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Ovation's There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis

Jennifer Selway

Genre: Drama

Cast size: 9

Duration: 1hr 45m approx

Jennifer Selway | Play with Music | Full Length | 5m, 4f

Short synopsis

Elvis Presley set foot in the UK only once, on 3rd March 1960, at the Prestwick USAF Air Base in Scotland. The news of the King’s flying visit sends the teenage members of the Elvis Presley Fan Club (Kilmarnock Branch) into a spin as they plan to meet their idol in the flesh. He’ll only be there for a couple of hours so what could possibly go wrong? Fast forward to the 1980’s to find out….Play with ten ‘jukebox’ songs set at the time of Elvis Presley’s only visit to the United Kingdom.

Licensed by Stagescripts in the UK and Overseas
For Licensing in USA contact Ovation

  • Synopsis
  • Characters
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Elvis Presley set foot in the UK only once, on 3rd March 1960, at Prestwick in Scotland.

The news of the King’s flying visit sends the teenage members of the Elvis Presley Fan Club (Kilmarnock Branch) into a spin as they plan to meet their idol in the flesh. 

He’ll only be there for a couple of hours so what could possibly go wrong?  

The play opens in Jeanie’s bedroom where the Elvis fan club are meeting. We meet three Scottish lasses – Jeannie, Zoe & Lizzie and their American guitar-playing friend Ruth.  

Later we meet three servicemen at the U.S. base where Elvis is about to land who, apart from being on guard duty, show off their skills as an acapella singing group.  NB these three must also be musicians, they are the band in Act 3.

As the girls prepare for the press conference Jeannie is a few minutes late, Elvis was also late. Act 1 concludes with the announcement that Jeannie is pregnant.

At the top of Act 2 the audience discover that we have moved on 21 years and Jeannie’s child, Vince, has grown up to be an Elvis tribute act who works in a chip shop.   We also discover that Zoe, Jeannie’s best friend, has been having an affair with Jeannie’s now husband Rob, and American Ruth has stayed in Scotland and married a local lad.

By Act 3 we are in a local Village Hall where Vince is celebrating his 21st birthday with the main topic of conversation……….“who really is Vince’s father?”

Secrets are revealed, old scores are settled and the party finishes with Vince strutting his stuff as the King of Rock’n’roll.

The show features ten classic hit songs of the Sixties and Eighties.

5m, 4f

  • Jeannie: Scots lass, age 19 up to 40,
    the lead role. Jeannie is the lively leader of the Elvis fan club By Act 2
    she is 40 and sings the opening song (alto) in Act 3. Ideally has a genuine, or very good, Scottish (Kilmarnock) accent. (f)
  • Zoe: Jeannie’s best friend, age 20 to 40s. They’ve been big mates since school. In Act 2, she’s 40. Zoe sings the title song (alto) in Act 3. Ideally has a genuine, or very good, Scottish (Kilmarnock) accent. (f)  
  • Lizzie: late teens up to late 30s. Third
    founding member of the “Kilmarnock Elvis Fan Club. In Act 2, she’s 39. Sings
    backing vocals (soprano). Ideally has a genuine, or very good, Scottish
    (Kilmarnock) accent. (f)
  • Ruth: American 16/17 to late 30s. Father has been posted to the US Air Base at Prestwick, she has made new friends with Jeannie, Zoe and Lizzie. Ideally she must be able to play guitar and sing to a high standard. Sings lead on four songs. She also ideally can do a good American (New York) accent. (f) 
  • Rob : Jeannie’s boyfriend, early 20s to early 40s. He is somewhat of a ladies man and is a junior reporter on the local paper. He thinks he is the father of Jeannie’s baby and marries her. Ideally has a genuine, or very good, Scottish (Kilmarnock)
    accent. (m)
  • Sergeant Langston: American mid-20s; band member in Act 3. A Sergeant from Chicago, he needs to have an air of authority over the two GI’s. Ideally can play lead guitar, bass guitar or drums to a high standard, sing backing vocals (tenor or bass) and be able to sing a cappella. (m)
  • Herman Hidenbacker: American
    mid-20s; band member in Act 3. A young GI from New Jersey who is
    very self-opinionated. Ideally can play lead guitar, bass guitar or drums to a high standard, sing backing vocals (tenor or bass) and be able to sing a cappella. (m)
  • Gerry Patterson: American mid-20s; band member in Act 3. A young GI from Tennessee. Ideally can play lead
    guitar, bass guitar or drums to a high standard, sing backing vocals (tenor or bass) and be able to sing a cappella. (m)
  • Vince: Jeannie’s son; an Elvis tribute act, 21 – does not appear in Act 1. He needs to resemble a young (Jailhouse Rock) Elvis. Act 3 is set at Vince’s 21st birthday party so the actor must be around this age. He sings two Elvis songs (one with a backing track, one with the band). He does not have to play guitar. He works in the chip shop as his Elvis act is not earning him a living. Ideally has a genuine, or very good, Scottish (Kilmarnock) accent; and (for the Elvis routine), a good general American accent. (m)

