Battles with France, the reformation of the church, umpteen executions and the tale of six wives are all brought to the stage by the Tudor Newsteam in this riotous extravaganza.

ABRIDGED VERSION NOW AVAILABLE ... especially suitable for large younger groups such as primary schools (ages 8-12). You can get more details here: HENRY abridged version

Age range: Suitable for any large varied group.

Scenery: A basic stage set on which odd props/ furniture are quickly brought or struck to suggest locations as needed.

Music: Songs vary from serious rockers to cool swingers. Backing tracks available, also vocal score, piano/vocal score, optional extra band parts for drums, bass, guitar and 2nd keyboard.
Listen to FULL DEMOS of all the songs!

Running time: (for the full show): Act 1= 60 mins - Act 2 = 55 mins.

• The Books
• A basic vocal score (melody line and chords).
• The full piano/vocal score
• Additional band parts for guitar, bass, drums and 2nd keyboard
• Backing tracks on CD
• They will also let you borrow a perusal script and demo CD.

If you have any questions please contact me at

HENRY Production notes and ideas

Henry at Ashville College, Harrogate - July 2008

Nell performed by Alyth Musical Society, Perthshire - April/May 2004.

The 1660's was an amazing time to be alive. As well as the plague and the great fire of London, there was the opening of Drury Lane Theatre where a bunch of hopeful girls hoped to find an escape from life in the nearby bawdy house. Find out how their outrageous antics lead to the love story of Charles II and his girlfriend Nell Gwyn - and how they went on to re-shape history.

( Obviously it all had to be hushed up at the time for national security reasons, but at last the real truth can be told! And if you don't believe it - you know what they say about the sixties: if you claim to know exactly what went on, you can't have been there.)

Following Nell's hilarious debut in Hexham in March 2001, the show has been produced all over the UK and abroad including France, Canada, Poland and Australia. The show was especially written to give lots of good roles for women, and it includes plenty of comedy and lively rock songs.

Nell's Belles at Fontainebleau, France in May 2003

• The Books
• A basic vocal score (melody line and chords).
• The full piano/vocal score
• Additional band parts for guitar, bass, drums and saxaphone (E^b).
• Backing tracks on CD
• They will also let you borrow a perusal script and demo CD.

If you have any questions please contact me at

NELL production notes and ideas

Nov 2002: MERCEDES COLLEGE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA ended their FAWKES production outdoors with a full firework finale - WOW!

Following "HENRY's" success, "Fawkes" tells the story of the 1605 gunpowder plot. Most people will know how a gang tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament, and how Guy Fawkes was caught. Following days of ghastly interrogation the gang were all rounded up and executed. Actually, the plot was far more sinister than that and makes for a thrilling whodunnit involving spies, sabotage and someone being walled up alive! The show is set in Catesby's Cabaret Club with the outrageous hostess Miss Catherine Wheel. Even if the club didn't exist, everything in it did actually happen right up to the explosive finale!

Casting: About 40 speaking parts ranging from the creepy to the utterly camp. Characters include the desperate conspirators, good-time show girls, the dashing Lord Mounteagle and his childhood sweetheart Dorothy, the strange King James and his groom of the bedchamber, the devilishly cunning Sir Robert Cecil, three tough old women and a dummy! Lots of chorus work but many doubles possible. (Minimum cast about 18).

Age range: Suitable for any large group, although a few small edits may be appropriate if under 10's are involved.

Scenery: A basic stage set represents the Cabaret Club in which other scenes are created with simple lighting changes and extra props/ furniture when required.

Music: 12 major numbers, mostly suitable for grand showpieces with dancers, singers, effects and strong narrative content.
Backing tracks available, also piano/vocal score, optional band parts for drums, bass, guitar, trumpet, sax/clarinet and trombone.

Running time: Act 1 = 60 mins - Act 2 = 50 mins.

A CRACKING SCRIPT FOR SCHOOL PRODUCTIONS! We have just finished staging Fawkes - The Quiet Guy and I just wanted to tell you how much we enjoyed the whole experience... a really fun mixture of memorable characters, 'cheesy' dialogue and moving moments (when Dorothy was bricked up there wasn't a dry eye in the house). "Nothing" is a fabulous song in my view, but the head of music favours "A Thousand Angry Men". The students really enjoyed bringing history to life in this way, in the 400th year since the gunpowder plot. All in all, a cracking script for school productions! Ian Evans, Head of Drama, The Corbet School, Baschurch, Shrewsbury.

Concord Theatricals Ltd can supply the following:

• The Books
• A basic vocal score (melody line and chords).
• The full piano/vocal score
• Additional band parts for guitar, bass, drums, trumpet, saxaphone/clarinet and trombone (supplied in both C and Bb).
• Backing tracks on CD
• They will also let you borrow a perusal script and demo CD.

If you have any questions please contact me at

Fawkes Production notes and ideas

Two fairground tricksters are hauled before the evil Madam Inquisitor - can Magic Miranda really spin straw to gold? Luckily the King sees the fun side as the hacks from "The Daily Slur" lap up every detail. But things are not always as they seem thanks to the gruesome games of the mysterious manikin with a hundred voices but no name...

Love, laughs, songs and participation make this into a perfect pantomime alternative for all the family which has enjoyed success with both professional and amateur casts.

We recently performed CATS and also WE WILL ROCK YOU, OUR HOUSE and HAIRSPRAY as part of our repertoire, but for most of the committee our favourite remains RUMPELSTILTSKIN ! Sandie Thomson, Secretary, BATS Next Generation

Casting: 11 speaking parts (most of which can be male or female) including the star struck Prof Miller, his strong willed daughter Miranda, the terribly nice King, the scheming Madam Inquisitor, a variety of mercenary hacks and Rumpelstiltskin - the utterly evil changeling creature. Also a variety of chorus roles including extra hacks, guards, villagers, phantoms etc.. Doubles possible. (Minimum cast 8).

Age range: Full family entertainment.

Main Scenes: (Most of these can be achieved by a few props and lights!) Fairground, Palace interior, Palace Vaults, King's Bedroom, a Turret room, a park bench, the catacombs.

Music: About 12 fairly easy songs including reprises. Backing tracks available, also piano/vocal score, optional band parts for drums, bass, guitar.

Running time: Act 1 = 50 mins - Act 2 = 50 mins.

The hacks of the Daily Slur in the BATS Next Generation production in Basingstoke June 2006.

You can now download and read my adaption of The Rumpelstiltskin Racket as a novel on Kindle!

• The Books
• A basic vocal score (melody line and chords).
• The full piano/vocal score
• Additional band parts for guitar, bass and drums.
• Backing tracks on CD
• They will also let you borrow a perusal script and demo CD.

If you have any questions please contact me at

You can hear some MUSIC DEMOS by going to the top of the page