Angry Housewives
Louise starred
as Bev at Hammersmith Lyric Studio 29 April - 10 May 1986. - In this troubled punk-rock
musical Louise had the distinction of being the only one of the four women
originally cast in the show who was still in it when it eventually opened!
As ‘The Stage’
put it:
“Originally Angry Housewives would have
starred Carlene Carter, Diane Langton, Mary Maddox and Louise Gold. It would
have been directed by Art Wolff with choreography by Pat Garrett. When it opens
on Tuesday (29 April) the sole survivor of that team will be Louise Gold.”
article ‘Cast play musical chairs at the Lyric’, THE STAGE, 24 April 1986,
p2.
Cast
Bev - Louise Gold
Wendy - Belinda Lang
Jetta - Leslie Duff
Carol - Shelia Brand
Lewd Fingers - Kevin Williams
Bev's Son, a Trainee Punk Rocker
- Russell Lee Nash
with Teddy Kempner and Neil McCaul (as Jetta's Husband and Wendy's Husband, don't know who played which part)
Production Team
Authors – A. M. Collins
&
Original Production – 1983 The
Pioneer Square Theatre,
Director – Art Wolff / Art Woolf
Sound Operator – Michael Pool
Choreographer –
This musical
is about four American Housewives who decide brighten up their dull lives by
forming a Punk Rock band, to enter a Punk Rock contest, despite knowing zilch
about Punk Rock. Most of the show centres on them rehearsing, and trying to
keep their intentions a secret from their respective family and friends. The
finale has the four women, entering the contest, in pull punk gear, singing a
rude song about cornflakes. This production was troubled since of the four
women originally cast: One leading lady pulled put, another injured herself,
and a third just disappeared! The Choreographer was fired, then The Director
fell out with the Producers (and he too left, though retained his credit), and
the first night was delayed, twice!
Besides Louise
Gold, the other women originally cast in the production were: Carlene Carter, Diane Langton,
and, Mary Maddox. The original choreographer was Pat Garrett. The production was (according to one version)
originally supposed to have opened on 27th March 1986. However The Stage says it was originally
supposed to have opened on 15 April and then on the 22 April 1986).
According to
The Stage (24 April 1986, page 2 ‘Cast play musical chairs at the lyric’) Carlene Carter officially left because “the extended rehearsal period would have
prevented her from meeting prior musical commitments”, less officially due
to “artistic differences”, and
unofficially “because of problems playing
the part”. Diane Langton injured
herself (pulled a ligament according to The Stage), and Mary Maddox “disappeared in
another round of artistic differences”). Carlene Carter was replaced by Belinda
Lang, while Diane Langton was
replaced by Sheila Brand, and Mary Maddox was replaced by Lesley Duff. It is also said that the
show was “directed by remote control”
by it’s producers with the help of the Lyric.
Louise Gold and Diane Langton did eventually appear
together in another production with somewhat problematic casting Follies, and have since gone on to appear together in Mary Poppins.
Louise Gold, Teddy Kempner and Neil McCaul all
went on to become noteworthy members of the Discovering Lost Musicals gang.
Louise Gold and Teddy Kempner were reunited in: Chicago & Company, which
Louise Gold, and, Teddy Kempner were
also reunited in Broadway To Brighton, One
Touch Of Venus (1992 production), and Something
For The Boys.
Louise Gold and Neil McCaul had previously appeared
together in The Pirates Of Penzance
film, which choreographer Maurice
Lane also appeared in.
Louise Gold, and, Neil McCaul were
reunited in Billy
The Kid And The Green Baize Vampire, Red Hot &
Blue, Panama Hattie, 110 In The Shade, and, A Celebration Of The Life And Work Of Dick
Vosburgh.
Belinda
Lang went on to appear in the David
Kernan revue Move On.
Louise Gold returned to The Hammersmith Lyric Studio
ten years later to star in Lady Into Fox.
Neil McCaul , and
Neil McCaul has gone on to appear on television on A Week In The West End.
Belinda Lang may have gone on to appear in Dear Ralph.
Pat Garrett went on to work as a choreographer on: The Muppet Christmas Carol, Muppet Treasure Island (where she was
also credited as an “assistant puppeteer”), and, Alice In Wonderland.
Twenty
Two years later, found Louise Gold
back on the
Critics Comments
“With Lesley Duff, the
other attractively different housewives are Louise Gold, Sheila Brand and
Belinda Lang.” Francis King, SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, 4 May 1986
“All of the girls have
brassy melodic voices and when they ultimately turn up in outrageous wigs,
brass studded leather gear and battered stockings, they make a tumultuous noise
singing a rude song about cornflakes.” Milton Shulman,
"Perhaps the
backstage dramas have helped but there is a certain exhilarating dynamism in
the way that Louise Gold, Sheila Brand, Lesley Duff and Belinda Lang attack
their parts, such as they are". Antoney Thorncroft, FINANCIAL
TIMES, 1 May 1986 - this review is worth reading in full as it is very
amusing!
“”I’m a human being.
You’re just going to have to deal with that.” Louise Gold’s Bev tells her
punked-out son in one of many lines that see, ;eft over from dog-eared me
generation manifestos. But as the unlikely quartet of women who form a rock
group called Angry Housewives, Gold, Sheila Brand, Belinda Lang and Lesley Duff
can all put over a song, and the lively score evinces a Broadway knowhow
reminiscent of Kander and Ebb.” Matt Wolf, CITY LIMITS, 1 May 1986
Links about Angry Housewives
Sound Operator
Michael Pool’s entry on The West Yorkshire Playhouse’s site, CV of his work
mentions this show: http://homepages.enterprise.net/micpool/CV.html
Agency Licensing Campaign (article in The Stage): http://www.thestage.co.uk/news/newsstory.php/31022/theatre-stars-back-campaign-for-talent-agency,
and Online Petition (which anyone who
supports it can sign): http://www.gopetition.com/petition/41085.html , seeing as Pat Garrett is among the people
backing this worthy campaign.
