I laughed my head off watching Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, which I caught at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre at the start of its new 2020 tour. And afterwards, I got onto the wonderfully kitsch 1970s set myself to interview stars Joe Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaw, who play Frank Spencer and his ever-patient wife Betty, and writer-director Guy Unsworth.
What was the inspiration for adapting this classic 1970s British sitcom? How did the show find its perfect Frank? How much of Raymond Allen‘s original TV scripts are used in the stage version? Why are Frank and Betty one of the UK’s great love stories? Is the show as fun to perform as it is to watch? How accident-prone is Joe really? Why is touring like a six-month holiday? What are the show’s most rib-tickling Frank-like malapropisms?
In this re-imagined stage episode of Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em, Betty has exciting news for Frank, but he’s preoccupied by possible newfound fame as a magician. With guests arriving for dinner and crossed wires all round, priceless misunderstandings are on the menu and hilarious mishaps and DIY disasters are bringing the house down, quite literally.
After its successful 2018 premiere, Guy Unsworth‘s acclaimed production of this riotous comedy returns for another extensive UK-wide tour, with Joe Pasquale and Sarah Earnshaw reprising their performances – which they couldn’t wait to do, as they told me in this interview.
More from the Q&A
Don't miss Terri's live-tweeting and videos from Terri's trip to the opening of the Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em at Bromley's Churchill Theatre.
Terri Paddock founded WhatsOnStage.com and the WhatsOnStage Awards, running the company and its events from 1996 to 2013. Terri is also the author of two novels, Come Clean and Beware the Dwarfs, and has previously written for the Evening Standard, Independent, The Times and other national publications. She is renowned for her 'legendary' post-show Q&As and also produces the annual Critics' Circle Theatre Awards and acts as a digital, content strategy and event consultant for theatre, producers and other clients. She tweets about theatre at @TerriPaddock.
