{"product_id":"and-this-is-my-friend-sandy-9781350335059","title":"And This Is My Friend Sandy","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book situates the production of \u003ci\u003eThe Boy Friend \u003c\/i\u003eand the Players' Theatre in the context of a post-war London and reads \u003ci\u003eThe Boy Friend\u003c\/i\u003e, and Wilson''s later work, as exercises in contemporary camp. It argues for Wilson as a significant and transitional figure both for musical theatre and for modes of homosexuality in the context of the pre-Wolfenden 1950s.Sandy Wilson''s \u003ci\u003eThe Boy Friend\u003c\/i\u003e is one of the most successful British musicals ever written. First produced at the Players'' Theatre Club in London in 1953 it transferred to the West End and Broadway, making a star out of Julie Andrews and gave Twiggy a leading role in Ken Russell''s 1971 film adaptation. Despite this success, little is known about Wilson, a gay writer working in Britain in the 1950s at a time when homosexuality was illegal.Drawing on original research assembled from the Wilson archives at the Harry Ransom Center, this is the first critical study of Wilson as a key figure of 1950s British theatre\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgements Chapter One: And this is My Friend Sandy . . .  Chapter Two: Mapping Theatreland:  Soho, the West End and Homosexual Law Reform Chapter Three: The Ivy League:  Binkie Beaumont, Noël Coward and Ivor Novello  Chapter Four: ‘Oh!  The Fairies’: The Players’ Theatre Club Chapter Five: ‘That certain thing called The Boy Friend’: the 1953 production of \u003ci\u003eThe Boy Friend\u003c\/i\u003e Chapter Six: ‘What Next?’ After \u003ci\u003eThe Boy Friend\u003c\/i\u003e Chapter Seven: Queer Utopianism: Valmouth Chapter Eight: 'A walpurgisnacht of self-indulgence':  The Ken Russell film of \u003ci\u003eThe Boy Friend\u003c\/i\u003e, His Monkey Wife, The Clapham Wonder and Aladdin Conclusion Afterword","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48738620440919,"sku":"9781350335059","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781350335059.jpg?v=1720049680","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/and-this-is-my-friend-sandy-9781350335059","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}