Betty Blue Eyes

Betty Blue Eyes is a 2011 stage musical comedy based on the 1984 film A Private Function,^[1] and features music by George Stiles, with lyrics by Anthony Drewe. The book was written for the stage by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, adapted from Alan Bennett's original screenplay.

Betty Blue Eyes
Original West End production
Music	George Stiles
Lyrics	Anthony Drewe
Book	Ron Cowen Daniel Lipman
Basis	A Private Function by Alan Bennett and Malcolm Mowbray
Premiere	19 March 2011 (2011-03-19): Novello Theatre
Productions	2011 West End 2013 Wichita 2018 Linz, Austria 2023 Union Theatre / 1st London Revival

Background

Betty Blue Eyes is based on the 1984 film A Private Function, by Alan Bennett.^[2] The show marked producer Cameron Mackintosh's first new musical in over 10 years^[3] and when describing what drew him to the project (which he has described as "delicious"), Mackintosh said:

"The score was written by friends of mine, George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, whom I've known for 25 years and [who,] of course, did all the terrific new songs for Mary Poppins ... The book was written by two Americans [Cowen and Lipman], and it was their idea... I read it and I thought it was the most original piece I had read in a long, long time. I mean, I knew they were working on it, because the moment I heard it was a musical version of A Private Function — a film I loved, by Alan Bennett, which was very, very funny and off-the-wall — I was intrigued..."^[4]

Production history

Original London production (2011)

Betty Blue Eyes opened at the Novello Theatre in the West End, London, on 13 April 2011, following previews from 19 March.^[5] The production was directed by Richard Eyre, with musical staging by Stephen Mear design by Tim Hatley and orchestrations by William David Brohn. The cast consisted of Sarah Lancashire as Joyce Chilvers, Reece Shearsmith as Gilbert Chilvers, David Bamber as Doctor Swaby, Jack Edwards as Mr Allardyce, Ann Emery as Mother Dear, Mark Meadows as Lockwood and Adrian Scarborough as Inspector Wormold. The voice of the show's animatronic pig Betty was provided by Australian singer Kylie Minogue.^[6] Despite positive reviews,^[7] the musical closed in London on 24 September 2011, after a run of six months.^[8][9]

Other productions

The first production outside the UK^[10] and the shows American premiere took place at Music Theatre of Wichita in Wichita, Kansas from 24 to 28 July 2013.^[11] Music Theatre of Wichita previously recorded the North American cast album for George Stiles and Anthony Drewe's musical Honk!. The production was directed by Wayne Bryan and featured Justin Robertson, Larry Raben, Tracy Lore, and Mary Stout.

In March 2014, a new production, directed by Daniel Buckroyd, opened at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester ahead of a UK Tour in a co-production between the Mercury Theatre Colchester, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, Salisbury Playhouse and West Yorkshire Playhouse.^[12][13] In February 2018, the first German-speaking production, directed by Christian Brey, opened at Musiktheater Linz, Austria under the title Betty Blue Eyes - Das Musical mit dem Schwein. The German translation is provided by Roman Hinze.^[14]

In March 2023, the first London fringe revival, directed by Sasha Regan, opened at the Union Theatre, London. The production had choreography by Kasper Cornish, musical direction by Aaron Clingham, set & costume design by Reuben Speed, lighting design by Alistair Lindsay, assistant direction by Michael Mather, assistant design by David Spence, stage management by Jack Evans, casting by Adam Braham and production by The Union Theatre & By The Sea Productions.

Music

Musical numbers

Act I Overture (Austerity Britain) — The Orchestra "Fair Shares for All" — Joyce, The Company "A Place on the Parade" — Gilbert, Joyce "Magic Fingers" — Gilbert, Mrs Roach, Mrs Lester, Mrs Turnbull "Magic Fingers" (Reprise) — Mrs Metcalf, Gilbert "Painting by Heart" — Wormold, The Company "Nobody" — Joyce, The Company "A Private Function" — Swaby, Allardyce, Lockwood "Betty Blue Eyes" — Allardyce, Gilbert "The Riot" — Wormold, Noble, The Company "Lionheart" — Joyce, The Billy Carroll Trio, The Company "Steal the Pig" — Gilbert, Joyce, Swaby, Allardyce, Lockwood, Wormold, The Company

