''Follow That Girl'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

adapted by

Julian Slade Julian Penkivil Slade (28 May 1930 – 17 June 2006) was an English writer of musical theatre, best known for the show '' Salad Days'', which he wrote in six weeks in 1954, and which became the UK's longest-running show of the 1950s, with ove ...

and

Dorothy Reynolds Dorothy Reynolds (26 January 1913 – 7 April 1977) was a British writer and actress. She is mainly known for writing a number of musicals in collaboration with Julian Slade. The best known were '' Salad Days'' and '' Free as Air''. Filmograph ...

from their original

Bristol Old Vic Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...

production ''Christmas in King Street''. The story centers on a girl named Victoria Gilchrist, whose parents want her to marry one of two businessmen. She objects and runs away. Her capture after a long chase by a policeman, Tom, leads to romance and finally marriage to him. The original production contained many topical and local Bristol references — the heroine Victoria was named after the Bristol University Students Union

building A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, a ...

— but most of these were replaced when the show was revamped for its West End production. Victoria was played by

Susan Hampshire Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis (born 12 May 1937), is an English actress. She is a three-time Emmy Award winner, winning for the television dramas, '' The Forsyte Saga'' in 1970, '' The First Churchills'' in 1971, and for '' Vanity Fair'' i ...

and Tom by

Peter Gilmore John Peter Gilmore (25 August 1931 – 3 February 2013), known as Peter Gilmore, was an English actor, known for his portrayal of Captain James Onedin in 91 episodes of the BBC television period drama ''The Onedin Line'' (1971–1980), cre ...

. Others in the cast were James Cairncross – a prime collaborator with Slade and Reynolds in their musicals both as a performer and writer –

Patricia Routledge Dame Katherine Patricia Routledge ( ; born 17 February 1929) is an English actress and singer, best known for her comedy role as Hyacinth Bucket in the popular BBC sitcom ''Keeping Up Appearances'' (1990–1995), for which she was nominated for ...

, Robert MacBain and

Philip Guard Philip John Guard (29 November 1928 – May 2024) was an English stage actor who occasionally appeared in film and television. Life and career Philip John Guard was born in Rochford, Essex, on 29 November 1928. Guard appeared occasionally in fil ...

. ''Follow That Girl'' opened at the

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. Opening in 1870, the theatre staged mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. The theatre was rebuilt twice, although each new buildin ...

on 17 March 1960 and ran for 211 performances. Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds also wrote '' Salad Days'' and '' Hooray for Daisy''. Profits from ''Salad Days'' were donated towards the purchase of premises for the

Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (BOVTS) is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS was an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance a ...

in 1956 and this contribution was honoured forty years later when the school's new purpose-built dance and movement studio was named after them in 1996.

Songs

References

*{{cite book, last = Larken, first = Colin, title = Guinness Who's Who of Stage Musicals, isbn = 0-85112-756-8 *Programme from the Vaudeville Theatre *Samuel French acting edition 1960 musicals West End musicals British musicals Musicals set in England