Ovation presents 'The Young Ones'
John Plews
Genre: Comedy
Cast size: 10+
Duration: 1hr 40m approx
Stage adaptation by John Plews | Musical | Jukebox | Full Length | 5m, 5f
Short synopsis
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The Young Ones was made and released in 1961, originally written as a screen vehicle for Cliff Richard, at the time, Britain’s answer to Elvis. This adaptation for the stage contains all the songs from the film plus four other top ten hits. Songs include Livin’ Doll, We Say Yeah, Please Don’t Tease, Do You Wanna Dance and, of course, The Young Ones. It is evocative of the early 60’s, the era that witnessed the emergence of ‘The Teenager’, the bête noir of parents and the authorities alike. For those who remember the movie the first time around, re-live your youth – for those too young, come and see what your parents (or grand-parents) held hands to in the back row of the cinema!! The show is not a homage to Cliff Richard and the link should be played down. The actor/singer playing Nicky should not be a Cliff look-a-like, but a young leading man playing a role that was written in 1961. The setting switches between a west London youth club, a property developers office and the interior of The Empire Theatre, Finsbury Park.
The Young Ones is the story of teenagers fighting to save their local youth club from imminent demolition at the hands of a property tycoon. They decide to raise money and awareness of their plight by putting on a variety show, promising that a mystery singer will top the bill. But who is this heart-throb hipster who will whip the local teenagers into a frenzy and help raise enough cash to save the day? What is his connection to the property tycoon? Who is the ‘famous French singer’ drafted in to help? All is revealed with much song and dance.
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