Acorn Antiques: The Musical!
Encyclopedia
Acorn Antiques:The Musical! is a musical about an antiques dealer, based on the parodic soap opera of the same name
by Victoria Wood
. It premiered in the West End
in 2005, and starred Julie Walters
and Celia Imrie
. The musical won the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical and was nominated as Best New Musical.
, and opened at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in February 2005 for a three month sell-out run. Parodying successful musicals such as Les Misérables
and Chicago
, it also caricatured the trend for socio-realism in contemporary drama and the conventions of song and choreography in musicals. It featured three of the principal actors from the original reprising their roles (or, strictly, the parts of the fictional actors from the spoof documentary); Duncan Preston
returned as Clifford as did Celia Imrie
as Babs and Julie Walters
as Mrs Overall. Victoria Wood
alternated with Walters in that role, and her character Miss Berta was played by Sally Ann Triplett
. The musical also introduced Miss Bonnie (Josie Lawrence
), a sister of Miss Babs and Miss Berta (who are apparently sisters now and no longer cousins as they were originally).
)) want to just have a fun piece with a good tap number. After a disastrous open dress rehearsal, the cast hijack the concept to return it to its original roots, and take it to the West End, funded by Bo Beaumont's lottery win.
The second act is the musical within the musical, and is much more like the original series. Miss Babs (Celia Imrie
) and Miss Berta (Sally Ann Triplett
) run "Acorn Antiques", and are aided and amused by their friends and cleaner: Mrs Overall (Walters
) and Mr Clifford (Duncan Preston
). Soon, they discover a third sister, Bonnie (Josie Lawrence
) who is initially scheming and devious (for instance, she fires Mrs Overall, even after finding out she's her mother). The plot unfolds, the sisters are faced with financial woes, and family secrets. The show ends with the triumphant return of Mrs Overall, a windfall, and the unition of Miss Bertha and Mr Clifford. All is well in Manchesterford.
criticised the show for extending a sketch into a three hour long musical, but mentioned that Julie Walters
was "inimitable" and to see her "shuffling onto the stage as the perpetually stooped and crumpled Mrs Overall - tea tray in hand with macaroons at the ready - is enough to induce guffaws of recognition." Like Shenton, Philip Fisher of The British Theatre Guide
lamented the record-breaking high levels of ticket price (up to £65), but lauded the performances and enthusiasm of the project. A teletext review voiced the opinion that the plot lacked depth, and that it wasn't a great theatrical performance. The Stage
said that it would have been better if Victoria Wood
had drafted in aid with the musical, and also stated that it really starts at the beginning of the second act (see Revival), but that it contained "enough entertainment and wit to keep the faithful happy", and said that "the second half begins, to the palpable delight of the audience, with the show they have come to see - with missed cues, fluffed lines and preposterous plots gloriously intact".
However, it played to full houses, and was nominated for Best New Musical, Best Actress in a Musical (Julie Walters
) and Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Celia Imrie
) at the Laurence Olivier Awards
, and won Best Supporting Actress. The original series and the musical were released on DVD in the UK in January 2005 and March 2006 respectively.
A routine from the show closed the 2005 BAFTA tribute to Victoria Wood
; however, she recently claimed that creating the musical was a "bad idea" as it harmed her credentials as a serious playwright.
calling it "a lot of fun".
Act I
Act II
Act II
Acorn Antiques
Acorn Antiques is a parodic soap opera written by Victoria Wood as a regular feature in the two seasons of Victoria Wood As Seen On TV, which ran from 1985 to 1987. It was turned into a musical by Wood, opening in 2005.-Television version:...
by Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
. It premiered in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
in 2005, and starred Julie Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
and Celia Imrie
Celia Imrie
Celia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
. The musical won the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical and was nominated as Best New Musical.
Concept and background
Victoria Wood decided to revive the original concept to satirise musical theatre with Acorn Antiques: The Musical!, with the intent to give people a "lovely, happy night in the theatre.". It was directed by Trevor NunnTrevor Nunn
Sir Trevor Robert Nunn, CBE is an English theatre, film and television director. Nunn has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed musicals and dramas for the stage, as well as opera...
