Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be
Encyclopedia
Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'be is a play
with music, rather than a musical
. The play, by Frank Norman
, himself a Cockney
, has music and lyrics by Lionel Bart
, who also grew up in London's East End.
read it, she asked Bart to write the music and lyrics. It was first produced and directed by Littlewood in February 1959, at her Theatre Workshop
, based in the Theatre Royal Stratford East
. It subsequently played at the Garrick Theatre
in London's West End
, starting on 11 February 1960. It ran for 886 performances. The cast featured Maurice Kaufmann
, Wallas Eaton
, Miriam Karlin
, Barbara Windsor
, Toni Palmer and Bryan Pringle
.
It was a Cockney comedy and the dialogue is in the Cockney dialect with much rhyming slang and thieves' cant
. Some audiences found it difficult to understand, and a list of more than a dozen phrases with standard English translations was supplied in the programme.
The characters in the play were a selection of the low-life of London; a collection of gamblers, spiv
s, prostitutes, Teddy boy
s & girls and some not-too-honest police. The title song, "Fings ain't wot they used t'be", was memorable and was recorded by Max Bygraves
,albeit with heavily Bowdlerised lyrics. An original cast recording was made, and has recently been re-released on Hallmark Records (710032).
Reviews were mixed: "A few reviewers praised the production on the whole but found the script too thin, while others found it entertaining but not as good as the company's previous productions." The play won the Evening Standard Award for best musical (1960).
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
with music, rather than a musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
. The play, by Frank Norman
Frank Norman
Frank Norman was a British novelist and playwright.His reputation rests on his first memoir Bang to Rights and his musical play Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be , but much of the remainder of his work remains fresh and readable...
, himself a Cockney
Cockney
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End...
, has music and lyrics by Lionel Bart
Lionel Bart
Lionel Bart was a writer and composer of British pop music and musicals, best known for creating the book, music and lyrics for Oliver!-Early life:...
, who also grew up in London's East End.
Production background
Norman initially wrote the piece as a play (with no music), but after Joan LittlewoodJoan Littlewood
Joan Maud Littlewood was a British theatre director, noted for her work in developing the left-wing Theatre Workshop...
read it, she asked Bart to write the music and lyrics. It was first produced and directed by Littlewood in February 1959, at her Theatre Workshop
Theatre Workshop
Theatre Workshop is a theatre group noted for their director, Joan Littlewood. Many actors of the 1950s and 1960s received their training and first exposure with the company...
, based in the Theatre Royal Stratford East
Theatre Royal Stratford East
The Theatre Royal Stratford East is a theatre in Stratford in the London Borough of Newham. Since 1953, it has been the home of the Theatre Workshop company.-History:...
. It subsequently played at the Garrick Theatre
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
in London's 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...
, starting on 11 February 1960. It ran for 886 performances. The cast featured Maurice Kaufmann
Maurice Kaufmann
Maurice Harington Kaufmann was a British actor of stage, TV and film, particularly well-utilized in whodunnits and horrors who acted from 1954 to 1981, when he retired....
, Wallas Eaton
Wallas Eaton
Wallas Eaton , sometimes credited as Wallace Eaton or Wallis Eaton, was an English film, radio, television and theatre actor....
, Miriam Karlin
Miriam Karlin
Miriam Karlin, OBE was a British actress who worked on screen for over 60 years. She was best known for her role as Paddy in The Rag Trade, a 1960s BBC and 1970s LWT sitcom , especially for her catchphrase "Everybody out!"...
, Barbara Windsor
Barbara Windsor
Barbara Ann Windsor, MBE , better known by her stage name Barbara Windsor, is an English actress. Her best known roles are in the Carry On films and as Peggy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera EastEnders....
, Toni Palmer and Bryan Pringle
Bryan Pringle
Bryan Pringle was a British actor who appeared in television, film and theatre productions.Born in Tamworth, Staffordshire but raised in the Lancashire town of Bolton he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. In 1958, he married character actress Anne Jameson; together they had...
.
It was a Cockney comedy and the dialogue is in the Cockney dialect with much rhyming slang and thieves' cant
Thieves' cant
Thieves' cant or Rogues' cant was a secret language which was formerly used by thieves, beggars and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries...
. Some audiences found it difficult to understand, and a list of more than a dozen phrases with standard English translations was supplied in the programme.
The characters in the play were a selection of the low-life of London; a collection of gamblers, spiv
Spiv
In the United Kingdom, a spiv is a particular type of petty criminal, who deals in stolen or black market goods of questionable authenticity, especially a slickly-dressed man offering goods at bargain prices...
s, prostitutes, Teddy boy
Teddy Boy
The British Teddy Boy subculture is typified by young men wearing clothes that were partly inspired by the styles worn by dandies in the Edwardian period, styles which Savile Row tailors had attempted to re-introduce in Britain after World War II...
s & girls and some not-too-honest police. The title song, "Fings ain't wot they used t'be", was memorable and was recorded by Max Bygraves
Max Bygraves
Max Bygraves OBE is an English comedian, singer, actor and variety performer. He appeared on his own television shows, sometimes performing comedy sketches between songs...
,albeit with heavily Bowdlerised lyrics. An original cast recording was made, and has recently been re-released on Hallmark Records (710032).
Reviews were mixed: "A few reviewers praised the production on the whole but found the script too thin, while others found it entertaining but not as good as the company's previous productions." The play won the Evening Standard Award for best musical (1960).