The Dirtiest Show in Town

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The Dirtiest Show in Town: A Bold West End Revue

The Dirtiest Show in Town, a musical revue with a book and lyrics by Tom Eyen and music by Jeff Barry, premiered at London’s Duchess Theatre in the West End in May 1971. Directed by Eyen and produced by Robert Stigwood, this audacious show ran for nearly 800 performances, closing in March 1973. Born Off-Off-Broadway at La MaMa in 1970, it hit New York’s Astor Place Theatre for 509 performances before crossing the Atlantic. A satirical jab at air pollution, the Vietnam War, and urban decay, it shocked and delighted with nudity, explicit themes, and a climactic orgy. Starring a vibrant ensemble, its West End run rode the tail of the 1960s sexual revolution, earning praise for its clever dialogue despite its raunchy edge, cementing its place as a daring footnote in Theatreland’s history.

Origins and Journey to the West End

Eyen, a Tony-winning playwright, conceived the revue in 1970, staging it at La MaMa before its Off-Broadway leap. Its New York success 509 performances caught Stigwood’s eye, fresh from *Hair*’s triumph. After touring, it landed at the Duchess Theatre in May 1971, capitalizing on London’s appetite for boundary-pushing theatre post-*Oh! Calcutta!*. The West End cast, including R.A. Dow and Ellen Gurin from the U.S. run, brought raw energy, while Barry known for 60s pop hits infused the score with a punchy beat. Opening amid Britain’s cultural shift, its nearly two-year run reflected a public ready to embrace or at least tolerate its unapologetic satire, a stark contrast to the era’s gentler musicals like *Oliver!*.

The Plot: Satire Meets Skin

Set in a dystopian New York, the revue skewers modern woes through a loose, episodic frame. A gym of misfits gay, straight, and defiant navigates sex, pollution, and war’s fallout. Characters like the Jiffy Mover and Stoned Angel trade barbs on urban blight, Vietnam drafts, and computerized conformity, their dialogue laced with Eyen’s biting wit. Sketches escalate to a lesbian love scene and a gay male romance, culminating in a full-cast, naked orgy a literal and figurative climax. Less a story than a provocative collage, it mirrors *Hair*’s rebellion but swaps flower power for urban grit, ending in a chaotic celebration of defiance and desire, unburdened by traditional narrative.

Standout Performances and Staging

The West End ensemble shone with R.A. Dow’s brash Jiffy Mover and Ellen Gurin’s ethereal Stoned Angel, their chemistry sparking the revue’s anarchic vibe. Paul Matthew Eckhart’s Jonathan and Jennifer Mitchell’s Brunette added depth to the sexual tapestry, while Eyen’s direction raw from New York kept the pace frenetic. The Duchess Theatre’s intimacy amplified the nudity and orgy, staged with minimal sets by T.E. Mason and Victor Bijou’s daring costumes or lack thereof. Lighting by Steve Whitson cast a seedy glow, evoking Soho’s underbelly. Critics noted its “clever perversity” (*Time*), though its shock value outpaced its polish, thrilling audiences who craved the taboo over the tame.

Musical Score and Reception

Jeff Barry’s score pulsed with 70s pop-rock “It Ain’t the Meat, It’s the Motion” and “We’re All Stoned” paired with Eyen’s lyrics, sharp as they were salacious. Numbers like “The Dirtiest Show” set the tone, blending satire with groove, though lacking the melodic sweep of Broadway peers. *The Times* praised its “witty observations,” while others decried its “crude excess” (*The Guardian*). Its nearly 800-performance run outlasting many contemporaries proved its draw, fueled by sexual revolution tailwinds and Stigwood’s savvy. A 1971 cast recording captured its brashness, a relic of a West End moment when provocation trumped propriety, even if it didn’t win universal love.

Legacy Beyond the West End

After its Duchess Theatre close, *The Dirtiest Show in Town* spawned a 1971 Los Angeles run at the Ivar Theater and a 1975 rework, *The Dirtiest Musical in Town*, with Nell Carter. Eyen’s 1980 Showtime film the first made-for-cable movie starring John Wesley Shipp, kept its spirit alive, baring all on screen. Its West End tenure, though not Olivier-bait, influenced fringe theatre’s boldness, prefiguring *The Rocky Horror Show*’s edge. Rarely revived due to its dated shock, its script and recordings linger in archives, a cult curiosity. By 2025, its nearly 800-performance feat stands as a testament to a West End once wild enough to embrace such unfiltered revelry.

Why The Dirtiest Show in Town Endures

*The Dirtiest Show* endures as a time capsule of 70s rebellion, its sex-and-satire cocktail a defiant roar against conformity. Eyen’s dialogue smart amid the smut and Barry’s beats keep it a guilty pleasure, while its West End run showcased Theatreland’s fleeting fling with the risqué. It’s no *Cats*, but its orgiastic glee and social bite resonate with those who crave theatre that dares. Too raw for today’s polish, it’s a reminder of a West End that once let it all hang out literally. In an age of safer bets, its legacy is its fearlessness, a dirty dance through a decade that didn’t blink at the unbuttoned.