, and opened at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in February 2005 for a three month sell-out run. Parodying successful musicals such as Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
and Chicago
Chicago (musical)
Chicago is a musical set in Prohibition-era Chicago. The music is by John Kander with lyrics by Fred Ebb and a book by Ebb and Bob Fosse. The story is a satire on corruption in the administration of criminal justice and the concept of the "celebrity criminal"...
, it also caricatured the trend for socio-realism in contemporary drama and the conventions of song and choreography in musicals. It featured three of the principal actors from the original reprising their roles (or, strictly, the parts of the fictional actors from the spoof documentary); Duncan Preston
Duncan Preston
Duncan Preston is an English actor probably best known for his appearances in television productions written by Victoria Wood. His best remembered roles are Clifford in the Victoria Wood As Seen On TV soap opera parody Acorn Antiques , and Stan in dinnerladies.In July 2010, Preston revealed he was...
returned as Clifford as did Celia Imrie
Celia Imrie
Celia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
as Babs and Julie Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
as Mrs Overall. Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
alternated with Walters in that role, and her character Miss Berta was played by Sally Ann Triplett
Sally Ann Triplett
Sally Ann Triplett is a British singer and actress most famous for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest and many West End productions.-Eurovision:...
. The musical also introduced Miss Bonnie (Josie Lawrence
Josie Lawrence
Josie Lawrence is a British comedienne and actress best known for her work with the Comedy Store Players improvisational troupe, the television series Whose Line Is It Anyway? and more recently her role as Manda Best in EastEnders....
), a sister of Miss Babs and Miss Berta (who are apparently sisters now and no longer cousins as they were originally).
Plot
The plot revolves around the original (fictional) actors reprising their roles from stage; however, contrary to their wishes, the experimental director adapts it into a gritty commentary on British suburban life, despite the fact that the cast (led by Bo Beaumont (Julie WaltersJulie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
)) want to just have a fun piece with a good tap number. After a disastrous open dress rehearsal, the cast hijack the concept to return it to its original roots, and take it to the West End, funded by Bo Beaumont's lottery win.
The second act is the musical within the musical, and is much more like the original series. Miss Babs (Celia Imrie
Celia Imrie
Celia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
) and Miss Berta (Sally Ann Triplett
Sally Ann Triplett
Sally Ann Triplett is a British singer and actress most famous for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest and many West End productions.-Eurovision:...
) run "Acorn Antiques", and are aided and amused by their friends and cleaner: Mrs Overall (Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
) and Mr Clifford (Duncan Preston
Duncan Preston
Duncan Preston is an English actor probably best known for his appearances in television productions written by Victoria Wood. His best remembered roles are Clifford in the Victoria Wood As Seen On TV soap opera parody Acorn Antiques , and Stan in dinnerladies.In July 2010, Preston revealed he was...
). Soon, they discover a third sister, Bonnie (Josie Lawrence
Josie Lawrence
Josie Lawrence is a British comedienne and actress best known for her work with the Comedy Store Players improvisational troupe, the television series Whose Line Is It Anyway? and more recently her role as Manda Best in EastEnders....
) who is initially scheming and devious (for instance, she fires Mrs Overall, even after finding out she's her mother). The plot unfolds, the sisters are faced with financial woes, and family secrets. The show ends with the triumphant return of Mrs Overall, a windfall, and the unition of Miss Bertha and Mr Clifford. All is well in Manchesterford.
Reception
The musical received mixed reviews. Mark Shenton of the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
criticised the show for extending a sketch into a three hour long musical, but mentioned that Julie Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
was "inimitable" and to see her "shuffling onto the stage as the perpetually stooped and crumpled Mrs Overall - tea tray in hand with macaroons at the ready - is enough to induce guffaws of recognition." Like Shenton, Philip Fisher of The British Theatre Guide
British Theatre Guide
The British Theatre Guide is an on-line database of specially commissioned reviews of theatre productions throughout the United Kingdom, together with theatre-related news reports, interviews with leading theatre practitioners, obituaries and comprehensive annual obituary listings.It also...
lamented the record-breaking high levels of ticket price (up to £65), but lauded the performances and enthusiasm of the project. A teletext review voiced the opinion that the plot lacked depth, and that it wasn't a great theatrical performance. The Stage
The Stage
The Stage is a weekly British newspaper founded in 1880, available nationally and published on Thursdays. Covering all areas of the entertainment industry but focused primarily on theatre, it contains news, reviews, opinion, features and other items of interest, mainly to those who work within the...
said that it would have been better if Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
had drafted in aid with the musical, and also stated that it really starts at the beginning of the second act (see Revival), but that it contained "enough entertainment and wit to keep the faithful happy", and said that "the second half begins, to the palpable delight of the audience, with the show they have come to see - with missed cues, fluffed lines and preposterous plots gloriously intact".
