A new production of Alan Plater’s warm and witty musical play Blonde Bombshells of 1943 heads to Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre next month after successful runs at Bolton and Keswick.
Following the successes of 2021’s Home I’m Darling and 2022’s Brief Encounter, the SJT, Octagon Theatre Bolton and Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, take audiences back to the swinging 40s in this glorious co-production directed by Zoë Waterman, who also directed last year’s SJT production of Jane Eyre.
The show can be seen at the SJT from Wednesday 2 to Saturday 26 August.
The cast of eight actor-musicians comprises Verity Bajoria, Lauren Chinery, Georgina Field, Stacey Ghent, Rory Gradon, Sarah Groarke, Alice McKenna and Gleanne Purcell-Brown.
The Blonde Bombshells, the most glamorous all-girl swing band in the North, loses members every time it plays a GI camp. Now there’s an important BBC job in the offing and Betty needs to find new musicians fast!
This lively and lavish musical play from the writer of The Beiderbecke Trilogy is filled with live swing performances of 1940s classics including Glenn Miller, The Andrews Sisters, George Formby, Fats Waller and more.
The creative team includes Jessica Curtis (designer); Greg Last (musical director); Richard G Jones (lighting designer); Chris Bogg (sound designer); Sundeep Saini (movement director); Howard Gray (orchestrations); Ryan McVeigh (assistant director) and Sarah Hughes (casting director)
Director Zoë Waterman says: “I am absolutely thrilled to be directing Blonde Bombshells of 1943. We have got a glorious and terribly talented cast; it is such a privilege to work with performers who are not only stunning actors but also phenomenal musicians.
“It’s always a joy to make work that celebrates women, and this is no exception – full of hilarious, practical, strong characters who make do and mend as the time dictates and manage to pull an all-singing, all-dancing performance out of the jaws of an air raid.”
Tickets for Blonde Bombshells at the SJT are available from the box office on 01723 370541 and online at www.sjt.uk.com
