The Bing Boys Are Here

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The Bing Boys Are Here: A Wartime Revue Sensation in the West End

The Bing Boys Are Here, styled "A Picture of London Life, in a Prologue and Six Panels," premiered at London’s Alhambra Theatre in the West End on April 19, 1916. With music by Nat D. Ayer, lyrics by Clifford Grey, and a book by George Grossmith Jr. and Fred Thompson, this revue ran for 378 performances, closing January 27, 1917. Produced by André Charlot, it launched a trilogy including *The Bing Boys on Broadway* and *The Bing Girls Are There*, offering wartime audiences a buoyant escape. Starring George Robey and Violet Loraine, its blend of catchy tunes, topical sketches, and vibrant staging made it one of the era’s top musical hits, alongside *Chu Chin Chow* and *The Maid of the Mountains*.

Origins During the Great War

Born amid World War I’s final years, *The Bing Boys Are Here* tapped into a public craving for levity. Charlot, a master of revues, assembled a creative team fresh from successes like *The Girl from Utah*. Ayer and Grey crafted its infectious score, while Grossmith and Thompson adapted a French farce by Rip and Bousquet, with additional material from Philip Braham and Ivor Novello. Opening at the Alhambra a Leicester Square landmark known for spectacle it followed a 100-strong chorus and premiered as soldiers on leave filled the stalls, cementing its status as a cultural lifeline during Britain’s darkest hours.

The Plot: A Merry Chase Through London

The revue unfolds with Lucifer and Oliver Bing, two country lads from Binghamton, yearning for London’s bright lights. Their journey kicks off at the Embankment Hotel, where they encounter Emma their family cook turned faux sophisticate, Miss Fuschia of Valparaiso. As Mary McGay, a glamorous actress, she captivates Lucifer, who woos her via Oliver’s singing behind a screen. Scenes shift from a theatre dressing room to the Zoo’s Mappin Terraces complete with chorus members as lions and monkeys before landing at Dullwater House, where Emma reigns as a duchess. This loose, laughter-filled narrative strings together songs and gags, reflecting wartime London’s zest for life.

Standout Performances and Staging

George Robey, the “Prime Minister of Mirth,” led as Lucifer, his comedic genius paired with Violet Loraine’s radiant Mary McGay. Their duet, “If You Were the Only Girl (in the World),” became a wartime anthem. Alfred Lester’s lugubrious Oliver and Phyllis Monkman’s cockerel-clad antics added flair. Directed by Charlot, with choreography by Jack Morrison, the Alhambra’s vast stage dazzled with hotel ballrooms, zoo tableaux, and aristocratic halls, all framed by lavish costumes and a lively orchestra. Soldiers adorned tanks with its posters, a testament to its frontline fandom.

Musical Score and Reception

Ayer’s melodies like “If You Were the Only Girl,” “Another Little Drink,” and “The Kipling Walk” mixed ragtime pep with sentimental charm, Grey’s lyrics nodding to Rudyard Kipling and wartime quirks. Critics hailed its “coherent jollity” (*The Sketch*), praising Robey’s charisma and the score’s uplift. Audiences, including troops on leave, embraced its 378-performance run, making it a morale booster rivaled only by *Chu Chin Chow*. Its tunes lingered in films and memory, evoking the Great War’s bittersweet spirit, though its revue format faded as narrative musicals rose.

Legacy Across the West End

The Bing Boys trilogy followed by *The Bing Girls Are There* (1917) and *The Bing Boys on Broadway* (1918) racked up over 1,000 performances at the Alhambra, outlasting the Armistice. A 1916 cast recording preserved its hits, while its wartime resonance inspired cinema cameos. Though not revived like later classics, its success fueled Charlot’s postwar ventures, including *Yes, Uncle!* Its stars Robey, Loraine, Lester became legends, and its buoyant legacy endures as a symbol of theatre’s wartime defiance, bridging Edwardian revue and modern musical comedy.

Why The Bing Boys Are Here Endures

*The Bing Boys Are Here* thrives in memory for its infectious joy amid adversity, a revue that turned war’s gloom into song and spectacle. Robey and Loraine’s star power, Ayer’s earworms, and a plot bursting with absurdity captured a London clinging to hope. Its West End run proved theatre’s power to unite, offering soldiers and civilians a shared laugh. Though its format waned, its spirit epitomized by “If You Were the Only Girl” echoes as a timeless ode to resilience, ensuring its place as a wartime West End treasure.