However, it played to full houses, and was nominated for Best New Musical, Best Actress in a Musical (Julie Walters
Julie Walters
Julie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
) and Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Celia Imrie
Celia Imrie
Celia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
) at the Laurence Olivier Awards
Laurence Olivier Awards
The Laurence Olivier Award is presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre. Named after the renowned British actor Laurence Olivier, they are given for West End shows and other productions staged in London...
, and won Best Supporting Actress. The original series and the musical were released on DVD in the UK in January 2005 and March 2006 respectively.
A routine from the show closed the 2005 BAFTA tribute to Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood
Victoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
; however, she recently claimed that creating the musical was a "bad idea" as it harmed her credentials as a serious playwright.
DVD
The DVD (a filmed version of a performance in 2005 with the original cast) was released in 2006. Special features include featurettes which showed Victoria Wood playing the role of Mrs Overall on the nights that Julie Walters did not appear.Revival
In early 2006 it was announced that the musical would be revived and tour around the UK during the Winter season. It was revealed that Victoria Wood (the author) would direct the touring production and an all-new cast will be put together. Mrs Overall will be played by Ria Jones. The touring version essentially omits the London show's first act (in which the players struggle against their director's pessimistic social commentary), interpolating some of the main musical numbers which had featured there into a significantly expanded second act (the "straight" musical of Acorn Antiques). The tour version of the show has received fairly positive reviews, with the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
calling it "a lot of fun".
Original West End Cast and Crew
Source: Official Website, DVD Credits and ProgramCast
- Jenna Boyd - Hatcheck Girl/Mimi
- Gareth Bryn - Steve/Hugh R Kettlewell
- Lorraine Chappell - Suzy/Papergirl/Young Mrs Overall/Evelyn
- Danielle Coombe - Sally/Miss Wellbelove/Debra
- Paul Grunert - Vic/Mr Watkins
- Shaun Henson - Ginger/Shopkeeper
- Celia ImrieCelia ImrieCelia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
- Miss Babs - Josie LawrenceJosie LawrenceJosie Lawrence is a British comedienne and actress best known for her work with the Comedy Store Players improvisational troupe, the television series Whose Line Is It Anyway? and more recently her role as Manda Best in EastEnders....
- Donna/Bonnie - Sydney Livingstone - Ken/Mr Minchin
- Jill Martin - Lynne/Christine
- Neil MorrisseyNeil MorrisseyNeil Anthony Morrissey is an English actor, media personality and businessman. He is best known for his role as Tony in Men Behaving Badly....
- John/Tony - Hilary O'Neil - Mavis/Bev
- Duncan PrestonDuncan PrestonDuncan Preston is an English actor probably best known for his appearances in television productions written by Victoria Wood. His best remembered roles are Clifford in the Victoria Wood As Seen On TV soap opera parody Acorn Antiques , and Stan in dinnerladies.In July 2010, Preston revealed he was...
- Mr. Clifford - Carl Sanderson - Brian/Mr Furlong
- Myra Sands - Barbara/Miss Willoughby
- David Shaw Parker - Tom/Robert Stillman/Derek
- Nicola Sloane - Pip/Miss Cuff
- John Stacey - Alan/Postman
- Sally Ann TriplettSally Ann TriplettSally Ann Triplett is a British singer and actress most famous for her participation in the Eurovision Song Contest and many West End productions.-Eurovision:...
