''There's a Girl in My Soup'' is a stage comedy written by Terence Frisby. Set in the 1960s, it tells the story of a smooth-talking TV chef, Robert Danvers, who falls for a much younger woman, Marion. She leaves her hippy boyfriend, Jimmy, to live with Danvers, but eventually returns to Jimmy, leaving Danvers bereft. It opened on 30 May 1966 at the

Golders Green Hippodrome The Golders Green Hippodrome was built in 1913 by Bertie Crewe as a 3,000-seat music hall, to serve North London and the new London Underground Northern line expansion into Golders Green in the London Borough of Barnet, London, England. Tak ...

and transferred soon after to the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a Theater (structure), theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 at Southwark, close to the south bank of the Thames, by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men. It was ...

. ''There's a Girl in My Soup'' ran for years until 1973 to become the longest-running comedy in the history of the West End. The play ran at the

for years, from March 1966 until 6 August 1969, when it transferred to the

Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

, opening there on 18 August 1969 and closing in 1973 after 2,547 performances. Nat Cohen was an investor in the play. It was unprecedented for a comedy to run for such a long time. This record was later broken by ''

No Sex Please, We're British ''No Sex Please, We're British'' is a British farce written by Alistair Foot and Anthony Marriott, which premiered in London's West End on 3 June 1971 at the Strand Theatre. It was panned by critics, but ran until 5 September 1987, transferr ...

'' and then '' Run for Your Wife''.

Productions

The show was directed by Bob Chetwyn and the first cast featured Donald Sinden, Barbara Ferris,

Jon Pertwee John Devon Roland Pertwee (; 7 July 1919 – 20 May 1996), known professionally as Jon Pertwee, was an English actor. Born into a theatrical family, he became known as a comedy actor, playing Chief Petty Officer Pertwee (and three other roles) in ...

and

Clive Francis Clive Francis (born 26 June 1946) is a British actor and illustrator, known for his extensive work in television, film, and theatre. He has appeared in a wide range of British television dramas and comedies, including ''Poldark'', ''Yes, Prime ...

. The producer was Michael Codron. The record-breaking success of the show put Codron on the map as a producer. In June 1967 the role of Robert Danvers was taken over by

Gerald Flood Gerald Robert Flood (21 April 1927 – 12 April 1989) was a British actor of stage and television. Early life Flood was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, but lived for most of his life in Farnham, Surrey, where he regularly appeared on stage at ...

, who played the role until December 1968, when Peter Byrne took over the role until 1970, when

Charles 'Bud' Tingwell Charles William Tingwell Member of the Order of Australia, AM (3 January 1923 – 15 May 2009), known professionally as Bud Tingwell or Charles 'Bud' Tingwell, was an Australian actor. One of the veterans of Australian film, he acted in his fir ...

played the part until the show closed. The role of Andrew Hunter was played by William Franklyn, who was succeeded in June 1968 by Richard Coleman. The role of Marion was played by

Belinda Carroll Belinda Carroll (born 22 July 1945) is an English stage and television actress. Background and early career Born in Oxfordshire, Carroll's parents were John F. Carroll, a flying instructor with the Royal Air Force, and actress Hazel Bainbridge ...

. In 1969 the play transferred to the Comedy Theatre, starring Peter Byrne, Karen Kessey and Richard Coleman. Karen Kessey played Marion for two years, never missing a performance. Later the production starred Charles Tingwell, Gay Singleton and Richard Coleman. Coleman understudied the role of Robert Danvers and played the part occasionally, when required to do so. The play was taken out on a tour of the UK in 1973, with Danvers reprised by Gerald Flood, who ultimately played the role for over 650 performances. During the tour Andrew was played by Laurence Payne and John Hart Dyke and Marion was portrayed by

Katy Manning Catherine Ann Manning (born 14 October 1946) is a British actress. Although she has made many appearances on both screen and stage, Manning is best known for her part as the companion Jo Grant in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doct ...

and

Anne Aston Anne Aston (born Anne Lloyd, 1 January 1948) is an actress and television presenter best known as the hostess of '' The Golden Shot'' in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Early career and ''The Golden Shot'' Born Anne Lloyd on New Year's Day 194 ...

Ron Randell Ronald Egan Randell (8 October 1918 – 11 June 2005) was an Australian actor. After beginning his acting career on the stage in 1937, he played Charles Kingsford Smith in the film '' Smithy'' (1946). He also had roles in '' Bulldog Drummond ...

starred in a successful Australian tour. The show transferred to

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

with

Gig Young Gig Young (born Byron Elsworth Barr; November 4, 1913 – October 19, 1978) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come Fill the Cup'' ...

in the main role, where it also enjoyed success, but not on the same level as in the West End. It ran from 16 October 1967 to 27 July 1968. In 1991, Marc Sinden (Donald Sinden's son) played his father's part (Robert Danvers) in the 25th anniversary production at the Mill at Sonning Theatre with Louise English as Marion and

John Challis John Spurley Challis (16 August 1942 – 17 September 2021) was an English actor. He had an extensive theatre and television career but is best known for portraying Boycie, Terrance Aubrey "Boycie" Boyce in the long-running BBC Television sitcom ...

as Andrew and co-directed by the author Terence Frisby. It was later made into a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

with

Goldie Hawn Goldie Jeanne Hawn (born November 21, 1945) is an American actress, producer, dancer, and singer. She achieved stardom and acclaim for playing lighthearted comedic roles in film and television. In a career spanning six decades, she has received ...

and

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show''. Sellers featured on a number of hit comi ...

, directed by

Roy Boulting John Edward Boulting (21 December 1913 – 17 June 1985) and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting (21 December 1913 – 5 November 2001), known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for thei ...

, for which Frisby won the

Writers' Guild of Great Britain The Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB), established in 1959, is a trade union for professional writers. It is affiliated with both the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG). History The u ...

Award for Best Screenplay in 1970. The film was also a financial success.

Notes

# V&A Theatre & Performance Enquiry Service Archives # Cameron Mackintosh Ltd. & Delfont Mackintosh Theatres Ltd Archives # Programmes of ''There's A Girl in My Soup'' # Posters & playbills of ''There's A Girl in My Soup''

References

External links

*
archive

Poster of Comedy Theatre production
* {{Theatricalia, 4wd 1966 plays West End plays English plays Comedy plays British plays adapted into films

Productions

See also

Notes

References

External links