BAD GIRLS

27.May to 01.July 2006 at the West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds

Bad Girls is a fresh, funny and original British musical, based on characters from the award winning and hugely popular television drama. It has been developed by the creators of Bad Girls, Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus, in collaboration with composer and lyricist Kath Gotts, and director Maggie Norris.
On television Bad Girls ran to a massive 107 episodes on ITV1, totalling 111 hours across eight series. The programme has won four TV Quick Awards for Best Loved Drama, two National Television Awards and two Inside Soap Awards. Bad Girls is seen around the world in over 100 territories including Canada, France, New Zealand, South Africa and the USA and it continues to find new and loyal fans wherever it goes. Following workshops at the Old Vic and the New Players Theatre in London, Bad Girls The Musical premiered at West Yorkshire Playhouse in June 2006.

The Story
 Bad Girls – The Musical takes as its starting point the original core characters from the first three series of Bad Girls on TV. Set in the fictional HMP Larkhall, it’s the story of new idealistic Wing Governor Helen Stewart and her battles with the entrenched old guard of Officer Jim Fenner and his sidekick Sylvia Hollamby. It also follows the love story that develops between Helen and charismatic inmate Nikki Wade. Other featured characters include Shell Dockley and her runner Denny Blood, old-timer Noreen Biggs, The Two Julies and the ultimate Top Dog, King-of-Gangland’s missus, Yvonne Atkins.
A tragic death on the wing – in which Jim Fenner is implicated – leads to an angry protest from the women and forces Helen and Nikki to their opposite sides of the bars. But when it’s clear that Helen stands to lose her job over Jim Fenner’s misdeeds, the race is on for the women to nail Jim once and for all.

Cast (in order of apperance):
Rachel Hicks - Elaine Glover
Sylvia "Bodybag" Hollamby - Rachel Izen
Helen Stewart - Laura Rogers
Shell Dockley - Nicole Faraday
Crystal Gordon - Dawn Hope
Denny Blood - Amanda Posener
Julie Saunders - Julie Jupp
Julie Johnson - Louise Plowright
Nikki Wade - Hannah Waddingham
Kat Jenkins - Emman Bispham
Spike - Siubhan Harrison
Noreen Biggs - Tricia Deighton
Jim Fenner - Hal Fowler
Justin Mattison - Neil McDermott
Roger Brunton - Richard Costello
The Number One - Michael N Harbour
Yvonne Atkins - Ellen O`Grady

Creative Team:
Director - Maggie Noris
Designer - Colin Richmond
Lighting Designer Tim Mitchell
Sound & Video Designer - Mic Pool
Musical Director - Dane Preece
Musical Arranger - Neil MeArthur
Vocal Arranger - Kath Gotts
Choreographer - Lynne Page
Fight Director - Terry King
Casting Director - David Grinrod

Synopsis

ACT I
The story opens with the arrival at HMP Larkhall of frightened new inmate, Rachel. As she is led to her cell the other inmates come out and introduce themselves I shouldn't be here. Prison officer Jim Fenner ingratiates himself to the young girl by promising to watch over her. Shell Dockley, prisoners 'Top Dog' on the wing who has been granting sexual favours to Fenner, does not like the attention that he is giving the new girl and with her gang invades Rachel's cell to intimidate her An Angel Like You. Rachel complains to Fenner, and also confides in him of her fears over regaining custody of her child once her sentence is over. Fenner again promises to watch over her and claims to have contacts who can help her on the outside once her sentence is over. Fenner and fellow officer Sylvia 'Bodybag' Hollamby are unhappy with the lenient approach of new wing governor Helen Stewart and are keen to see her demise so they can run the wing their way Jailcraft. Laura orders prisoner Nikki to be transferred to an upgraded cell prior to her coming appeal, but to sabotage her case Fenner agitates the other prisoners against her causing her to be involved in a fight. Laura visits her in the punishment block, overturning Fenner's decisiona and releasing her One Moment. The two Julies, former prostitutes jailed for robbing their clients, try to overhear Fenner talking to Rachel but are sent about their duties, scrubbing floors A Life of Grime. Another new inmate arrives, tough talking Yvonne, the wife of a gangster, she is not at all intimidated by Dockley and quickly stakes a claim to replace her as top dog A-List. Night falls, the prisoners are locked up and Fenner is alone on duty, with the power to enter any cell for any reason The Key. He enters Rachel's cell and she soon learns the price he expects her to pay for the protection he has afforded. The fragile girl is overcome by the rape and the following morning is found hanging in her cell. The other prisoners are angered at the needless death, for which they know Fenner to be responsible. They rebel against the prison warders That's the way it is and start a riot.

