Chaps!
by Jahnna Beecham, Malcolm Hillgartner

Name: Chaps!
Brand: Jahnna Beecham
SKU: 9780573633997

Highlights

Female

Male

90 mins 1940s/WWII Interior Set Period Costumes

Synopsis

Whoa, Brittania!

Panic at the BBC!

The year is 1944, and America’s favorite singing cowboy Tex Riley and his troupe are late for a special broadcast at the BBC in London.

Out of desperation, Mabel, their tour manager, and Miles, the frantic young producer, grab whomever they can – a snobby announcer, an amiable sound man, a passing soap opera actor – slap them into costume, hand them scripts (after all, it’s radio!) and shove them in front of the studio audience.

The resulting performance is one England will never forget.

This charming crowd-pleaser features songs by Gene Autry, Roy Rodgers, Bob Nolan, Johnny Mercer, Frank Loesser, Patsy Montana, Dickie Wells, Tex Owens, Cliff Friend, Rex Allen Jr. and more...

Press Reviews

"Just the ticket to take away the blues."
— KPBS, San Diego

"Opening night standing ovation!"
— The San Diego Reader

"A hoot... entertaining hoedown."
— Seattle Times, Critics' Pick Best Bets

"Rustles up a stampede of old-time radio nostalgia and campy humor."
— Seattle Post-Intelligencer

"Lassos the audience... howling with laughter."
— City Living Seattle

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Miles Shadwell Intense young producer responsible for bringing the Singing Cowboys to Great Britain. If this holiday broadcast doesn’t come off, he might as well kiss his job good-bye. If he wasn’t so neurotic, he’d be a nice guy.	male	—	Intense young producer responsible for bringing the Singing Cowboys to Great Britain. If this holiday broadcast doesn’t come off, he might as well kiss his job good-bye. If he wasn’t so neurotic, he’d be a nice guy.
Leslie Briggs-Stratton Imperious, arrogant snob of a BBC announcer á la George Sanders. Loathes cowboy songs. Is convinced he is civilization’s last line of defense against the rise of vulgar populism on the radio. Nobody knows he was once a featured performer in music hall pantomime.	male	—	Imperious, arrogant snob of a BBC announcer á la George Sanders. Loathes cowboy songs. Is convinced he is civilization’s last line of defense against the rise of vulgar populism on the radio. Nobody knows he was once a featured performer in music hall pantomime.
Clive Cooper A radio personality of sorts, Clive is the “Saltey’s Fish ‘n’ Chips Man.” An old-school-tie kind of guy, he really thinks of himself as a great AC-tor.	male	—	A radio personality of sorts, Clive is the “Saltey’s Fish ‘n’ Chips Man.” An old-school-tie kind of guy, he really thinks of himself as a great AC-tor.
Mabel Carter Tex Riley’s stage manager. Mabel is used to being a behind-the-scenes wallfower. But once she steps up to the mike, she’s a rose in full bloom.	female	—	Tex Riley’s stage manager. Mabel is used to being a behind-the-scenes wallfower. But once she steps up to the mike, she’s a rose in full bloom.
Stan The sound effects man. Like Buster Keaton, this shell-shocked veteran is a man of few words.	—	—	The sound effects man. Like Buster Keaton, this shell-shocked veteran is a man of few words.
Archie Leitch Cockney sound engineer, down-to-earth and quick with a quip. Plays the guitar, loves cowboy songs – and knows quite a few of them.	—	—	Cockney sound engineer, down-to-earth and quick with a quip. Plays the guitar, loves cowboy songs – and knows quite a few of them.