In 1937, Me and My Girl began its performance run at the Victoria Palace Theater in London. Written by Douglas Furber with music by Noel Gay, the musical comedy began its performance life with little renown. However, after a matinee performance was broadcast live on BBC radio, popularity rose and Me and My Girl became a runaway success. On August 10, 1986, Me and My Girl made its way across the pond to play on Broadway at New York City’s Marquis Theater. It ran for an incredible 1420 performances before its final curtain call on December 31, 1989. A revised script, written by Britain’s Stephen Fry (the voice of Harry Potter audiobooks), updated the story of Bill, a cockney man who learns that he is the lucky 14th heir to the Earl of Hareford, entitling him to a considerable fortune. The catch? He will only receive his inheritance if he can prove to Sir John and the Duchess that he is worthy.
Hilarity ensues throughout the musical as Bill is groomed to become the 17th Baron and 8th Viscount to the Baronetcy of Hareford. Me and My Girl has a long history of success and popularity in pop culture. “The Lambeth Walk,” the show’s most well-known song, headlines a show-stopping walking dance down a generic street in the Lambeth area of London, England. As if to highlight its place in history, “the Lambeth Walk” has the significant distinction of being the only song to ever be the the subject of a headline in The Times. In October 1938, the United Kingdom newspaper, in existence since 1788, published a headline reading “While dictators rage and statesmen talk, all Europe dances – to the Lambeth Walk.” Such a popular musical will never die, and last September, the curtain was raised once more on Me and My Girl as it began its 2006 U.K. tour. Though these performances have since ended, this surely will not be the last we see of this musical.
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