Cast

Synopsis

Based on the hugely popular TV comedy series, the play follows the adventures of Rene the hapless cafe owner in war torn occupied France, as he and his wife Edith struggle to keep for themselves a priceless portrait stolen by the Nazis and kept in a sausage in their cellar.

Directors Notes

Listen very carefully, I will say this only once”. Oh what joy, they just don’t write them like that anymore. For someone in their mid-life crisis years, like me, comedies such as Dad’s Army, Are You Being Served?, Hi de Hi, It Ain’t Half Hot Mum and of course “Allo “Allo just bring back such wonderful memories. Who can forget those wonderful Friday evenings watching Crackerjack, Dad’s Army and Stuart Hall’s It’s a Knockout followed by “Allo “Allo?

Written by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft in the early 80s it ran for an incredible 9 years. David Croft had been a prolific writer of sitcoms before ‘Allo ‘Allo, writing such classics as Dad’s Army, and Hi de Hi before writing Are You Being Served? with Lloyd. The success of that led them to team up again for *Allo ‘Allo. The success of the sitcom, which regularly had audiences of over 12 million, sent it to the stage and to the London Palladium. It was originally for a short season but the audiences grew and the cast loved it so much that it ran for a good number of years.

So it gives me great pleasure to invite you to a little café in France, a place where you can get fine wines and a nibble, a place where you will be able to see great paintings by that fine artist Von Klomp, a selection of German officers and French peasants (what a combination!) and listen to that very famous soprano Madame Edith (fingers and bread rolls at the ready). So sit back, relax and let René and his two waitresses look after you as we whisk you back to a little comic nostalgia.