Acorn Antiques: The Musical!
Recently Updated
A Parodic Triumph: Acorn Antiques: The Musical! on the West End
The West End has a storied tradition of hosting musicals that range from the grandiose to the gleefully absurd, and Acorn Antiques: The Musical! falls squarely in the latter camp. This riotous production, written by Victoria Wood with music and lyrics by her as well, premiered at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on February 10, 2005, running for a sold-out three-month season until May 21, 2005. Directed by Trevor Nunn, the musical transformed Wood’s beloved TV sketch series into a full-fledged stage spectacle, starring Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, and Duncan Preston reprising their iconic roles. A parody of both soap operas and musical theater conventions, Acorn Antiques: The Musical! delivered a “lovely, happy night in the theatre” as Wood intended while earning critical nods and an Olivier Award, cementing its place as a quirky West End classic.
Origins and Evolution
Acorn Antiques began as a five-minute sketch on Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV, airing from 1985 to 1987 on BBC Two. A send-up of low-budget British soaps like Crossroads, it featured wobbly sets, missed cues, and over-the-top performances in the fictional town of Manchesterford. By 2002, Wood, a comedy titan, began adapting this cult favorite into a musical, aiming to satirize the excesses of West End theater itself. After workshops in 2004, the show took shape under Nunn’s direction, with Stephen Mear’s choreography adding tap-dancing flair to its chaotic charm.
The transition from TV to stage wasn’t seamless Wood wrote an entirely new book and score, expanding the sketch’s brevity into a three-hour romp. The original cast, including Walters as the stooped Mrs. Overall, Imrie as the haughty Miss Babs, and Preston as the befuddled Mr. Clifford, returned, joined by Sally Ann Triplett as Miss Berta (Wood’s TV role), Josie Lawrence as the scheming Miss Bonnie, and Neil Morrissey as a pretentious director. The result was a meta-theatrical delight that both honored and lampooned its roots.
The Plot: A Musical Within a Musical
The show unfolds in two acts, each a distinct flavor of farce. Act One introduces the fictional actors of the TV series led by Bo Beaumont (Walters) reuniting to stage a revival. A tyrannical director (Morrissey) hijacks their vision, turning Acorn Antiques into a gritty, Les Misérables-esque commentary on suburban decay, much to the cast’s dismay. After a disastrous dress rehearsal, Bo, flush with lottery winnings, seizes control, funding a West End transfer that restores the show’s original silliness.
Act Two is the musical within the musical, set in Manchesterford’s Acorn Antiques shop. Miss Babs and Miss Berta, aided by Mrs. Overall and Mr. Clifford, face financial ruin as Miss Bonnie plots to sell out to a coffee chain. Family secrets unravel Bonnie is their sister, Mrs. Overall their mother culminating in a triumphant windfall and Berta’s union with Clifford. It’s a gleeful mess of melodrama, parodying soap tropes and musical clichés with missed lines and preposterous twists, all delivered with a wink.
A Score of Satirical Splendor
Wood’s score is a masterclass in pastiche, blending vaudevillian bounce with Broadway bombast. “Macaroons!” and “Oh, Oh, Oh Mrs. O!” showcase Walters’ comic timing and surprising vocal strength, while “Tip Top Tap” delivers the cast’s longed-for dance number, laced with anachronistic gags like references to Shake ’n’ Vac. “Have You Met Miss Babs?” lets Imrie vamp with sultry flair, and ensemble pieces like the Blood Brothers-inspired “Pitiful Adolescents” skewer musical theater’s penchant for overwrought emotion.
Performed with a full orchestra, the music revels in its derivative nature parodies of Chicago, Les Misérables, and even Gilbert and Sullivan abound yet retains Wood’s signature wit. Critics noted its lack of a standout hit, but fans adored its playful irreverence, making it a singalong favorite for those in on the joke.
The West End Run
Opening at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, Acorn Antiques: The Musical! was a star-driven affair. Walters, in her West End musical debut, shuffled onstage as Mrs. Overall to instant guffaws, her tap-dancing and Fosse-esque numbers earning roars of approval. Imrie’s Miss Babs brought restraint amid the chaos, winning the 2006 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Role in a Musical, while Triplett’s Berta and Lawrence’s Bonnie added fresh energy. Wood herself understudied Walters, performing Monday nights and Wednesday matinees, a nod to her hands-on devotion.
The production’s lavish sets shifting from rehearsal rooms to Manchesterford’s wobbly shopfront and Mear’s choreography dazzled, though its £65 ticket prices sparked grumbles. Running just over three hours, it played to full houses, earning nominations for Best New Musical and Best Actress (Walters) at the Oliviers. A filmed version, released on DVD in 2006, captured its anarchic glory, complete with karaoke subtitles.
Reception and Revival
Reviews were polarized. The BBC’s Mark Shenton called Walters “inimitable” but criticized the show’s length, while The Guardian’s Michael Billington dubbed it “slack, self-indulgent rubbish.” Yet The Independent’s Paul Taylor found it “gloriously murderous,” and The Times praised its “mischievous charm.” Audiences, however, lapped it up, filling seats despite the naysayers a testament to Wood’s loyal fanbase.
In 2007, Wood directed a UK tour, slashing the first act and refocusing on the Manchesterford antics, with Ria Jones as Mrs. Overall. This leaner version won warmer reviews, with The Telegraph’s Dominic Cavendish calling it “trenchant satire.” The musical has since found life in amateur productions, with stagings like Birmingham’s Crescent Theatre premiere in 2010, attended by Wood herself.
A Lasting Laugh
Acorn Antiques: The Musical! may not have redefined the West End, but it carved a niche as a love letter to British comedy and theater’s absurdities. Its 2005 run marked a swan song for Wood’s collaboration with Walters, Imrie, and Preston, a trio central to her TV legacy. Wood later reflected in 2007 that it was a “bad idea” for her serious playwright credentials, yet its Olivier win and sellout status suggest otherwise.
For West End audiences, it was a rare chance to see a homegrown spoof take on the giants of musical theater with unbridled glee. Today, its DVD and amateur stagings keep the macaroons flying, proving that in Manchesterford and on Shaftesbury Avenue a little chaos goes a long way. In a district of polished spectacles, Acorn Antiques remains a gloriously ramshackle triumph.