Hope Mill Theatre have announced casting for a special fundraising concert of Victoria Wood’s ACORN ANTIQUES THE MUSICAL
ACORN ANTIQUES THE MUSICAL will have two performances at the Manchester Opera House on 2 & 16 November and one night at Shaftesbury Theatre in London on 9 November.
Starring in the iconic roles will be
Katherine Kingsley as Miss Babs (The Witches, National Theatre; Noises Off, West End; Amandaland, BBC)
Gina Beck as Miss Berta (Matilda the Musical, West End; Wicked, West End and UK tour; Guys and Dolls, Bridge Theatre)
Anna-Jane Casey as Miss Bonnie (Cabaret, West End, Billy Elliot The Musical, Victoria Palace Theatre; Cats, West End)
Tony Jayawardena as Mr Clifford (Ackley Ridge, BBC; Nye, National Theatre; Dr. Strangelove, West End)
Rob Madge as Derek (Cabaret, West End; My Son’s A Queer But What Can You Do?, West End; Bedknobs and Broomsticks, UK tour)
Harry Hepple as Tony (Hello Dolly!, London Palladium)
May Tether as Mimi (Heathers, The Other Palace; Halls the Musical, Turbine Theatre; Gypsy in Concert, Manchester Opera House)
Elliot Broadfoot as Hugh (Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!, West End)
Grace Mouat as Miss Wellbelove (Mean Girls, West End, 13 Going on 30 the Musical, Manchester Opera House)
Sally Bankes as Christine (The Winter’s Tale, Two Noble Kinsmen for the RSC)
George Crawford as Minchin’s lad (The Great Gatsby, London Coliseum)
Laura Medforth as Miss Cuff (Hello Dolly!, London Palladium)
Steve Elias as Mr Watkins (Godspell, UK tour)
Samuel Holmes as Mr Furlong (Calamity Jane, UK Tour)
Daniele Coombe as Miss Willoughby (original West End cast of Acorn Antiques the Musical)
Bradley Judge as Postie (Sister Act, Dominion Theatre)
Althea Burey (The Parent Agency, Chester Storyhouse) as Lucy Lollipop
Reprising her role is Ria Jones as Mrs Overall (Sunset Boulevard, Curve at Home, UK Tour & London Coliseum; Habeas Corpus, Menier Chocolate Factory; Gypsy, Royal Exchange Theatre).
Come along to Manchesterford, a place full of quaint, old-fashioned shops such as “Acorn Antiques” run by sisters Miss Babs and Miss Berta. They are assisted by business partner Mr Clifford, elderly tea lady Mrs Overall, and two ‘pitiful adolescents’. But before long their cosy world faces a threat from developers, who want to turn their high street into a collection of coffee bars and sexy underwear shops.
As the plot unfolds, Miss Babs and Miss Berta are faced with financial woes and family secrets, including a lost triplet sister. Will the innocent antique dealers fight off the developers and a sinister loan shark? Can they find the missing will of their father? And will Miss Berta ever find true love?
This laugh out loud musical parody will be sure to have you rolling in the aisles and toe tapping along…so grab yourself a macaroon and don’t miss this special one-off performance.
Victoria Wood originally wrote Acorn Antiques as a weekly slot in her sketch show, Victoria Wood As Seen on TV. She based it on the long-running serial Crossroads, and radio soap Waggoners Walk.
Taking swipes at soaps with their wobbly sets, overacting, cheesy dialogue and wildly improbable plots. Its premise – the lives and loves of the staff of an antiques shop – lampooned the staples of soap operas: love triangles, amnesiacs, sudden deaths and siblings reunited. In 2005, Victoria Wood created the musical version, with the intention of giving people a “lovely, happy night in the theatre”.
The concert will be directed by Hope Mill’s own Joseph Houston and William Whelton with musical direction and supervision by Nigel Lilley, choreography by Sammy Murray, sound by Matt Peploe, set design by Sophia Pardon, costume design by Lorraine Parry, wigs by Chrissie Baker, lighting by Aaron Dootson, orchestrations by Chris Walker, assistant musical direction by Archie McMorran and artwork by Steph Pyne.
The concert will celebrate 10 years of Hope Mill Theatre, with all box office money going towards their Outreach programme, which includes Hope Mill Theatre School, as well as funding a brand-new community space within Hope Mill.
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