ACT II
The riot is subdued and the prisoners back in their cells. Prisoner Crystal seeks solace in her religion Freedom Road. Fenner id happy that his plan to discredit Laura is proceeding as planned The Future is Bright. The two Julies go on strike in protest against Fenner, who gives Dockley and her side-kick Denny their jobs serving food. They see this as a chance to demand respect from their fellow inmates P-P-P-Please. Prisoner Julie S calls her son who has been taken into foster care and learned for the first time that she is in prison Sorry. Laura summons Nikki to her office to give her a pep-talk about her appeal. Simmering just below the surface is a deep attraction between these two which current circumstances will not allow, but if Nikki earns her release ... Every Night. Back on the wing some of the women are struggling to come to terms with their lack of male company All Banged Up. Fenner's plot against Laura has almost come to fruition. It seems she is being forced out of her job and Fenner is the leading candidate to replace her. Caring warden Justin is as convinced as the inmates that Fenner played a part in Rachel's death and teams up with inmates to thwart his plans. To gather evidence against him however, they need to persuade Shell to come over to their side The Baddest and the Best. Shell, having been convinced that Fenner has only been using her, joins forces with the other inmates in bid to trap Fenner. When Fenner comes to her cell to collect his favours she lures him in and uses his handcuffs to handcuff him to the bed First Lady. Fenner is unaware that the cell has been rigged with a hidden camera which is patched in to the prison security network. Fenner is caught on camera, his career destroyed. Just then their is a power cut, with the camera down Shell extracts her own personal revenge by setting fire to the bed to which Fenner has allowed himself to be handcuffed The Baddest and the Best [Reprise]. Laura is reinstored as wing governor and life looks brighter for the inmates This is my life.

Performances
Hal Fowler gave an incredible performance as Jim Fenner. His singing voice is melodious and his performance as the oily charmer was so winning that you almost wanted to be on his side. So much so that the obligatory boos from the audience for the villain sounded almost apologetic. His song and dance routine with Rachel Izen as fellow warder Sylvia 'Bodybag' Hollamby was excellently executed and extremely enjoyable. The latter was a cynical but drolly humourous character who follows in Fenners footsteps. Nicole Faraday was one of two cast members to have appeared in the TV series and was for me the other standout performer on the night as the brassy prison bully Shell Dockley. She belted out two of the shows most memorable numbers in P-P-P-Please and First Lady (duet with Fenner). Laura Rogers was the other graduate of the TV series and as the rather prim but caring Wing Governor Helen Stewart was set somewhat apart from the main body of the cast. Her rendition of Every Night with Hannah Waddingham as Nikki Wade was very touching. The latter also gave a sterling performance as the angry young woman jailed for a stabbing she committed in self-defence. Elaine Glover played the frightened newbie Rachel and though she had no featured songs gave the best dramatic performance on the night. Louise Plowright and Julie Jupp were empyreal as the inseperable two Julies and gave us the two best comedy numbers of the night with A Life of Grime and All Banged Up. Joining them in the latter was Ellen O'Grady as Yvonne Atkins, all three turning into vamps and draping themelves over sympathetic warder justin Mattison, played by Neil McDermott. Rounding off the cast were Michael N Harbour as the officious Number One, Dawn Hope as bible-bashing inmate Crystal Gordon, Amanda Posener as angry young inmate Denny Blood, Tricia Deighton as inmate Norren Biggs, Emma Bispham as inmate Kat Jenkins, Richard Costello as warder Roger Brunton and Siubhan Harrison as inmate Spike (who was somethiin of a background character until the very end when she revealed a beautiful singing voice I have liked to have heard more of). Review by Don Gillan, www.stagebeauty.net

Bad Girls Reviews
  • "Fenner (Hal Fowler) and his lazy cohort Sylvia 'Bodybag' Hollamby (Rachel Izen) are hilarious" **** Metro
  • "stand out performances from Nicole Faraday as Shell Dockley, Ellen O'Grady as Yvonne Atkins and Hal Fowler as Fenner" Yorkshire Evening Post

  • “Specially notable ... are Fowler as the evil rapist, Ellen O’Grady’s disdainful Yvonne and Laura Rogers and Hannah Waddingham as the two ‘Juliets’.” The Times

    • Visit the Bad Girls Websites:
     www.badgirlsthemusical.com
    www.wyplayhouse.com