Bad Girls - The Musical Posts Early Closing NoticesDate: 5 November 2007
Bad Girls - The Musical has posted early closing notices at the West End’s Garrick Theatre (See WOS TV, 14 Sep 2007). The stage adaptation of the long-running ITV drama of the same name opened on 12 September 2007 (previews from 16 August) and had been booking to 1 March 2008. It will now close on 17 November 2007.
The television drama, set in the fictional HMP Larkhall, ran on ITV for eight series from 1999 to 2006. The musical, written by the creators of the television series and first seen in July 2006 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds, is based around some of the core characters from season one.
In it, idealistic new Wing Governor Helen Stewart tries to make improvements on G Wing, but old guard officers, including Jim Fenner and his sidekick Sylvia Hollamby, stand in her way. A death on the ward leads to an angry protest which also forces Stewart and her love interest inmate Nikki Wade onto their opposite sides of the bars. Other featured inmate characters include Shell Dockley and her runner Denny Blood, the Two Julies, and the top dog and missus to the king of gangland, Yvonne Atkins.
Helen Fraser recreates her screen role as Sylvia ‘Bodybag’ Hollamby on stage in a cast that also features Sally Dexter, Nicole Faraday, David Burt, Laura Rogers, Julie Jupp, Amanda Posener, Caroline Head, Rebecca Wheatley and Chris Grierson.
Bad Girls - The Musical has a book by Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus with music and lyrics by Kath Gotts. Its songs include “All Banged Up”, “Jailcraft”, “The A-List”, “One Moment”, “The Baddest and the Best” and “Freedom Road”. The production is directed by Maggie Norris, who also helmed it in Leeds, and designed by Colin Richmond, with lighting by Tim Mitchell, orchestrations by Martin Koch and choreography by Anne Yee.
The next production scheduled for the Garrick is a revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s 1972 comedy Absurd Person Singular, which is expected to start performances on 27 November 2007. Jane Horrocks, Jenny Seagrove, John Gordon Sinclair, David Bamber, David Horovitch and Lia Williams will star in the new production, directed by Alan Strachan and directed by Bill Kenwright.
- by Terri Paddock
