"ANDY CAPP"
(The Musical)

SSAOS 2003 production

•  Music by Alan Price

• Book  by Trevor Peacock

• Lyrics by Alan Price and Trevor Peacock

• SSAOS Production at The Customs House, South Shields, 3rd - 8th November 2003

The story is a narrative setting of an upcoming wedding (of Raquel and Elvis) against the ongoing fracas in Andy and Flo's household.
But it is also a faithful evocation of the cartoon, full of mother-in-law jokes, drunken escapades, big-bosomed, mini-skirted women wielding rolling pins and paunchy cloth-capped men, with their whippet, stomping around in cloth cap and boots.

        Andy Capp was the brainchild of Reg Smythe, a Hartlepool newspaper cartoonist. Andy was born in 1956 and had a long run in the "Daily Mirror" firstly, from 1957, in the Northern Editions and then, from the following year, had national coverage. He was a larger than life character who, with his wife, Flo, and their neighbours 'The Scrimmetts' lived in Napier Street. They reflected, with great humour, the social deprivation in the North-East in the 1950/60's. Most of the action took place in the 'pub' which together with pigeon racing was the centre of their life. Reg at one time was drawing 60 'Andy Capp' cartoon strips a week. He died in 1997

The musical, set in the late '50's/early 60's emphasised with great effect the love-hate relationship between Andy and Flo'. It opened at the Manchester Royal Exchange in 1982 where Alan Price played the title role and transferred to the Aldwych Theatre in London, later that year with Tom Courtenay playing the part of the good-for-nothing lay-a-bout, Andy.. Taking the part of Flo' was Val Mclean, a local actress and a great favourite at Radio Newcastle for many years. Alan Price played the piano on stage and acted as the narrator.

It has also played at the Newcastle Playhouse with Tim Healy and Bobby Pattinson.

    Cast of Characters

Andy..........................	Jon Whitfield		Flo............................	Janet Peel
Chalkie......................	Ollie Burton		Mrs Scrimmett........	Carol Gardner
Elvis...........................	Ben Prudhoe		Raquel.....................	Shelley Lamb
Geordie.....................	Andrew Richardson		Ruby........................	Val Dawson
Mr Scrimmett...........	Laurence Scott		Pauline....................	Lyndsay Marsden
Jack..........................	Ian Parker		Linda.......................	Alison Stidolph
Vicar.........................	Anthony Smith		Olga.........................	Heather McLoughlin
Percy.........................	Ron Markwick
Big Mad Ron............	Simon Spark
You may not know the tunes in the show but you  more than likely would be whistling them as you left the Theatre.

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