Our Day Out (musical)

Our Day Out

Front cover of the 1993 version of Our Day Out from Heinemann Plays series 1993
Author Willy Russell
Cover artist Clare Webber
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Publisher Hutchinson Education
Publication date
 1987
ISBN 978-0-435-23301-3
OCLC 30777435

Our Day Out is a musical written by Willy Russell in 1977.[1] It was written for a film which was broadcast by the BBC, and was later adapted into a musical.

Origins and development

The musical was developed from the 1977 BBC television play "Our Day Out" by Willy Russell. The original television version was developed into a musical for the stage with songs by Willy Russell, Chris Mellor, and Bob Eaton. This production, directed by Bob Eaton, was first performed at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool in 1983.

In 2009, Willy rewrote the musical and updated to a more modern feeling. It premièred in the Royal Court Liverpool.

The latest performance of the updated version, was performed outside Liverpool at the Key Theatre in Peterborough on the 15–18 August 2012.

Synopsis

The musical is about students from an inner-city school in Liverpool who go on a trip to Conwy Castle in Wales. Mrs Kay teaches a class of illiterate pupils, called the "Progress Class". At the very last minute, the disciplinarian Deputy Headteacher, Mr Briggs, also joins.

Plot

The story is about Liverpool children in a Progress Class going on a school trip to Conwy Castle in Wales but they are very misbehaving students. On the journey, they make some stops: at a petrol station they steal sweets, at the zoo they steal most of the animals and a student gets lost at the beach.

Analysis

The major themes in Our Day Out are the lack of education, lack of opportunity and deprivation in inner city Liverpool equaling unemployment and no money for education because of this. Willy Russell makes this point very clear to the audience by using characters that the level of deprevation is really effecting e.g. Carol- her lack of education is very obviously troubling her as she would like to get a good job however is not bright enough to do so because of the lack of education.

Main characters

Teachers and Staff

Kids

Shopkeepers

Other Adults

Musical numbers

Act 1

Act 2

These plays are still being played in London, There is a considerate core in Russell's work that can best be seen in his charming and sympathetic presentation of life's losers, all of whom have an epic sense of their own importance.

References

  1. ↑ Russell, Willy (1993). Our Day Out. United Kingdom: Heinemann Educational Publishers. pp. ix. ISBN 0-435-23301-7.

See also

Our Day Out film

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