Full casting has now been revealed for Betty Blue Eyes at the Novello Theatre. The show is Sir Cameron Mackintosh’s first original musical for over ten years, and based closely on the hilarious Alan Bennett film - A Private Function.

The 1984 picture was set in a Yorkshire village after the Second World War, where rationing presented a challenge for the locals who wanted to celebrate a Royal wedding by feasting on an illegally raised pig. Chaos ensued when a fastidious food inspector arrived who was determined to stop anybody from circumventing the rules.

The Gentleman and the Girl from The Street

Adrian Scarborough, David Bamber, Jack Edwards, Ann Emery and Mark Meadows will join Sarah Lancashire and Reece Shearsmith in the production. A member of The League of Gentleman comedy team, Reece Shearsmith has also appeared in Psychoville, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), Spaced and Shaun of the Dead. His West End stage credits include As You Like It and The Producers and Comedians. Sarah Lancashire rose to fame playing “Raquel Watts” in Coronation Street. On stage she has appeared in the West End revival of Guys and Dolls in 2005. Her other theatre credits include Blood Brothers, Little Shop of Horrors and Educating Rita.

A Musical with a Surprisingly Topical Twist

Speaking about the new production, Sir Cameron said: “When I agreed to produce Betty, I certainly didn’t imagine that this unique musical tale set in 1947 would be so topical. From its opening number Goodbye Austerity Britain, with a Government mantra of “Fair Shares For All”, greedy local councillors lauding it over an hungry belt-tightened population on rations, the worst winter in living memory and even a Royal wedding.”

With a fantastic British cast, hilarious script (and the coincidence of a real Royal Wedding taking place this spring!) Betty Blue Eyes is sure to be a popular hit when it opens at the Novell Theatre on 19 March 2011.

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