Dad's Army: A Nostalgic Music and Laughter Show of Britain's Finest Hour was a 1975 stage adaptation of the BBC sitcom Dad's Army. Following the success of the television programme, the stage show was commissioned by Bernard Delfont in the spring of 1975.

Jimmy Perry and David Croft adapted material from the original scripts, making changes to allow for the absence of location filming. The show was in the style of a revue, with songs, familiar scenes from the show, and individual turns for cast members. It was directed by Roger Redfarn, who shared the same agent as the writers.

Cast Character Original television series West End 1975 2007 tour Captain Mainwaring Arthur Lowe Peter Martin Tim Knightley (halfway) Sergeant Wilson John Le Mesurier David Warwick Lance Corporal Jones Clive Dunn Clive Dunn Richard Tate Private Walker James Beck John Bardon Leslie Grantham Private Pike Ian Lavender Tom Richardson Private Frazer John Laurie Hamish Roughead Private Godfrey Arnold Ridley Private Maple Norman Macleod Private Meadow Graham Hamilton

Jeffrey Holland, who would frequently collaborate with Croft in the future, portrayed multiple roles, as did actor Ronnie Grainge, who as well as singing and dancing in all the musical numbers, also played an RAF officer and German General.

Dates

The show opened at the Forum Theatre, Billingham, County Durham on 4 September 1975 for a two-week try out. A local critic wrote of the event: "The special bond of affection between cast and audience helped each item spark along" - Kevin EasonArticle in the Hartlepool Mail, 9 September 1975

After cuts and revisions, the show transferred to London's West End and opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre on 2 October 1975. On the opening night there was a surprise appearance by Chesney Allen, singing the old Flanagan and Allen song Hometown with Arthur Lowe.

The show ran in the West End until February 1976, where it was disrupted twice by bomb scares, and then toured the country until 4 September 1976. Jack Haig took over from Clive Dunn as Lance Corporal Jones for the second half of the tour. The stage show was later revived, billed as Dad’s Army—The Musical, and toured Australia and New Zealand in 2004–2005, starring Jon English.

1976 UK tour dates Venue City Start Finish Opera House Manchester Tuesday 23 March 1976 Saturday 10 April 1976 Theatre Royal Nottingham Monday 12 April 1976 Saturday 1 May 1976 Bradford Alhambra Bradford Monday 3 May 1976 Saturday 15 May 1976 Hippodrome Birmingham Monday 17 May 1976 Saturday 22 May 1976 Pavilion Theatre Bournemouth Monday 24 May 1976 Saturday 5 June 1976 Winter Gardens Blackpool Monday 7 June 1976 Saturday 19 June 1976 Theatre Royal Newcastle Monday 21 June 1976 Saturday 3 July 1976 Richmond Theatre Richmond upon Thames Monday 12 July 1976 Saturday 24 July 1976 Theatre Royal Brighton Monday 26 July 1976 Saturday 21 August 1976 Theatre Royal Bath Monday 23 August 1976 Saturday 4 September 1976

Running order Act One Scene 1 Who do you think you are kidding Mr Hitler? Scene 2 Put that light out Scene 3 When Can I Have a Banana Again? Scene 4 Command Post Scene 5 Private Pike's Dream Scene 6 Cliff top: Lance Corporal Jones stands guard Scene 7 Battle of Britain Scene 8 Choir practice

Act Two Scene 9 The song that we would rather forget Scene 10 Unarmed combat Scene 11 Tinpan alley Scene 12 Morris Dance Scene 13 A Nightingale sang in Berkley Square Scene 14 Radio personalities of the 40s Scene 15 The beach Scene 16 FinaleAn LP of the stage show entitled "Dad's Army" was released in 1975 by Warner Brothers, catalogue number K 56186

New stage show In April 2007 a new Dad's Army stage show was announced. It featured two lost episodes ("The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker" and "A Stripe for Frazer") combined with two additional episodes "Room at the Bottom" (of which only a black-and-white version survived, until its colour was recreated in December 2008) and "The Deadly Attachment". A sequel to the 2007 stage show was announced in December 2009 with the tour starting the following year. It features the same cast as the 2007 show, but has different episodes, including "Branded" and "Mum's Army".

References

Bibliography Croft, D & Perry, J, Dad's Army: the lost episodes. London: Virgin, 1998 Pritchard, T: Stonehouse, Dad's Army- an appreciation. Dad's Army Appreciation Society, 2004 Webber, R, Complete A-Z of Dad's Army. London Orion 2000