Based on the cult TV show written by and starring Victoria Wood, Acorn Antiques is tale of a the ailing fortunes of an antiques shop in the fictitious generic northern town of Manchesterford. Presided over by twin sisters Miss Babs and Miss Berta but underpinned by the omnipresent Mrs Overall, the future of everyone is thrown into disarray when third sister Bonnie mysteriously appears and a secret inheritance is revealed …
Performed in the style of the original TV show – that of a sitcom filmed on a shoestring budget – Acorn Antiques is almost a show within a show. Props that break, sound effects that don’t work, forgotten lines and wobbly sets, coupled with over-the-top characters and deliberately bad choreography capture the Crossroads-esque vibe of the original. The music, by Victoria Wood, is in her own inimitable style filled with clever wordplay which frequently verges on the ridiculous, and often deliberately pastiches well known songs.
Acorn Antiques was a delight to perform. It was with incredible sadness that we learned of Victoria Wood’s passing just one month after our production closed. At the same time we all felt it was a real privilege to have been allowed to perform her work. I think she would have enjoyed our production.
