With a rather unusual storyline about a band of women playing for the British and American armies, Blonde Bombshells of 1943 promises music, humour and showmanship that is charmingly British. SHUIB TAIB writes.

AFTER wowing audiences in the United Kingdom, Thailand and Sri Lanka, the British Theatre Playhouse’s production Blonde Bombshells in 1943 seems set to bring the house down when it stages here.

To be performed at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur from Nov 5 - 7, this musical comedy is based on a Bafta winner — the BBC TV drama The Last of The Blonde Bombshells (starring Judi Dench), which is the story of Ivy Benson.

“She was very much the doyenne of all female bands. During World War II, with the men at the battlefields, it was the women who provided the entertainment in many places,” explained its producer John Faulkner.

“Benson formed a jazz band and toured the GI and army bases in England. She had one major problem though; every time The Blonde Bombshells played at an American GI camp, she lost some members of the band because they went off with a GI. So she was always short of musicians.”
Faulkner and his wife Cecilia produce plays through British Theatre Playhouse, which they own. This Singapore-based company had earlier showed Private Lives, Relatively Speaking and several other plays at the KL Hilton, Kuala Lumpur.

Blonde Bombshells of 1943 is its sixth production to be staged at the hotel and the first full-scale musical comedy.

“What we’re trying to do is show off the many talents of British artistes. There are seven women in the cast and one man, who gets drafted into the band because they can’t find a female drummer,” explained Faulkner.

The story begins with band leader Betty (played by Alison Hardy) hastily arranging auditions as she is short of three musicians for a major concert with the BBC.

“The first person to audition is a nun (Sarah Whittuck) who turns out to be a great banjolele and saxophone player.

“Another is a schoolgirl who turns out to be a clarinetist and sax player and so on and so forth.

“Eventually, a band is formed and the members head for Hull in the north of England for this fantastic jazz band concert on stage.

“They’ve got music by Ella Fitzgerald, Glenn Miller, The Andrew Sisters, Fats Waller, etc. It doesn’t just show off the music, it also shows off the great talent of British performers.

“Alan Plater, who is one of our foremost living playwrights, known for his love for great jazz music, wrote the musical,” explained Faulkner.

It’s also important to note that although the show is set during World War Two, it is in no way about war.

For the opening night, Sime Darby will be co-presenting the musical with a Royal Charity Premiere in aid of Yayasan Tunku Naquiyuddin.

Hilton Kuala Lumpur and HSBC will co-host the second night while the third will be hosted by the Malaysia Advertisers Association (MAA).

“The funds raised will be used to help underprivileged students in their education,” said Tunku Naquiyuddin.

For the Nov 5 show, call 03-2095-7188 (C.S. Lim or Connie Ng), fax to 03-2095-6166 or e-mail cslim@sinohuaan.com or connie@sinohuaan.com

For the Nov 6 show, call 03-2264-2676/2592 or e-mail Sharon.Kong@hilton.com. Tickets are priced at RM258++.

For the Nov 7 show, call 03-7660-8535 or e-mail jackiefoo@macomm.com.my.

(All shows include pre-dinner cocktails with canapes at 7pm and dinner at 8pm. Showtime is at 9pm.