There's A Girl In My Soup (comedy)
Encyclopedia
There's A Girl In My Soup is a stage comedy written by Terence Frisby
.
It opened in 1966 at the Globe Theatre
and ran for six and half years until 1973 - over a thousand performances - to become the longest-running comedy in the history of the West End. After three and a half years at the Globe, the show transferred to the Comedy Theatre. It was unprecedented for a comedy to run for such a long time. This record was later broken by No Sex Please, We're British
and then Run for Your Wife.
The show was directed by Bob Chetwyn and featured Donald Sinden
, Barbara Ferris
, Jon Pertwee
and Clive Francis
. The producer was Michael Codron
. The record-breaking success of the show put Codron on the map as a producer
.
Set in the glamorous world of the 1960s, it tells the story of a smooth-talking TV chef (based on "The Galloping Gourmet", Graham Kerr
) Robert Danvers (Sinden), who falls for a girl, Marion (Ferris), who is half his age. It was in this play that the catchphrase, "My God, but you're lovely" was born.
The show transferred to Broadway
with Gig Young
in the main role, where it also enjoyed success, but not on the same level as in the West End.
In 1991, Marc Sinden
(Donald Sinden's son) played his father's part (Robert Danvers) in the 25th anniversary production at the Mill at Sonning Theatre with Louise English
as Marion and John Challis
as Andrew and co-directed by the author Terence Frisby.
It was later made into a film (There's a Girl in My Soup
) with Goldie Hawn
and Peter Sellers
, directed by Roy Boulting, for which Frisby won The Writers' Guild Of Great Britain Award for Best Screenplay in 1970. The film was also a financial success, but there are some who felt the magic of the play was lost by the charmless performance of Sellers.
Terence Frisby
Terence Frisby is a London-based playwright and novelist, best known as the author of the play There's A Girl In My Soup.-Personal life:...
.
It opened in 1966 at the Globe Theatre
Gielgud Theatre
The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, London, at the corner of Rupert Street. The house currently has 889 seats on three levels.-History:...
and ran for six and half years until 1973 - over a thousand performances - to become the longest-running comedy in the history of the West End. After three and a half years at the Globe, the show transferred to the Comedy Theatre. It was unprecedented for a comedy to run for such a long time. This record was later broken by No Sex Please, We're British
No Sex Please, We're British
No Sex Please, We're British is a British comedic play written by Alistair Foot and Anthony Marriott, first staged in London's West End in 1971. It was unanimously panned by critics, but still ran for nearly a decade to packed audiences...
and then Run for Your Wife.
The show was directed by Bob Chetwyn and featured Donald Sinden
Donald Sinden
Sir Donald Alfred Sinden CBE is an English actor of theatre, film and television.-Personal life:Sinden was born in Plymouth, Devon, England, on 9 October 1923. The son of Alfred Edward Sinden and his wife Mabel Agnes , he grew up in the Sussex village of Ditchling, where their home doubled as the...
, Barbara Ferris
Barbara Ferris
Barbara Gillian Ferris is an English actress and former fashion model.She appeared in a number of films and productions for television and is possibly best remembered as Dinah, the young woman who eloped with Dave Clark in the 1965 film Catch Us If You Can...
, Jon Pertwee
Jon Pertwee
John Devon Roland Pertwee , was an English actor. Pertwee is best known for his role in the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, in which he played the third incarnation of the Doctor from 1970 to 1974, and as the title character in the series Worzel Gummidge...
and Clive Francis
Clive Francis
-Early life:He is the son of actors Raymond Francis and Margaret Towner. He was born in Eastbourne.His father played Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart in the 1960s series No Hiding Place and his mother still acts today - most recently she played Jira, Anakin Skywalker's friend, in Star...
. The producer was Michael Codron
Michael Codron
Michael Victor Codron is a British film and theatre producer, known for his productions of the early work of Harold Pinter, Christopher Hampton, David Hare, Simon Gray and Tom Stoppard...
. The record-breaking success of the show put Codron on the map as a producer
Theatrical producer
A theatrical producer is the person ultimately responsible for overseeing all aspects of mounting a theatre production. The independent producer will usually be the originator and finder of the script and starts the whole process...
.
Set in the glamorous world of the 1960s, it tells the story of a smooth-talking TV chef (based on "The Galloping Gourmet", Graham Kerr
Graham Kerr
Graham Kerr is a cooking personality who is best known for his television cooking show The Galloping Gourmet.- Biography :...
) Robert Danvers (Sinden), who falls for a girl, Marion (Ferris), who is half his age. It was in this play that the catchphrase, "My God, but you're lovely" was born.
The show transferred to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
with Gig Young
Gig Young
Gig Young was an American film, stage, and television actor. Known mainly for second leads and supporting roles, Young won an Academy Award for his performance as a dance-marathon emcee in the 1969 film, They Shoot Horses, Don't They?.-Early life and career:Born Byron Elsworth Barr in St...
in the main role, where it also enjoyed success, but not on the same level as in the West End.
In 1991, Marc Sinden
Marc Sinden
Marc Sinden is an English theatre producer, documentary director and actor. His father is the actor Sir Donald Sinden.-Theatre:...
(Donald Sinden's son) played his father's part (Robert Danvers) in the 25th anniversary production at the Mill at Sonning Theatre with Louise English
Louise English
Louise English is a British actress with many roles in West End plays and nationally touring musical theatre productions, and was a regular performer on the The Benny Hill Show from 1978 to 1986 ....
as Marion and John Challis
John Challis
John Challis is an English actor.-Career:He is probably best known for his role as Terrance Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce in the long running comedy show Only Fools and Horses, and its 2005 spin-off, The Green Green Grass....
as Andrew and co-directed by the author Terence Frisby.
It was later made into a film (There's a Girl in My Soup
There's a Girl in My Soup
There's a Girl in My Soup is a 1970 British comedy film, directed by Roy Boulting and starring Peter Sellers and Goldie Hawn. Sellers appears as Robert Danvers, a vain, womanizing and wealthy host of a high-profile cooking show...
) with Goldie Hawn
Goldie Hawn
Goldie Jeanne Hawn is an American actress, film director, producer, and occasional singer. Hawn is known for her roles in Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Private Benjamin, Foul Play, Overboard, Bird on a Wire, Death Becomes Her, The First Wives Club, and Cactus Flower, for which she won the 1969...
and Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
, directed by Roy Boulting, for which Frisby won The Writers' Guild Of Great Britain Award for Best Screenplay in 1970. The film was also a financial success, but there are some who felt the magic of the play was lost by the charmless performance of Sellers.