The Boy in the Dress (musical)

The Boy in the Dress is a musical with music and lyrics by Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers and Chris Heath, and a book by Mark Ravenhill. The musical is based on the 2008 novel of the same name, written by David Walliams. The novel told the story of a twelve-year-old boy who enjoys cross-dressing, and the reactions of his family and friends.[1][2]

The Boy in the Dress
Music	Robbie Williams Guy Chambers Chris Heath
Lyrics	Robbie Williams Guy Chambers
Book	Mark Ravenhill
Basis	The Boy in the Dress by David Walliams
Premiere	8 November 2019 (2019-11-08): Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Productions	2019 Stratford-upon-Avon

Background

The musical is based on the 2008 novel The Boy in the Dress, which was written by David Walliams, with illustration by Quentin Blake.[3] The novel was previously adapted into a BBC television short film in 2014.[4]

In February 2018, Gregory Doran, artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, confirmed that the RSC was working with David Walliams on an undisclosed project.[5] In May 2018, the show was officially confirmed and received its world premiere in 2019 inStratford-upon-Avon for the festive period.[6] The show has a book by playwright Mark Ravenhill and is directed by Gregory Doran.[6] The musical features an original score and lyrics by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers.[6]

Production History

Stratford-upon-Avon (2019-2020)

The world premiere of the musical began previews on 8 November 2019, with press night on 27 November 2019, and ran until 8 March 2020.[7] The production is directed by Gregory Doran, designed by Robert Jones, choreographed by Aletta Collins and lighting designed by Mark Henderson.

On 22 August 2019 the initial adult casting was announced including Rufus Hound as Dad, Natasha Lewis as Darvesh’s Mum, Forbes Masson as Mr Hawtrey and Irvine Iqbal as Raj.[8] The complete casting was announced on 9 September 2019.[9]

Upcoming London transfer

In an interview with WhatsOnStage.com, Doran revealed that the production was due to transfer to the Savoy Theatre in London's West End opening in autumn 2020, however due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, plans were postponed. It was also revealed that a cast recording, recorded by the Stratford-upon-Avon cast near the end of the run was due to be released with the launch of the West End run.[10]

Cast and characters

Character	Stratford-upon-Avon (2019)
Dennis	Oliver Crouch Jack Hobson Jackson Laing Tom Lomas Toby Mocrei
Lisa	Asha Banks Tabitha Knowles Miriam Nyarko
John	Alfie Jukes Zachary Loonie
Darvesh	Ethan Dattani Shivain Kara-Patel Kassian Shae Ahktar Arjun Singh Khakh
Dad	Rufus Hound
Mr Hawtrey	Forbes Masson
Darvesh’s Mum	Natasha Lewis
Raj	Irvine Iqbal
Miss Windsor	Charlotte Wakefield
Lorna	Charlotte Jaconelli
Louise	Grace Wylde
Big Mac	Max Gill
Gareth	Alexander Moneypenny
Oddbod	Ben Thompson
Miss Bresslaw	Christina Modestou
Rory	Ryan Heenan
St Kenneth’s Captain	Jamie Tyler
Maudlin Street Captain	David Birch
Ensemble	Hannah Fairclough Ahmed Hamad Alim Jayda Clancy Ryan Cilla Silvia
Swing	Jack Anthony Smart Georgie Westall

Musical numbers

Act I "Ordinary" – Company "If I Don't Cry" – Dennis "We Are The Winners" – Darvesh's Mum & Company "Three For The Price Of Two" – Raj "A House Without A Mum" – Dad, John & Dennis "I Hate Kids" – Mr Hawtrey "Is There Anything More Beautiful Than Lisa James?" – Schoolkids "Disco Symphony" – Lisa, Dennis & Company "A Girl Who's Gonna Be" – Lorna, Louise, Dennis & Girl Gang "Miss Windsor's Belle Chanson" – Miss Windsor "A Boy In A Dress" – Company

Act II "Beach Holiday Sunday" – Company “A House Without A Mum” (reprise) - Dad "When Things Fall Apart" – Lisa & Dennis "You Don't Have A Prayer" – Football Teams "You Can't Expel Us All" – Company "If I Don't Cry" (reprise) – Dad & Dennis "I Like To Put On A Dress" – Mr Hawtrey, Lisa, Dennis & Raj "Extraordinary" – Company Curtain Call includes “You Can’t Expel Us All” button and “Disco Symphony” button

References

1. Salter, Jessica (7 August 2008). "David Walliams in Bond Street as a 'laydee'". London: Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
2. "The Boy in the Dress, Sunday Times review". thetimes.co.uk. The Times. 26 October 2008. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
3. "David Walliams is teaming up with Robbie Williams for The Boy in the Dress musical". digitalspy.com. Digital Spy. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
4. "The BBC adaptation of David Walliams's book was fizzy and festive as anything". telegraph.co.uk. The Telegraph. 26 December 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
5. "RSC's Greg Doran on gender, race, technology and those Walliams rumours…". stratford-herald.com. Stratford Herald. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
6. "Robbie Williams and David Walliams team up for The Boy In The Dress musical with Royal Shakespeare Company". iNews. 2018-05-25. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
7. "Royal Shakespeare Company to Debut Musical Adaptation of The Boy in the Dress". playbill.com. Playbill. 28 January 2019. Retrieved 30 January 2019.
8. "First adult casting announced for The Boy in the Dress | Royal Shakespeare Company". www.rsc.org.uk. Retrieved 2019-08-22.
9. "Latest Press Releases | Royal Shakespeare Company". www.rsc.org.uk. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
10. "RSC's artistic director Gregory Doran on navigating the Covid crisis, converting the theatre into a cinema and more | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2020-07-22.