"...The show contains showstopper after showstopper,
this lilting, lyrical score soars over any dramatic obstacles.

This period piece which stunningly reasserts the supremacy of the small-scale, book-based musical which replaces special effects with the human heart and spirit in triumph over the odds..."

Sheriden Morley
International-Herald Tribune

Like all the great fairytales, from Cinderella to My Fair Lady, The Card is about someone going to a ball, in this case it is Denry Machin, the local boy making good who is the Card of the title of Arnold Bennett's original an classic novel.

What we have now is one of the most joyous musicals of regional British life since Half a Sixpence. The shows have a good deal in common, both come from bestselling authors of the early century (Bennett and HG Wells), both afford a likely-lad hero surviving a rigid class oppression to turn the tables on their Victorian elders and betters.

Denry is a lovable kind of pioneer yuppie, his morals may be a little shaky, his methods a little suspect, but precisely because he is in there fighting for a future among people who live only in the past, precisely because he is about to overturn a century of snobbery-with-violence, we side with him anyway.

And of course he's been around a bit, way back in 1949 The Card as a film confirmed the wayward understated comics genius as this Everyman. Almost 40 years ago the very first version of this musical established the West End stardom of Jim Dale, Millicent Martin and Marti Webb.

What this film version did not have was box office success, despite some glowing reviews (and some that glowed a little less brightly). But one of the definitions of a great producer is that he stays with a project he believes in long after most others involved have moved on to other shows and other scores. This is the case with Cameron Mackintosh and The Card. He commissioned a whole new set of lyrics from Antony Drewe, had the original Tony Hatch / Jackie Trent score drastically revised, and persuaded the original book-of-the-book writers (Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall) to rethink their contribution.

This revised version first surfaced at the Watermill in Newbury in 1993.

The Card then enjoyed a sell out season in the Park before embarking on a worldwide tour which took in Moscow, where Denry's catch-me-quick capitalist opportunism presumably found a response that would have been a little less politically correct before the fall of communism in the old USSR.

The turn of the century and we are outside Bursley Town Hall in the Potteries, where the townsfolk are Lathered for the inauguration of Denry Machin as the town's youngest ever mayor - but he is late, as usual (TYPICAL MACHIN). He has always been 'a card'.

His progress, from cheating at school to office boy to junior clerk at the local solicitors, culminates in the theft of three tickets for the prestigious municipal ball.

After a crash course in dancing from Ruth Earp, a local teacher (ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE) Denry is fitted out with a new dress suit which gains his mother's grudging approval (YOU'LL DO) and arrives at the Town Hall (HOW DO) where he rapidly becomes the sensation of the ball when he invites the Countess of Chell herself on to the floor (NOBODY THOUGHT OF IT).

Even when he is dismissed the next morning by Mr Duncalf, his boss, he luckily falls into new employment (RENTS) but this necessitates demanding back rent from Ruth, who tries to do a moonlight flit (MOVING ON). He catches her out but is won over by her feminine wiles.

Their turbulent engagement (TIME TO SPEND) is chaperoned by Nellie Cotterill, Ruth's friend who is secretly in love with Denry.

When they break up on holiday in Llandudno, Denry bounces back with scheme after scheme (LOCK STOCK AND BARREL) and returns to Bursley with a hat box full of money, much to the disapproval of his mother (IS IT JUST ME?).

Although initially thwarted by Duncalf in his new venture, The Universal Thrift Club (THAT'S THE WAY THE MONEY GROWS), he goes off, at Nellie's suggestion, to see the Countess of Chell, leaving Nellie's dreams still unfulfilled (IF ONLY).

The Countess is rather bored with mundane life (THE COUNTESS OF CHELL) and rejects Denry's offer for her to become the Thrift Club's patron.

Once he has given her a lift to the opening of Truelove and Peabody's grand emporium and she has heard Duncalf's clumsy attempts to disparage Denry's achievements, she changes her mind.

The townsfolk are delighted (THE CARD).

Just as Nellie believes her relationship with Denry to be blossoming (OPPOSITE YOUR SMILE), Ruth returns from recent wealthy widowhood and sweeps Denry off, leaving Nellie to ruefully reflect what might have been (IF ONLY - reprise ).

Denry and Ruth make light of their past differences and decide to spend the future together (MOVING ON - reprise). At their re engagement party, Duncalf announces he is to close Bursley United Football Club. Denry, as always, is one step ahead. He has bought a majority shareholding in the Club and plans to buy back its star player to restore United to its winning ways.

Once again, Denry basks in the townspeople's adulation but he notices that Nellie is absent. Ruth tells him that Nellie is emigrating to seek a new life in Canada, as her family is bankrupt.

Denry and Ruth rush to Liverpool to bid Nellie farewell, but he finds himself unable to say goodbye (IS IT JUST ME - reprise) and Ruth discovers an empty gangplank, with Denry and Nellie off to celebrate their honeymoon - in Canada! Ruth is, typically, consoled by Sir Magnus Cope, the owner of the shipping line - and coincidentally, a widower

We are back where we began - at Denry's mayoral inauguration. He is now happily married to Nellie and has everyone's approbation - except Duncalf, who demands, 'What's he ever done for this town? What great cause has he ever been identified with?' 'I can tell you that', replies the Countess. 'He's identified with the great cause of cheering us up'. (TYPICAL MACHIN-reprise), (THE CARD - Finale)

The Olivier Award nominated 1994 cast album is available. The sheet music is not available.

Buy the UK Cast Recording here