Boy Meets Boy

Synopsis

It is December 11th, 1936; the place, London; the setting, the elegant Savoy Hotel. Throughout 1936. the world's press and newsreels had been abuzz with stories about the World's Most Eligible Bachelor; His Majesty King Edward VIII. By the Grace of God, King, Defender of the Faith. Emperor of India. Titular Ruler of one quarter of the world, the King-Emperor was the most eligible man of his day. Dashingly handsome, he was linked romantically with many; his final choice precipitated a constitutional crisis. Mrs Wallis Warfield Simpson, an American divorcee, had succeeded where all other had failed. While the United States reeled from the Great Depression, Continental Europe saw the menace of Hitler and the National Socialist party. Meanwhile, Great Britain existed in the twilight of empire, dancing away the last years of pre-war peace. Such is the backdrop for this most entertaining of musical comedies, one with a simple but devastatingly witty twist. Treated in a delightfully matter-of-fact manner, the romantic interest, as the title suggests, is between boy and boy. Bill Solly (music, lyrics and book) and Donald Ward (book) have lovingly recreated the era of the black and white movie musical replete with witty lyrics, memorable melodies and a book which is a gem of humorous writing. First performed in 1975 at Actors' Playhouse, off-Broadway, for 463 performances. "Boy Meets Boy, Boy Loses Boy, Boy Gets Boy in the End".

Our Review:

28 November 2012

“Love is strictly for laughs” we’re told, and there’s no shortage of either in this lavishly mounted production of a forty year old show set forty years earlier. It’s a mystery why this funny, charming, tuneful musical is not better known. With music that channels the spirit of Irving Berlin and Noel Coward and lyrics with the witty facility of Cole Porter, Boy Meets Boy is one of those rare “hidden gems” to be unearthed on the fringe that genuinely shines.

Thankfully, and contrary to the impression that the title may give, this is not one of the “why can’t we be accepted” brigade, nor one of the “aren’t we fabulous for being us” school of gay musicals. London has seen plenty of both recently. It takes place in an imagined 1930s in which someone being gay was worthy of no comment whatsoever. The central trio is all boys but not a single line would need to change if one or two of them were girls....

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Latest User Review

Robert Rowe - 14 December 2012:

Mug someone for a ticket! What can I say? It's glorious. The music, the lyrics, the direction, the choreography, the energy, the wittiness, the look - and those stunning actors. When did you last see a show set in the jagged sophistication of the '30s where a highlight of the evening was a song about the joys of life in the Scouts! This is high-definition marvellous stuff. Dear producers: pleeeeze transfer this sparkling gem....

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