A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

There Goes the Bride

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  4w, 4m

John Chapman, Ray Cooney

In Chapman and Cooney's fast-paced, hilarious farce, a beleaguered advertising executive struggles to plan his daughter's wedding after a knock on the head leaves him confused and obsessed with a beautiful, but imaginary, young woman.

There Goes the Bride

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    4w, 4m
  • Duration
    Duration
    120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Appropriate for all audiences

Details

Summary

Timothy Westerby is overworked, underpaid and stressed out – and his daughter Judy is getting married in what he considers an overly lavish and expensive ceremony. Ripe for a nervous breakdown, he finally has one on the morning of the wedding, when he hits his head and meets Polly, a gorgeous young woman who finds him irresistible. Trouble is, Polly is just a hallucination! Convinced that Polly is real, Timothy delights in welcoming the alluring guest to Judy's wedding. Meanwhile, he and his wife, Ursula – who is less than thrilled over Timothy's obsession with Polly – contend with a host of complications and a barrage of colorful guests.

History
There Goes the Bride was first presented by Ray Cooney Productions at the Palace Theatre, Westcliff on Sea, on June 19, 1973, under the title Come Back to My Place. The play was subsequently presented at the Criterion Theatre on October 7, 1974. In 1980, the play was adapted into a film starring Tom Smothers and Twiggy.
Keywords
Performing Groups
URSULA WESTERBY – 40s
JUDY WESTERBY – 20s
DR. GERALD DRIMMOND – Late 60s
TIMOTHY WESTERBY – 40s
BILL SHORTER – Late 40s
DAPHNE DRIMMOND – Late 60s
POLLY PERKINS – 22
CHARLES BABCOCK – 50s
  • Time Period 1970s
  • Setting The London home of the Westerbys. Summer 1974.
  • Features Period Costumes
  • Duration 120 minutes (2 hours)
  • Cautions
    • Mild Adult Themes

Media

“Had the audience gurgling with delight.” – The London Sunday Times

“I found myself surrendering to the ceaseless bombardment of familiar nonsense laughing outright.” – London Daily Mail

“A fiendishly clever farce that gets madder and funnier as it goes along... Has pace, precision and wit.” – London Daily Mirror

Music

Song Samples

Ray Cooney's Interview for Dave's Gone By

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Author

John Chapman

Ray Cooney

Ray Cooney

Ray Cooney began his theatrical career as a boy actor in Song of Norway at the Palace Theatre in 1946. He played in Dry Rot and Simple Spymen and then began a writing career which, to date, has sent 18 plays to the West End, including One for the Pot, Not Now Darling, Move Ov ...

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