Me and My Girl tells the story of Bill Snibson, a common boy from Lambeth who has been discovered by a solicitor as being the heir to an immense family fortune. Indeed, he is the long lost 14th Earl of Hareford. In order to gain his inheritance he must satisfy the executors of the will - his aunt the Duchess and Sir John. However, his girl, Sally, is not accepted into the family, and Bill is instructed to leave her. The musical continues as Bill struggles between his aunt's stronghold over him, and his love for Sally. In the end, the two lovebirds find a way to stay together, with the help of Sir John and a man on Wimpole Street! There is, of course, a happy ending, with more than just the one marriage!
I have to say, not having heard of Me and My Girl since relatively recently, I was completely and utterly surprised that so many famous songs were created for this musical! Who knew that 'The Sun Has Got His Hat On' was a song from a musical? It was so fun to hear them all, including 'The Lambeth Walk'! There was one very happy man sitting right in front of me who would throw his arms up in the air after all the big songs. And he had every reason to! The singing was great, the dancing was so much fun, and the band was excellent! The conductor of the band had his head sticking right out of the middle of the stage, and I was convinced that someone would trip over him! I only wish that a bit more of the dancing had been directed to the sides of the stage. Being a thrust stage, at least 1/3 of the audience were on the sides and it did feel that at times we were forgotten, like in the opening sequence when we could literally see nothing. So, if you're booking try to get seats round the front.
The book has been revised by Stephen Fry and it is filled to the brim with laughs and one liners. Matt Lucas, in the role of Bill Snibson is hilarious. I wasn't sure which parts he adlibbed and which he didn't, but he did have the entire audience in raucous laughter ( as well as half the cast!) Alex Young in the role of Sally delivered the whole package and gave, for me, the standout performance of the show. You couldn't help feel sorry for Sally, especially when she sang the song "Once you lose your heart". Other notable performances came from Emile Ruddock and Jennie Dale as Parchester the family solicitor.
This production of Me and My Girl is well worth a visit, with a top class cast full of energy and the best sing-along songs. Abso-bally-lutely brilliant....