Mel Giedroyc in a musical version of one of the best British rom coms of the 2000s, Starter For Ten? Sign us up!
We here at Film Stories love a bit of theatre. Theatre based on films, even better. Give us some theatre based on films starring national treasure Mel Giedroyc and we might just explode.
Our many limbs were scattered to the winds, then, when this little tidbit entered our inbox. The Bristol Old Vic are putting on the world premiere of a new musical based on David Nicholls’ noughties classic, Starter For Ten.
Check out the synopsis, and a music video for the first song from the musical, below:
“What is eighteen-year-old Brian Jackson’s proudest achievement to date? His A-level results. His idol? Kate Bush. His lifelong dream? To compete on legendary TV quiz show University Challenge. It’s 1985 and, leaving Southend to start his first year at Bristol University, Brian soon discovers that falling in love and growing up take a lot more than general knowledge…”
Giedroyc is set to play Brian’s mum – Julie Jackson in the film, apparently Irene Jackson here – who was originally played by Catherine Tate, opposite Adam Bregman as Brian – the role originally played by James McAvoy.
On her casting, Giedroyc had this to say:
“David Nicholls’ coming of age story is a classic that everybody can identify with; I was taken right back to being a gawky suburban teen finding my feet at Uni in the 80s. The sights and smells of student life – Impulse body spray, backcombed Robert Smith hairdos, questionable food from a one-ring hob, cheap cigarettes, dance floors sticky with snakebite and black! Starter for Ten is especially meaningful to me and I’m ecstatic to be a part of bringing this brand-new musical version – full of heart, comedy and Strongbow – to a brand-new audience.”
The new musical has a book and lyrics co-written by Emma Hall and Charlie Parham, with a score composed by Tom Rasmussen and Hatty Carman, and arrives at the Bristol Old Vic on 29th February 2024.
Starter For Ten is hardly the first film to get an all-singing and dancing retelling. Tim Minchin’s Groundhog Day completed a sell-out run at the Old Vic in London earlier this year, and the Broadway musical Mean Girls is making its way onto the West End next summer.
We’re rather excited for this one, to be honest. And if they do a Mean Girls and re-adapt the musical for the screen, well, we might get to write about it some more. Wouldn’t that be grand?
And if you want more tasty facts about the original film, we’ve got a whole podcast episode for you. Check it out below:
