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
- Book
- Sandy Wilson
- 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
- Licensor
- Music Theatre International
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Tenor |
|
|
Lead |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Lead |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Baritone, Bass |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Spoken |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Mezzo-Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Alto |
|
|
Featured |
Female |
Soprano |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
|
Featured |
Male |
Tenor, Baritone |
|
|
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
Scenes
Key Terms
A lively dance of the 1920s which involved turning the knees inwards and kicking out the ankles.
References an era of book musicals written roughly between the 1940s and the 1960s.
A Broadway musical written and produced between 1943 and 1965.
A humorous imitation of something, typically a particular genre of film or literature, in which its characteristic features are exaggerated for comic effect.
A production designed especially to show off the talents of a particular performer.
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Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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