Customer Reviews

Acorn Antiques - The Musical [Non-US Format, PAL, Region 2, Import]

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Victoria Wood's sublime comedy creation ACORN ANTIQUES began life as a regular skit on her TV series "As Seen on TV". She based the soap opera spoof on the live series "Crossroads", with it's wobbly sets, flubbed lines, missed cues and clunky camera movements. The show told the story of two sisters running an embattled antique shop in Manchesterford, looked after by doddery tealady Mrs. Overall. The original ACORN ANTIQUES cast (Celia Imrie, Julie Walters and Duncan Preston) all returned for the 2005 stage musical, with the exception of Wood herself (who originally played Miss Berta in the TV series). Instead, Wood filled the role of Mrs. Overall at certain performances during the run, allowing Julie Walters to attend "bingo nights" (as the programme originally explained). British musical theatre regular Sally Ann Triplett assumed the role of Miss Berta in Wood's place.

Act One begins in the rehearsal hall of the Enoch Powell Leisure Centre, where an amateur theatre company from Sutton Coldfield are gathering for the first rehearsal of a musical based on "Acorn Antiques", starring the four original actors from the TV series (Julie Walters, Celia Imrie, Duncan Preston, and Sally Ann Triplett). However the enterprise is dubious from the outset, as the show's avant-garde director (Neil Morrissey) makes no secret of his plans for using the "Acorn Antiques" name to craft a darker musical, where Mr. Clifford picks up rentboys and Mrs. Overall is on heroin. As the dress rehearsal swings into gear, the show resembles something of a bizarre combination of "Les Miserables" and "Rent" (with a little bit of "Café Continental" thrown in), but when Bo (Julie Walters) wins 2 million pounds in the lottery, she uses the money to stage a proper "Acorn Antiques" musical in the West End.

"Acorn Antiques: The Musical" kicks off in Act Two. The street of cozy shops in the highstreet of Manchesterford are all in danger of being closed down to make way for bigger businesses like Credit Cronies, The Hong Kong Thong & Panty Hut, and "faceless" coffeeshop chain The Guilty Bean. Acorn Antiques' owners Miss Babs (Celia Imrie) and Miss Berta (Sally Ann Triplett) must find their long-lost triplet sister before they can unlock their father's will and secure the money which will keep their beloved shop open. Mrs. Overall (Julie Walters) knows more than she's telling, but a tin of truth drugs from the Innovations catalogue uncovers a few skeletons in the family closet. Amnesiac Mr. Clifford (Duncan Preston), villainess Bonnie (Josie Lawrence) from The Guilty Bean, and two "pitiful adolescents" from a youth employment scheme (Gareth Bryn and Jemma Boyd) add to the drama.

ACORN ANTIQUES played a limited three-month run in the West End in 2005. Audiences thrilled to the prospect of seeing these beloved comedy characters on the musical stage, especially Julie Walters (whose Mrs. Overall is something of a British national treasure). Critics weren't so kind, though, and Victoria Wood significantly changed the show when it went out on tour in 2006, cutting out the first act (which admittedly did confuse audiences), and fleshing out the proper "Acorn Antiques" musical from the second act.

Bonus features on the DVD include selected clips from one of the performances where Victoria Wood substituted for Walters as Mrs. Overall, and she's not bad at all. The temptation would have been great for Wood to completely ape Walters' mannerisms and voice, but it's a solid alternative portrayal. In recent interviews, Victoria Wood has voiced misgivings about writing the musical version of ACORN ANTIQUES, as she believes it could have hurt her credibility as a playwright. I think she is being much too hard on herself. What's on stage in this musical is sheer, unabashed joy, and that's not to be ashamed of, but to be proud of. The show is tailormade for small theatre companies and I'm sure this work will have a long afterlife on the regional and amateur stage, no doubt bringing with it warm memories for both it's cast members and audiences well into the future.