Acorn Antiques: The Musical!

Acorn Antiques: The Musical!
Acorn Antiques! – The Musical Poster
Music	Victoria Wood
Lyrics	Victoria Wood
Book	Victoria Wood
Basis	Acorn Antiques
Productions	2005 West End 2007 UK tour
Awards	Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical

Acorn Antiques: The Musical! is a musical about an antiques dealer, based on the parodic soap opera of the same name by Victoria Wood. It premiered in the West End in 2005, and starred Julie Walters and Celia Imrie. The musical won the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical and was nominated as Best New Musical.

Victoria Wood decided to revive the original concept to satirise musical theatre with Acorn Antiques: The Musical!, with the intent to give people a "lovely, happy night in the theatre.". It was directed by Trevor Nunn, and opened at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in February 2005 for a three-month sell-out run. Parodying successful musicals such as Les Misérables and Chicago, it also caricatured the trend for socio-realism in contemporary drama and the conventions of song and choreography in musicals. It featured three of the principal actors from the original reprising their roles (or, strictly, the parts of the fictional actors from the spoof documentary); Duncan Preston returned as Clifford as did Celia Imrie as Babs and Julie Walters as Mrs Overall. Victoria Wood alternated with Walters in that role, and her character Miss Berta was played by Sally Ann Triplett. The musical also introduced Miss Bonnie (Josie Lawrence), a sister of Miss Babs and Miss Berta (in the original series, Berta and Babs were cousins).

The plot revolves around the original (fictional) actors reprising their roles from stage; however, contrary to their wishes, the experimental director adapts it into a gritty commentary on British suburban life, despite the fact that the cast (led by Bo Beaumont (Julie Walters)) want to just have a fun piece with a good tap number. After a disastrous open dress rehearsal, the cast hijack the concept to return it to its original roots, and take it to the West End, funded by Bo Beaumont's lottery win.