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Follow That Girl Part 3
 
Programme Note
 
 
Two numbers listed in the Musical Numbers were omitted from the original cast recording: 'Where Shall I Find My Love?' and 'Victoria! Victoria!'
 
 
 
Cast Notes
Of the cast, Peter Gilmore was a regular performer in West End musicals, but eventually found enormous success in the leading role of the BBC series The Onedin Line. Follow That Girl was Susan Hampshire's only leading role in a musical (she had earlier played a small role in Expresso Bongo); she too had her greatest success on television, and her stage appearances became infrequent. Patricia Routledge went on to play leads in several musicals in Britain (including Little Mary Sunshine and Virtue in Danger). Before this production, she had already played supporting roles in Zuleika and The Love Doctor, and had made her West End debut in Slade's edition of Sheridan's operetta The Duenna, subsequently appearing in Slade's The Comedy of Errors. On Broadway she was regarded as an outstanding musical performer, winning critical plaudits and awards and recording one of her flops - the glorious Darling of the Day with Vincent Price - but all her American efforts proved non-stayers.
 
Susan Hampshire and Peter Gilmore as Victoria and Tom in the opening scene
 
It seemed for a time that she would be more well known and appreciated in America than in Britain until two popular TV series brought her huge prominence, Keeping Up Appearances and Hetty Wainthrop Investigates.
 
Philip Guard, who played Tancred, had co-written a musical with the composer Donald Swann, Wild Thyme, seen all too briefly in London in 1955. For Marion Grimaldi, a weathered and hugely reliable artist, the show was an opportunity for another solid performance, not exciting the critics but never failing the public. Her West End career started with a supporting part in Noel Coward's adaptation of Wilde, After The Ball, after which she played in such pieces as The Burning Boat (with its lovely Geoffrey Wright score - alas, unrecorded), A Girl Called Jo and Where's Charley? (in which she sang the thrilling 'Lovelier Than Ever' with Jerry Desmonde). The only refugees in the cast of Follow That Girl from Salad Days were Newton Blick, who had played the Tramp in the original production (now rewarded with some of the best numbers in Follow That Girl) and James Cairncross.
The company pursues Victoria Gilchrist across the Albert Bridge
The smaller roles and list of 'Passers-by, etc.' reveal some interesting names. John Baddeley was to play the lead (the reporter Mark Raven) in the last Slade-Reynolds musical Wildest Dreams, again at the Vaudeville, but subsequently spent much of his career as a radio actor. John Morley was to co-write a musical about Houdini, Man of Magic and then carved out a living from writing pantomimes. Bridget Armstrong would bring her strange qualities to Sandy Wilson's short-lived little musical His Monkey Wife, and for a time she attracted attention in the TV series Compact. Grazina Frame went on to make a few films (usually opposite pop stars who couldn't act) and was to play the younger female lead in Lionel Bart's Blitz! John Davidson turned up again in the 'Passers-by, etc' department of the two final Slade-Reynolds musicals, Hooray for Daisy! and Wildest Dreams.
 
Julian Slade recorded an 'EP' piano selection of the songs in 1960. The medley consists of Follow That Girl; Evening in London; One, Two, Three, One; The Chase; Solitary Stranger; Lovely Meeting You At Last; Song and Dance
 
On a later recording, Slade sang shortened versions of several of the numbers, including material used in the 'original' version of the show, Christmas in King Street. These were Follow That Girl; Three Victorian Mermaids; Park Street Polka; On the Suspension bridge; Christmas in King Street
 

Julian Slade seated at 'Minnie', the Salad Days piano

 
Curious facts about Follow That Girl
  • Victoria is the heroine of the show, but doesn't get a single solo. A few lines in the opening number, endless repetitions of the words 'Do Re Mi' in a duet with James Cairncross, a few bits in the second half opener 'Taken For A Ride' and - the greatest challenge - a final duet with Peter Gilmore 'One, Two, Three, One'. Just as well, perhaps, as Susan Hampshire didn't make a very pleasant noise.
  • of the five West End musicals that Slade and Reynolds wrote, Follow That Girl was the only period piece, and the only one to be adapted from another of their works (the Bristol Old Vic musical Christmas in King Street)
  • Peter Gilmore made a 'pop' version of the title song. It didn't get into the charts!
  • the orchestration was by Philip Martell. Julian Slade and Martin Goldstein played at two pianos, accompanied by Jack Greenwood (percussion), Roy Willcox (Saxes, Flute and Clarinet), Emile Bibobi (Guitar) and the wonderfully named W. Shakespeare (Trumpet)
and did you know that
 
The fabric for Miss Grimaldi's dress in Act I was by Liberty of London, from the Art Nouveau Lotus Collection … corset by Sylvia Rey … Umbrella effect by Kirby's Flying Ballets … and, of course, the theatre was disinfected throughout with Jeyes' Fluid.

 

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