New revival of Sandy Wilson's The Boy Friend to run at the Menier Chocolate Factory
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Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels
The Menier Chocolate Factory announced a major revival of The Boy Friend last month. The Sandy Wilson musical, which is to be directed by Matthew White, will open just in time for Christmas with official press night slated for 3 December 2019. The show opens before that for previews on 22 November with tickets to the complete run on sale soon!
The Boy Friend is making a long-awaited comeback in London this November.
Sandy Wilson's The Boy Friend coming to the Menier Chocolate Factory in London
This acclaimed love letter to the 1920s featuring nonstop singing, dancing, and toe-tapping numbers is set to hit London's Menier Chocolate Factory come November.
Sandy Wilson's smash-hit musical first opened in 1953 in London before transferring to the West End in 1954. It was so well-received that it went on to play for five years. The initial Broadway run in 1954 brought the relatively unknown actress Julie Andrews into the spotlight and the show was eventually adapted for the big screen. The 1971 film, The Boy Friend, starred English supermodel Twiggy, whose performance garnered two Golden Globe awards. The highly anticipated revival marks the show's first staging in London in over a decade.
What is The Boy Friend about?
The Boy Friend is set in France at Madame Dubonnet's finishing school. The girls at the school will burst into song without any reason to do so whilst the dangerous boy friends are constantly dropping in through the French windows to dance and sing along with them. The feel-good musical has enjoyed a number of revivals over the last half-century and has swiftly become one of the most beloved British musicals in history.
The Boy Friend Menier Chocolate Factory creative team
The details on the cast and creative team are scarce, but Matthew White is set to return to the Menier Chocolate Factory to direct the show.
White's past directorial credits include Candide, Closer than Ever (Jermyn Street Theatre), Kiss Me Kate, Little Shop of Horrors (Duke of York's Theatre), Maria Friedman - By Special Arrangement (Donmar Warehouse), Mr Stink (also adapted, Curve and UK tour), She Loves Me, Sweet Charity (Haymarket Theatre), The Addams Family (Festival Theatre Edinburgh and UK tour), The Last Five Years, The Producers (UK tour), Top Hat (also adapted for the stage, UK tour and Aldwych Theatre - Olivier Award winner for Best New Musical), and West Side Story (Kilworth House).
​Tickets for The Boy Friend at the Menier are on sale soon!
It's been 10 long years and The Boy Friend is finally coming back to the London theatre stage this year. Don't miss the new Off-West End production of this iconic musical featuring the well-loved character Polly Browne, a role made famous by Twiggy! The Boy Friend is booking at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 22 November 2019 until 7 March 2020. Be sure to catch this spectacular musical this autumn!