50 Favourite Musicals: 32: ME AND MY GIRL (1937) (Noel Gay, Douglas Furber & L. Arthur Rose)

The 50 shows that have stood out down the years and, as we get up among the paint cards, the shows that have become the cast recording of my life:

First performed: 1937, Victoria Palace, London

First seen by me: 1985, Adelphi Theatre, London

Productions seen: one

Score: Noel Gay, Douglas Furber & L. Arthur Rose
Book: Furber, Rose (Stephen Fry/Mike Ockrent: 1984 revision)

Plot:  The 1930s: Cockney barrow-boy Bill Snibson is discovered to be the sole heir of the title of Earl Hareford.  A clash of class cultures ensues with Bill being expected to become a proper gentleman before he acquires the title, but can he say goodbye to his roots and his sweetheart Sally?

Five memorable numbers: ME AND MY GIRL, THE SUN HAS GOT HIS HAT ON, THE LAMBETH WALK, THINKING OF NO ONE BUT ME, TAKE IT ON THE CHIN

I must admit I was tempted to go down to Chichester this year to see their revival of Noel Gay's classic British musical ME AND MY GIRL but I stayed my booking hand as I wanted to hang on to the memory of the late Mike Ockrent's glorious production which made a home at the Adelphi Theatre for an amazing eight year run, improbably making nearly 50 year-old chestnuts like "Leaning On A Lampost", "The Sun Has Got His Hat On" and "The Lambeth Walk" popular again. This gender-reversal of MY FAIR LADY was given a zinger-overhaul by Stephen Fry and was blessed with a terrific cast who brought new life to some fairly hackneyed stereotypes; anyone who has seen 1930s British films will recognize them all: cheeky cockney, sensible girlfriend, posh man-eater, old codger, formidable dowager, upper-class twit, etc.  What Ockrent did was keep the show moving with peppy choreography by Gillian Gregory, who gave "The Lambeth Walk" a new shine and sent the actors out with it into the auditorium to close the first act, and to cast it with performers who knew how to connect the material to the audience.  Robert Lindsay found Bill a role perfect for his abrasive persona and went on to win both the Olivier Award (then called the SWET Award) and Tony Award when he transferred to Broadway with it.  ME AND MY GIRL gave me my first exposure to Emma Thompson - then known as an alternative comedian - and was lucky to meet her several times through a friend who was a huge fan of the show.  She had a delightful quality on stage - a great chemistry with Lindsay - she was funny of course but with a touching vulnerability when singing her big number "Once You Lose Your Heart"; she has recently been disparaging about having to be so relentlessly upbeat onstage for the length of her run which I think is rather churlish.  I must also mention the delicious Susannah Fellows who played the role of the vampish Lady Jacqueline with a brittle high-comedy elegance and a crystal-like singing voice. Maybe if a West End revival happens I might go - I think the time is right for some true escapism - but when you have seen the best..

Here are that original cast on the 1984 Royal Variety Performance negotiating the dull stage set while giving a curtailed version of "The Lambeth Walk".  Still, great to have as a memory...