Synopsis
This 'chamber' musical is based on Simon Brett’s radio and two times BAFTA Award nominee television series, ‘After Henry’. It's easy to stage with a small cast and can be performed either with an orchestra or just a keyboard. The casting requirements involve three elderly actors who provide the majority of the comedy. Add to this the often strained relationship between a mother, her mother, and her daughter who are unashamedly middle of the middle class.
Sarah France’s doctor husband Henry was killed in a car crash when she was in her early forties, a couple of years before the action begins. Her attempts to deal with widowhood are not helped by the nosiness and demands of her mother Eleanor, who lives in the basement flat in the house, or the emotional traumas and moodiness of her nineteen-year-old daughter Clare, who’s got the top-floor flat.
Sarah is kept sane by the work she does helping in a bookshop run by her gay friend Russell. He acts as both a sounding-board and emotional support for her.
The story of the musical involves potential romances for all three women. Clare is being messed around by a boy called Greg, but she hasn’t got the confidence to tell him to get lost. Eleanor and her much-patronised friend Vera Poling (who is rich and lives in a care home called The Sycamores) are meanwhile both competitively interested in a charming elderly man called Vernon (who may not turn out to be all that he seems). And even Sarah’s loneliness is offered a lifeline in the handsome shape of a widower called Chris Wellington.
Is it long enough after Henry for her to allow a new man into her life? All of these emotional complications are untangled in this bittersweet inter-generational family musical.
Characters
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(3m, 4f, 1m/f) No Chorus.
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- Sarah - 40s
- Clare - 19, Sarah’s daughter
- Eleanor - 70s, Sarah’s mother
- Russell - 50s
- Vera Poling - 70s
- Vernon - 70s
- Chris Wellington - 40s
- Delivery Boy/Girl - late teens
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| 1) After Henry |
Sarah |
| 2) Pig In The Middle |
Sarah, Eleanor & Clare |
| 3) Quietly Gay |
Russell |
| 4) The Daily Mail |
Vernon |
| 5) At The Sycamores |
Vera & Eleanor |
| 6) (Not) Wanting to Remember |
Sarah & Clare |
| 7) Valerie Brown on the Pension Counter’s Half-Sister Mary |
Eleanor, with Sarah |
| 8) Early Days |
Sarah |
| ~~ Interval ~~ |
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| 9) Sunday Lunch |
Sarah, Eleanor & Clare |
| 10) My Private Map of the World |
Sarah & Russell |
| 11) I’m All Right |
Eleanor (with Sarah) |
| 12) Oh, How You Fuss |
Eleanor (with Sarah) |
| 13) (Not) Wanting to Remember, Short Reprise |
Clare |
| 14) Strong |
Clare |
| 15) Three To Tango |
Vernon, Eleanor & Vera |
| 16) Too Soon |
Sarah |
| 17) Early Days, Finale Reprise |
Sarah, Eleanor & Clare |
Information for Production Administrators
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Here's a list of all the supporting material available and some other information you might need. Pricing for the production materials is supplied automatically with a Perusal Set. Royalty pricing can only be provided as a formal quotation.
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| Available now (see below) ... |
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| Perusal Set |
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These are available free of charge exclusively to bona fide representatives of organised musical theatre production organisations. The set is provided on a non-returnable USB Stick and contains...
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- Libretto (pdf)
- Piano/Vocal Score (pdf)
- Cast Recording (mp3s)
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| Available after Perusal ... |
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| Libretti/Vocal Scores |
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Available to purchase as a Rehearsal Master Set on a USB Stick. This contains the script and piano vocal score for your cast and crew provided as A4 pdf files. No problem about possible loss of deposit on sets of rented books, as they are yours to print out and mark up as required. The price includes a multiple copying licence allowing you to copy the files on the Stick (enabling you to give or sell copies to your cast for them to make up their own rehearsal books) or to make multiple prints of the pdf's on the Stick for your production company to organise and provide to your cast or crew.
To order this, create an account with us, then go to the 'Order Rehearsal Material' page. Please note that we do not sell printed copies of the libretti, nor do we hire sets of printed rehearsal libretti or scores.
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| Available after Rights Obtained ... |
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| Backing Tracks |
| For use in support of your rehearsal pianist, or for use during performances. To order this item, supplied as mp3 files on a USB Stick, create an account with us, then go to the 'Order Performance Material' page. |
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| Orchestrations |
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These are available for a 10 piece band as below, for purchase by production companies only, who hold a valid, unexpired, licence to perform. To order this item, supplied as mp3 files on a USB Stick, create an account with us, then go to the 'Order Performance Material' page.
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- Keyboard 1
- Keyboard 2
- Bass Guitar
- Drums/Percussion
- Violins 1 & 2
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- Viola
- Cello
- Flute
- Clarinet
- MD's Full Score
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| Royalty Type |
| Royalties for this title are 'variable fee, post paid', and will be calculated on a percentage of your box office income once your production has finished. See our pricing policy for details. We work on a quotation system for royalties, based on information you supply to us. Complete a printed application form or create account with us, and use the online version. |
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Video Licence |
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We have secured the rights to video productions of this title from the Authors, and we manage them on their behalf. Once a 'Licence To Perform' has been granted, and then on payment of a fee, we will be able to issue a 'Licence To Record'. There are some strings attached to this, but these are far outweighed by the benefits. To order this item, supplied as mp3 files on a USB Stick, create an account with us, then go to the 'Pay Video Royalties' page.
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- Record one or more live performances and mix down to a single video
- Give or sell copies to your cast and crew
- Sell copies to your audiences (take advance bookings on the night)
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Order your free preview script or perusal material now ...
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