Russell Revisits Boyfriend at New Theatre Royal

On Sunday 16 May the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth revisits Ken Russell’s film The Boy Friend, which was shot on location at the theatre in 1971, in a unique showing (in 35mm).

BBC Television’s Sally Taylor will be interviewing Ken Russell, Twiggy, composer/ conductor Sir Peter Maxwell Davies and members of the original cast, Murray Melvin, Georgina Hale and Brian Murphy, on-stage at the venue prior to the film screening. The organisers promise that there will also be live Portsmouth ‘Tappers’ re-creating several of the film’s tap dance numbers!

Set on the French Riviera in the 1920s, the motion picture featured Twiggy in her screen debut as the lead character, Miss Polly Browne. The film itself was based on Sandy Wilson’s original musical play, which first ran on Broadway in 1954 and starred Julie Andrews, who later revised and directed the revival in 2003.

The event is part of the on-going “Let’s Make It Great” fundraising campaign at the NTR, which aims to raise funds to rebuild the disused ‘Back-Lot’ of the theatre, which burnt down shortly after The Boy Friend was filmed there in 1971.