Guest Blog: "Bums on seats, luvvie!" - Molly Wobbly’s Tit Factory opens in London

Paul Boyd

The town of Little Happening gets an unexpected make-over when a devious and creepy stranger arrives on Mammary Lane promising personal improvement to three unhappy women.

Molly Wobbly’s Tit Factory has enjoyed great support since the show’s inception in 2006. The audiences that attended the show’s sell-out runs at the Lyric Theatre Belfast in 2011 and 2012 and again for its production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last year, along with many industry professionals, have now led the show to London and the Hackney Empire.

Molly Wobbly is the saucy, sexy, musical tale of innocent shopkeepers who plot to get a few things off their chests and bulges with racy, catchy songs and larger than life characters. While the word “tit” features prominently in the title, the show is far from X-rated. With shows such as Book of Mormon full of expletives and songs about Aids and genital mutilation, Molly Wobbly is actually quite tame. And even though our ads for Molly Wobby’s T*t Factory (note the asterisk!) were banned by London Underground, I like to think I’ve combined the best of British musical hall, Carry On and double-entendre traditions, yet in a very 21st century way. 

Producing a musical in London required tons of help. Molly Wobbly has attracted a diverse group of supporters, ranging from the Lyric Theatre’s artistic director Richard Croxford who encouraged the development of the full-length show, to the Rocky Horror Company’s Christopher Malcolm who consulted on re-writes, the Stand Comedy Club’s Tommy Sheppard who co-produced the show in Edinburgh, and ultimately Hackney Empire’s Susie McKenna and Claire Middleton who invited the show to premiere at one of London’s most prestigious and historic venues.

The hardest part about bringing a show to London, especially with a large venue to fill like the Hackney Empire, is the cost of advertising in the capital. Working with the team at the theatre we've worked hard to reach a maximum audience with a minimal budget. Buses and billboards don't come cheap, but the massive growth of Twitter, especially within the theatrical community, has also enabled us to reach a widespread audience at virtually no cost. Bums on seats, luvvie!

We are also incredibly fortunate to welcome Gary Wilmot back to the London stage. I’m genuinely flattered that he’s called Molly “funniest musical I've ever read”, and this is coming from the star of mega-hit Me and My Girl. Supported by such talent as Sophie Louise Dann and The Voice finalist Sam Buttery, I’m convinced London will be spellbound by Molly Wobbly and all who sing in her.

Paul Boyd

contact@westendframe.com

Paul Boyd has written twenty musicals and is also the composer and co-creator of ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘Sinbad’, two water spectaculars remove comma which have been seen worldwide. He created the role of The Writer in Spike Milligan’s stage comedy ‘Puckoon’ which toured Ireland and was at the Leicester Square Theatre in 2009 and for which he wrote the score and co-wrote the book. Diego Pitarch has designed many productions with Craig Revel Horwood including ‘Sunset Boulevard’ at the Comedy Theatre.

Molly Wobbly’s Tit Factory runs at the Hackney Empire from Sunday 22nd September (previews from Friday 20th September) until Saturday 5th October 2013.

Visit www.mollywobblystitfactory.com for further information and tickets.

Photo Credit: Matt Humphrey

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