Did you know that Twiggy (aca real name Lesley Hornby) stared in a Ken Russell movie based on a musical by Sandy Wilson called The Boy Friend in the 1971? During this time anything 1920s was derigueur. If one looks back at the fashions and hair of the time there was a boyish androgyny typical of the 1920s flat chested flapper style fashion premiered in the 1920s decade post the first world war, think Biba, Mary Quant and Ossie Clark. Twiggy looked exquisite in the film - the sets and costumes were inspirational, and it has a cult status now rather like Blow - up.
The music written by Sandy Wilson has simple truly catchy melodies.
The boy Friend is a tongue in cheek pastiche of the 1920's and is one of the most performed amateur dramatics musicals apparently.It was recently performed in the open air theatre in Regents park London with Ruthie Henshaw, getting rave revues. The fact that a simple band can perform the songs and that it is an innocent comedy with a love story attached with parts for a range of age groups and talents makes it very popular.
It is said that Paul McCartney of the Beatles was influenced by these lyrical songs first performed in the Players theatre in london in the 1953 and then in Broadway with Julie Andrews playing Polly in 1954. The boy friend became a huge hit well before Andrew Lloyd Webber held the British musical flag of success stateside. 'When I'm Sixty four' from Sgt Peppers is similar in sentiment to 'It's never too late to fall in Love' written by Sandy Wilson.
The film and CD can be found on Amazon.
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