Betty Blue Eyes musical revival to run at London’s Union Theatre
A new revival of musical Betty Blue Eyes is to run at London’s Union Theatre.
The new production, helmed by Sasha Regan, will play performances from 29 March – 22 April 2023 marking the venue’s first in-house production since the pandemic.
Featuring a book by Ron Cowen & Daniel Lipman and score by George Stiles & Anthony Drewe, Betty Blue Eyes is based on the film A Private Function and the original story by Alan Bennett and Malcom Mowbray.
Leading the cast will be Sam Kipling, Amelia Atherton, Jayne Ashley, David Pendlebury, Stuart Simons, Josh Perry, Tom Holt, Emma Jane Fearnley, Jade Marvin and Katie Stasi.
Joining them are Laurel Dougall, Aimée McQueen, Shannon Farrell, Hannah Lawton, Kane Stone, Jonny Weston, Georgia Boothman and George Dawes.
The cast will be completed by members of the Union Youth Theatre playing Veronica Allardyce: Nellie Regan, Ava Jennings-Grant and Coco Bennett.
It is 1947, war has ended but Britain’s long-suffering 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 – an 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.
Completing the creative team are choreographer Kasper Cornish, designer Reuben Speed and casting director Adam Braham.
Stiles & Drewe said: “Betty was one of the most enjoyable shows of our 40-year career, both to write, develop and to have produced. We are thrilled that she’ll be able to bat her blue eyes once more at the Union Theatre, as our new King takes to the throne, the city will once again be buzzing with street parties and very Private Functions. Not seen in London since her run at the Novello Theatre in 2011, three cheers and welcome back, Betty!”
For more information and tickets, visit uniontheatre.biz