Act II Entr'acte (The Pignap) — The Orchestra "Another Little Victory" — Gilbert, Joyce, The Company "Kill the Pig" (Reprise) — Joyce "It's an Ill Wind" — Mrs Tilbrook, Townswomen "Pig No Pig" — Joyce, Gilbert, Mother Dear, Wormold, Veronica "The Kind of Man I Am" — Gilbert "Since The War" — Swaby, Allardyce, Lockwood, Noble "Betty Blue Eyes" (Reprise) — Gilbert, Allardyce "A Private Function" (Reprise) — The Company "Finale Ultimo" - Confessions — The Company "Magic Fingers" (Reprise) — Gilbert, Joyce "Goodbye Austerity Britain" — The Company

Cast album

Featuring 20 songs on the physical CD^[15] with an additional two bonus tracks available as digital downloads only^[16] from the London production of Betty Blue Eyes, the cast album was released by First Night Records^[17] on 3 October 2011.^[18] The recording was made at the Novello Theatre over five performances.^[19]

Betty Blue Eyes (Original London Cast Recording)
Soundtrack album cast recording by Various
Released	3 October 2011 (2011-10-03)
Length	79:38
Label	First Night Records

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Overture - Austerity Britain"	1:58
2.	"Fair Shares for All"	3:42
3.	"A Place on the Parade"	3:46
4.	"Magic Fingers"	4:37
5.	"Painting By Heart"	5:07
6.	"Nobody"	3:14
7.	"Nobody Part 2"	2:42
8.	"A Private Function"	2:59
9.	"Betty Blue Eyes"	3:59
10.	"Lionheart"	5:06
11.	"Steal the Pig"	4:59
12.	"Another Little Victory"	4:50
13.	"It's an Ill Wind"	3:00
14.	"Pig no Pig"	6:53
15.	"The Kind of Man I am"	3:25
16.	"Since The War (Bonus Track)"	3:03
17.	"A Private Function (Reprise)"	1:40
18.	"Finale Ultimo - Confessions"	8:18
19.	"Magic Fingers (Reprise)"	2:18
20.	"Betty Blue Eyes (Reprise)"	1:29
21.	"Jitterbug"	1:36
22.	"Magic Fingers (Bonus Track)"	5:37

Principal roles and cast members

Characters	London	London revival
	2011	2023
Joyce Chilvers	Sarah Lancashire[20]	Amelia Atherton
Gilbert Chilvers	Reece Shearsmith[20]	Sam Kipling
Mother Dear	Ann Emery[21]	Jayne Ashley
Inspector Wormold	Adrian Scarborough[21]	David Pendlebury
Dr James Swaby	David Bamber[21]	Stuart Simons
Henry Allardyce	Jack Edwards[21]	Josh Perry
Francis Lockwood	Mark Meadows[21]	Tom Holt
Betty (Puppet)		Georgia Bootham
Betty (Voice)	Kylie Minogue[22]
Mr Noble / Sutcliffe		George Dawes
Mrs Lester		Jade Marvin
Mrs Turnbull		Katie Stasi
Mrs Allardyce		Laurel Douglas
Mrs Metcalf		Aimée McQueen
Mrs Lockwood		Shannon Farrell
Vera Bowen		Hannah Lawton
Mr Metcalf		Kane Stone
Mr Nuttall		Jonny Weston
Mrs Roach		Emma Jane Fearnley
Veronica Allardyce		Nellie Regan Ava Jennings-Grant Coco Bennett

Awards and nominations

Original London production

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2012	Laurence Olivier Award	Best New Musical[23]		Nominated[24]
		Best Actor in a Musical	Reece Shearsmith[23]	Nominated[24]
		Best Actress in a Musical	Sarah Lancashire[23]	Nominated[24]
	Whatsonstage.com Awards	Best New Musical[25]		Nominated[26]
		Best Actor in a Musical	Reece Shearsmith[25]	Nominated[26]
		Best Actress in a Musical	Sarah Lancashire[25]	Nominated[26]
		Best Supporting Actress in a Musical	Ann Emery[25]	Nominated[26]
		Best Lighting Designer	Neil Austin[25]	Nominated[26]