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Whatever You Want

Ann Gawthorpe & Lesley Bown

Genre: Comedy

Cast size: 4

Duration: 45 - 50 mins approx

Ann Gawthorpe & Lesley Bown | Comedy | One Act | 2m, 2f

Short synopsis

A comedy about two marriages – Margaret and Ray, and Divora and Steve. It’s a light-hearted look at two women friends nearing retirement, who both want more from life than their husbands do. All four eventually live their dreams, but not in the way they expected.

In 'Whatever You Want'the basic premise is that a pretty young girl will often have a much plainer sidekick - the twist is that their roles were reversed in middle age, which is where the play begins.  

Divora, not bothered by her loss of looks, is an eternal romantic, who yearns for her husband, Steve, to be the same. Margaret on the other hand has not found satisfaction in becoming the better looking one and running her own beauty salon. Retirement looms until she goes on an ‘Assertiveness for Woman’ weekend and comes back empowered only to find that Divora has left Steve and moved in.

The theme of Whatever You Want is revealed in the title – all four protagonists want something out of their lives. Divora wants romance and eating, Margaret wants to become a highflying business woman, Steve wants a quiet life and Ray, Margaret’s husband, wants to retire to Worthing. In the end all four protagonists get what they want but in ways that they could never have dreamed of.  

Stand-alone one act play or pair with Ashes to Ashes, an alternative world in which Margaret marries Max instead of Ray.

(2m, 2f)

  • Margaret Boyles - middle-aged, born in Somerset, has lost her accent, slim
  • Raymond Boyles - middle-aged, her husband, Birmingham accent
  • Divora Richards - middle-aged, born in Somerset, strong accent, overweight
  • Steve Richards - middle-aged, born in Somerset, strong accent
Free

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Whatever You Want

Free
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All our musicals are included in our perusal service. Through this, representatives of producing organisations can request a USB Stick of perusal material  which comprise the script/libretto and piano/vocal score as PDF files; a Cast (or Studio) Recording as MP3 files and (where available) an MP4 file video of either the premiere production or of a subsequent production.

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