MR AND MRS A musical based on the plays of Noel Coward, by John Taylor. Book Music & Lyrics by John Taylor: Orchestration by Johnnie Spence: Musical Direction by Derek New: Production adapted, staged and directed by Ross Taylor. Produced at the Palace Theatre, Manchester under the management of George W. George and Frank Granat - 14 November, 1968 for three weeks. Opened at the Palace Theatre 11 December, 1968 for a run of 44 performances closing 18 January, 1969. ORIGINAL CAST • Henry Gow/Alec Harvey - John Neville • Doris/Laura Jesson - Honor Blackman • Mrs Rockett/Myrtle Bagot - Hylda Baker • Elsie/Beryl Waters - Liz Edmiston • Stanley - Leslie Meadows • Albert Godby - Alan Breeze • Paula Weston - Ursula Smith • Mr Saunders - Brian Casey with Sylvia Vale, Katherine Dyson, Virginia Drinkwater, Brenda Scaife, Janice Bean, Linda Hall, Miranda Willis, Zilpha Becket, Rosemary Page, Nigel Lythgoe, Jack Webster, Peter Walker, Lynton Burns, Brian Jay Smith, John Wyckham-Hall, Minoo Golvala, Chris Dyson, Carl Bohun Directed by Ross Taylor; Musical Director: Derek New; Choreography by Norman Maen and Ross Taylor; Scenery and Costumes by Alan Tagg SYNOPSIS The night of December 11th, 1968 at the Palace Theatre, London, saw a unique event in the history of theatre musicals — the opening of Mr. & Mrs. First-nighters discovered that this was in fact two separate and complete one-act musical plays in which the three leading actors cóvered a total of six roles between them. The theme of both acts was married life: swinging young people with no time for it, lonely old people willing to try again, happily married, middle-aged-people unwilling to disrupt the lives of their families for the passions of extra-marital relationship, and the henpecked husband who finally just ups and leaves the nagging wife, mother-in-law and daughter. The first act, "Mr.", is concerned with the last of these situations. "MR" Stretching almost to infinity is Suburbia, countless houses all looking theSame. In one of them lives Henry Gow, his daughter Elsie, his wife's mother Mrs. Rockett, and his wife Doris. The pattern of years is repeated: as the women squabble and criticise him to his face, Henry eats his breakfast in silence. Doris announces that she is having the front garden put down to concrete (" . . . those roses of his were always tearing my stockings anyway") then proceeds, martyr-fashion, to take credit for creating and leading a happy family. Elsie is entering a dance competition ' that evening and runs through her routine for her admiring grandmother. When Henry returns that evening, the women demand that he drives them to the competition. Suddenly he turns on them and tells them exactly what he thinks of them all. Doris struggles to leave the house but Henry pins her in a chair; Mrs. Rockett screams for the police until Henry tells them he's been covering up her kleptomania at the supermarket for years by squaring things at the police station; Elsie babbles and whines incoherently in a corner and when they are all cowed at last, he reminisces "How did I get into all this?" Then, announcing that he's giving them nothing more, he flings off his mackintosh and bowler hat, gets out some suitcases and walks out into the big wide world. ..and MRS" Milford Junction station is about to be modernised, and steam trains are giving way to diesels. Into the buffet on the platform one day comes Mrs. Laura Jesson. She has something in her eye. Noticing her trouble, a man at one of the tables, a doctor, offers to help and takes out a piece of grit.
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