It would be great if actor musicians were cast but the instruments can also be mimed to a live band.

‘Witty, clever and passionate, with a serious twist. Just like Kirsty was.’– Philip Rambow, Co-writer of the hit song There’s a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis

‘A real rock & roll evening – Elvis would have loved it!’– Judith Chalmers and Neil Durden-Smith

‘Packs an emotional punch. Watch out for it in the West-End!’ – Vanessa Feltz, BBC Radio 2

'A very talented cast with great singing. A very enjoyable night’– Alison Steadman, Actress

'The Gatehouse is famed for its musicals and the production values in this one are as impressive as ever’– Aline Waites, Ham & High

‘Teenage angst, middle-age meltdowns, laughs, terrific close harmonies – and a bloke who looks like Elvis. That’s what I call a good night out.’– Richard Madeley, TV presenter

‘Thoroughly enjoyed the show – it was magic’– Terry Jones, (Monty Python) Writer & Director

**** 'A nostalgic, funny but quite hard-hitting evening. I absolutely loved it, was absorbed by it from Jeannie’s first entrance to the final Elvis medley.' Jeremy Chapman, Musical Theatre Review

**** 'A gutsy new play with songs, bolstered by strong central performances and a nostalgic soundtrack. Spanning two decades, Selway explores the agony and ecstasy of the first teenage generation via the Elvis Presley fan club (Kilmarnock Branch) and then 21 years later, as they face up to life and love as adults. It is an engaging, often gutsy drama and thanks to some punchy central performances and a nostalgic live soundtrack, this Edinburgh-bound show wins through.' Paul Vale, The Stage














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Ovation's There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis

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More information

The original production was commissioned, devised and directed by John Plews, written by Jennifer Selway Music by various composers

For further information on 'Ovation's There's A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He's Elvis' click here

John Plews also offers stand alone Talks...
Titanic – Fascinating Stories Behind the Maritime Disaster
Sixty Years in Showbiz
To Sea Or Not To Sea...a Cruise could be the Answer

For John Plew's Talks click here

If you require any additional information regarding this script, please don’t hesitate to contact us here.

Songs

Act One

  • All I Have To Do Is Dream (Felice and Boudleaux Bryant) Sony/ATV - Ruth + backing vocals from the girls
  • The Book Of Love (Patrick/Davis/ Malone) Sony/ATV The Three US Soldiers
  • Blue Moon Of Kentucky (Bill Monroe) Peer Music - Ruth 
  • The Wonder Of You (Baker Knight) Universal – Ruth + backing vocals from the girls

Act Two

  • US Male (Jerry Reed) Warner Chappell – Vince (with backing track)

Act Three (all songs backed by the live band)

  • It’s My Party (Gold/Gluck/Weiner/ Gottlieb) Warner Chappell Jeannie
  • There’s A Guy Works Down The Chip Shop Swears He’s Elvis (Kirsty
    MacColl/Philip Rambow) Warner Chappell/BMG–Chrysalis - Zoe
  • Hold On Tight (Jeff Lynne) EMI Music – Ruth
  • Blue Suede Shoes (Carl Lee Perkins) Wren Music Co (BMI), – Vince
    A division of MPL Music Publishing, Inc on behalf of Carl
    Perkins Music Inc
Information for Production Administrators
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