Katherine Kingsley, Gina Beck and Anna-Jane Casey head the cast of Victoria Wood’s Acorn Antiques The Musical, which will play one night at Shaftesbury Theatre on November 9.
The special fundraising concert sees Kingsley as Miss Babs, Beck as Miss Berta and Casey as Miss Bonnie.
The cast also includes Tony Jayawardena as Mr Clifford, Rob Madge as Derek, Harry Hepple as Tony, May Tether as Mimi, Elliot Broadfoot as Hugh, Grace Mouat as Miss Wellbelove, Sally Bankes as Christine, George Crawford as Minchin’s lad, Laura Medforth as Miss Cuff, Steve Elias as Mr Watkins, Samuel Holmes as Mr Furlong, Daniele Coombe as Miss Willoughby, Bradley Judge as Postie and Althea Burey as Lucy Lollipop. Ria Jones is Mrs Overall.
Come along to Manchesterford, a place full of quaint, old-fashioned shops such as “Acorn Antiques” run by sisters Miss Babs and Miss Berta. They are assisted by business partner Mr Clifford, elderly tea lady Mrs Overall, and two ‘pitiful adolescents’. But before long their cosy world faces a threat from developers, who want to turn their high street into a collection of coffee bars and sexy underwear shops. As the plot unfolds, Miss Babs and Miss Berta are faced with financial woes and family secrets, including a lost triplet sister. Will the innocent antique dealers fight off the developers and a sinister loan shark? Can they find the missing will of their father? And will Miss Berta ever find true love?
Victoria Wood originally wrote Acorn Antiques as a weekly slot in her sketch show, Victoria Wood As Seen on TV. She based it on the long-running serial Crossroads, and radio soap Waggoners Walk. Taking swipes at soaps with their wobbly sets, overacting, cheesy dialogue and wildly improbable plots. Its premise – the lives and loves of the staff of an antiques shop – lampooned the staples of soap operas: love triangles, amnesiacs, sudden deaths and siblings reunited.
In 2005, Wood created the musical version, with the intention of giving people a “lovely, happy night in the theatre.” It was directed by Trevor Nunn with choreography by Stephen Mear and opened at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. Several key members of the original cast joined the stage production including Julie Walters, Celia Imrie and Duncan Preston – with Victoria Wood alternating with Julie Walters in the role of Mrs Overall.
Produced by Hope Mill Theatre, the concert will be directed by Joseph Houston and William Whelton with musical direction and supervision by Nigel Lilley, choreography by Sammy Murray, sound by Matt Peploe, set design by Sophia Pardon, costume design by Lorraine Parry, wigs by Chrissie Baker, lighting by Aaron Dootson, orchestrations by Chris Walker, assistant musical direction by Archie McMorran and artwork by Steph Pyne.
The concert, playing for two nights in Manchester before moving to London for one night, will celebrate 10 years of Hope Mill Theatre, with all box office money going towards their Outreach programme, which includes Hope Mill Theatre School, as well as funding a brand-new community space within Hope Mill.
Tickets here.
Top image: Acorn Antiques The Musical full cast (image supplied)