Elgin Musical Theatre in final rehearsals for Betty Blue Eyes
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A COMEDY musical set in austerity Britain in the run-up to the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten is about to open at Elgin Town Hall.
Members of Elgin Musical Theatre are stepping back to 1947 for their latest production, Betty Blue Eyes.
With acute food rationing in place and unemployment rocketing, members of the town council hatch a cunning plan to illegally rear a pig which will form the centre-piece of a lavish Royal Wedding banquet.
However, the pig gets stolen by a status-seeking couple who want to make a name for themselves. Throw in an over-zealous food inspector, who has heard talk of the illicit pig and is determined to stop activities, and much hilarity ensues.
The musical features a wealth of eccentric small town characters, a mad-cap script, toe-tapping music and dazzling dances. And taking centre stage is the pretty porcine Betty, brought to life by retired air electronics engineer Eddie Pratt and his wife Jacky.
Ken Smith, who plays solicitor Frances Lockwood, said this adaptation of the 1984 film A Private Function, by Alan Bennett and Malcolm Mowbray, really brings home the bacon.
He said: "It is a lot of fun and there is a lot of really good music. People maybe don't know it, but it got great reviews when it was staged on the West End with Sarah Lancashire in the lead."
The show, written by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, opens next Thursday and runs until Saturday, March 7. Evening performances are at 7.30pm and there is also a Saturday matinee, which gets underway at 2pm.
Tickets are available online – www.elginmusicaltheatre.com – or from the box office in the St Giles Centre, next to Argos, which is open every day except Sunday from 10am to 2pm.
Leading the strong cast is producer Beryl Duncan, with Bob Garrity as musical director and Chrissy Ashton as choreographer.
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