- Miss Berta - Julie WaltersJulie WaltersJulie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
- Bo Beaumont/Mrs Overall - Victoria WoodVictoria WoodVictoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
- Bo Beaumont/Mrs Overall
Crew
- Set Design - Lez Brotherston
- Costume Design - Stephen Brimson Lewis
- Lighting Design - Alistair Grant
- Sound Design - Paul Groothuis
- Orchestrator - Chris Walker
- Casting Director - Pippa Ailion
- Music Supervisor and Dance Arrangements - Gareth Valentine
- Choreographer - Stephen Mear
- Book, Music & Lyrics - Victoria WoodVictoria WoodVictoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
- Director - Trevor NunnTrevor NunnSir Trevor Robert Nunn, CBE is an English theatre, film and television director. Nunn has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed musicals and dramas for the stage, as well as opera...
Song List (London)
Note: Because no official soundtrack has ever been released (presumably due to contractual or legal difficulties), neither has an official song list. Therefore, all tracks are included in order, but the name of the tracks themselves are disputable, and have been written down by careful inspection of the show on the DVD.Act I
- Middle Class Show - Ensemble
- Residents' Parking - Miss Babs, Mrs Overall, Ms Berta & Ensemble
- Café Continental - Mrs Overall & Ensemble
- Mine Alone (Intro) - Mr Clifford
- Mine Alone - Mr Clifford, Alan, Sally
- Tip Top Tap - Mrs Overall & Ensemble
- Tip Top Tap (Reprise) - Mrs Overall & Ensemble
Act II
- Manchesterford - Ensemble
- (Doorbell Rings, a Customer) Acorn Antiques! - Miss Babs, Miss Berta, Hugh, Mimi
- Macaroons! - Mrs Overall
- Please stay here - Miss Bonnie, Miss Babs, Miss Berta
- We're On Our Way - Miss Babs, Miss Berta, Miss Bonnie, Hugh, Mimi
- Remind Him - Miss Berta
- D.E.B.T - Tony, Deb, Evelyn, Bev
- Manchesterford (Reprise) - Mrs Overall
- Back on Top - Miss Berta, Hugh, Mimi
- I Am Going Out to Find Her - Ms Bonnie & Ensemble
- Have You Met Miss Babs? - Miss Babs
- Oh! Oh! Oh! Mrs O! - Ensemble
- Macaroons! (Reprise) - Mrs Overall & Ensemble
- We're On Our Way (Reprise) - Ensemble
Song List (Revival)
Act I- Manchesterford - Company
- Acorn Antiques - Miss Babs, Miss Berta, Hugh, Mimi
- Macaroons - Mrs Overall
- Clifford's Anthem - Clifford
- Please Stay Here - Ms Bonnie, Miss Berta, Miss Babs, Clifford & Ensemble
- Hey, Hey! (We're On Our Way) - Miss Berta, Miss Babs, Ms Bonnie, Clifford, Hugh, Mimi
- Have You Met Miss Babs - Miss Babs
- Remind Him - Miss Berta
- Tip Top Tap - Miss Berta, Miss Babs, Miss Bonnie & Ensemble
Act II
- The Ol' Small Print - Tony, Deb, Evelyn, Bev, Bonnie
- Love from Mrs O - Mrs Overall
- Remind Her - Clifford
- Shagarama - Bonnie, Berta, Babs & Ensemble
- Gent's Duet - Derek & Mr Watkins
- Once in a Lifetime (I'm Going Out to Find Her) - Ms Bonnie & Ensemble
- Oh! Oh! Oh! Mrs O! - Ensemble
- Macaroons (Reprise) - Mrs Overall & Ensemble
- Hey, Hey! (We're On Our Way) (Reprise) - Ensemble
Awards and nominations
- WON Laurence Olivier Award 2006 - Celia ImrieCelia ImrieCelia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
(Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical) - Nominated Laurence Olivier Award 2006 - Victoria WoodVictoria WoodVictoria Wood CBE is a British comedienne, actress, singer-songwriter, screenwriter and director. Wood has written and starred in sketches, plays, films and sitcoms, and her live stand-up comedy act is interspersed with her own compositions, which she accompanies on piano...
(Best New Musical) - Nominated Laurence Olivier Award 2006 - Julie WaltersJulie WaltersJulie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
(Best Actress in a Musical) - Nominated What's On Stage Awards 2006 - Celia ImrieCelia ImrieCelia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
(Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical) - Nominated What's On Stage Awards 2006 - (Best New Musical)
- Nominated What's On Stage Awards 2006 - Julie WaltersJulie WaltersJulie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
(Best Actress in a Musical)