretation, weaving the basic plot into a more complicated story in which a seaside dramatic company, performing the show, is visited by a film producer on the very night that the leading lady (Glenda Jackson) has to be replaced by her shy understudy Polly Browne (Twiggy Lawson). It also contained references to numerous other Busby Berkeley and MGM movie musicals of the 1930s. The National Board of Review voted Ken Russell best director for the film, but it did not make a significant impact on the American box-office. The film has not yet been released to DVD.
Wilson's original score was freely adapted and augmented by Peter Maxwell Davies for the film. Davies subsequently prepared (and recorded) a concert suite based on the music.
There is a well known continuity error at the end of the film. The closing scene was filmed beside the real stage door of the Theatre Royal, Southsea (often erroneously referred to as the Theatre Royal, Portsmouth). This is located in a narrow side street marked off with yellow "No Waiting" lines. For the filming, these lines were very badly painted over with black paint leaving easily recognisable marks on the road.
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