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Overview

Synopsis

It’s Carnival time on the French Riviera, and the “perfect young ladies” of Madame Dubonnet’s Finishing School are all a=flutter with excitement at the opportunity to dress in beautiful frocks, dance the Charleston, and acquire that most prized of possessions -- a Boy Friend. Sweet young heiress Polly Browne, whose stern father forbids her to encourage men out of fear that they are after her money, is embarrassed to admit her lack of suitors to her friends, and must hide her shame by sending herself love notes. Enter Tony, a kind, romantic, handsome -- messenger boy! It is love at first sight for the darling duo, and Polly, pretending to be Madame Dubonnet’s secretary, enjoys for the first time a romance of equals. Confusion arises when Polly’s father, Percival Browne, arrives in Nice, only to discover in Madame Dubonnet a former flame, and rich old Lord and Lady Brockhurst appear in pursuit of Tony, leading everyone to assume he must be a thief. Will saucy French maid Hortense tell Polly’s secret? Will madcap Maisie choose between her four devoted swains -- or keep them all on a string? Will frisky Lord Brockhurst successfully evade his wife? Will Pierrette get her Pierrot? There’s a happy ending for everyone in The Boy Friend, Sandy Wilson’s popular spoof of 1920s’s theatrical, a light-hearted period romp celebrating lovers new and reunited, which features high-energy musical numbers, mistaken identities, plenty of ‘20s slang, and a flirtatious crowd of boys and girls.

Show Information

Music
Sandy Wilson
Lyrics
Sandy Wilson
Category
Musical
Age Guidance
Youth (Y)/General Audiences (G)
Number of Acts
2
First Produced
1953
Genres
Comedy, Parody
Settings
Period, Multiple Settings
Time & Place
1926, Nice, France, a Finishing School, the Plage (Beach), the Cafe Pataplon
Cast Size
large
Orchestra Size
Small
Dancing
Some Dance
Ideal For
College/University, Community Theatre, High School, Middle School, Professional Theatre, Regional Theatre, Mostly Female Cast, Includes Late Teen, Young Adult, Adult, Mature Adult, Early Teen Characters, Large Cast

Context


Plot


Characters

Name Part Size Gender Vocal Part

Polly Browne

Lead

Female

Soprano

Tony Brockhurst

Lead

Male

Tenor

Headmistress Mme. Dubonnet

Lead

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Percival Browne

Lead

Male

Baritone

Maisie

Supporting

Female

Alto

Bobby Van Husen

Supporting

Male

Baritone

Lord Brockhurst

Supporting

Male

Baritone, Bass

Lady Brockhurst

Featured

Female

Spoken

Hortense

Featured

Female

Mezzo-Soprano

Dulcie

Featured

Female

Alto

Fay

Featured

Female

Alto

Nancy

Featured

Female

Soprano

Pierre

Featured

Male

Tenor, Baritone

Alphonse

Featured

Male

Tenor, Baritone

Marcel

Featured

Male

Tenor, Baritone

Ensemble

Ensemble

Either Gender

Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone

Songs

Act One

  • Perfect Young Ladies - Hortense, Girls
  • The Boy Friend - Ensemble
  • *Won’t You Charleston - Bobby, Maisie
  • Fancy Forgetting You - Madame Dubonnet, Percival
  • I Could Be Happy With You - Tony, Polly,
  • Act One Finale (The Boy Friend - Reprise) - Ensemble

Act Two

  • Sur Le Plage - Ensemble
  • A Room in Bloomsbury - Tony, Polly
  • *It’s Nicer In Nice - Hortense, Ensemble
  • The “You-Don’t-Want-To-Play-With-Me” Blues - Madame Dubonnet, Percival
  • *Safety in Numbers - Maisie, Boys
  • *The Riviera - Bobby, Maisie, Ensemble
  • It’s Never Too Late To Fall in Love - Lord Brockhurst, Dulcie
  • Poor Little Pierrette - Madame Dubonnet, Polly
  • Finale - Ensemble

A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.

Monologues

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Scenes

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