Stage: Get the kettle on and start dunking! The acclaimed comedy musical The Ministry of Biscuits is back
David Mounfield, Murray Simon, Amy Sutton, and Brian Mitchell Photo: Louise Clarkson
Running alongside Brighton’s mainstream theatres there has always been, and we hope always will be, a rich seam of home-grown theatre and in particular comedy. Think Those Magnificent Men and Big Daddy Vs. Giant Haystacks amongst the many successes – and then The Ministry of Biscuits, Philip Reeve and Brian Mitchell’s homage to an era of entertainment probably best defined as a blend of Ealing comedy and Worker’s Playtime – a radio show that featured the popular music of the mid 20th century. Yes a joyously innocent age of sugary sweetness and polite manners. These guys can certainly capture that mood with received pronunciation and silly songs, and the result is a deliciously crisp entertainment suitable for all the family – well almost.
So what might you expect from this charming revival of an acclaimed success?
Here is what they say;
“Stop! Think before you eat that biscuit! Is it in any way fancy? If so, then you are a criminal! In Post-War London, The Ministry of Biscuits casts its sinister shadow over every tea-time and elevenses in the land. Established to ‘control biscuits, and to control the idea of biscuits,’ it prohibits decadent sweetmeats, such as the Gypsy Cream. But when Cedric Hobson, a junior designer, falls in love and designs a biscuit to ‘shake confectionery to its very foundations,’ his world – and the ministry – are turned upside down.”
Stop! Think before you eat that biscuit
The 40′s, British light music, Orwell’s 1984 and Ealing comedy’s inspired this satirical, musical fantasy, a unique collaboration between the hugely popular Brighton-born novelist Philip Reeve (winner of the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Los Angeles Times Book Award), and the Brighton-based multi-award-winning playwright and composer Brian Mitchell. It takes you on a witty and nostalgic journey both back and forward in time where bureaucracy has gone mad – sound all too familiar?
First performed twenty years ago, to great acclaim, and revived in 2005 for an award-winning run at Brighton Fringe, this well-loved show returns to the stage for six weeks from November 2017 in a brand new co-production from The Foundry Group and The Lantern Theatre.
With performers including Radio 4 regular David Mounfield (co-star with Mel Giedroyc of Radio 4’s Rum Bunch) and a filmed section by the internationally renowned film-maker Ben Rivers, The Ministry of Biscuits promises clever, original, hilarious, and infectiously tuneful entertainment for audiences of all ages.
Lantern Theatre, 8-10 Rock Place, Brighton, BN2 1PF
lanterntheatrebrighton.co.uk
Nov 23-25, 30. Dec 1, 2, 8-10, 12-23, 26-30
7.30pm 2.30pm on 16 & 17 Dec
Tickets: £10/£8 concs./£30 family (2 adults, 2 children)
ticketsource.co.uk 01273 818263
