The Pajama Game

Tuesday 24th - Saturday 28th April, 2000
Horsham Arts Centre

Chairman's Chat Story Cast List Production Crew By arrangement with Josef Weinberger ltd. Music and Lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. Book by George Bissell. Based on the novel "7 1/2 cents" by Richard Bissell.

Chairman's Chat...
    by Tony Francis

As this is our first production since the "London Eye" failed to see the "River of Fire," may I take this opportunity to thank those members of the public who supported HAODS throughout nineties and welcome you back to the Horsham Arts Centre once again. We aim to continue entertaining you for many years to come!

        With Yvonne Chadwell and Brian Steel handling the direction yet once more, we know you'll be in for a lively time with this Broadway musical, despite the American's inability to spell "pyjama"! I must confess that, although I was working backstage for our previous two renderings in 1969 and 1987, I can remember the songs but very little of the plot. My impression is always that it's like an American version of "The Rag Trade" with a lot of saxaphones thrown in! Setting aside my haziness, this show obviously does have quite an impact, as back in the old conservative days when I and most people actually wore pyjamas, I do recall that the brown-coated, backstage crew built their own "Hernado's Hideaway" in the wooden lean-to at the original Capitol Theatre. Concealed by a shabby curtain, in this dimly lit den of vice, beer and home-made wine were slyly consumed: there also seemed to be immunity to the "No Smoking" sign - daring stuff!

        So I'm sure you're going to enjoy yourselved, especially if you like a glimpse of the odd negligee or two, but don't get too steamed up!

The Story...

Hines lets us into the secret from the start - he is Time Keeper at the Sleep Tite Pajama Factory and he calls the business the "Game".

        The factory hands are agitating for a seven and a half cent raise. The managing director, Hasler, is mean and each time a deputation goes to him he puts them off with half-promises an hard-luck stories.

        A new supervisor - a pushing ambitious young stranger named Sid Sorokin - has come up the hard way and is very unhappy in the unfriendly new town. That is, until he pushes a young "hand" at the factory who reports him to the Grievence Committee. This is a committee of one, a lovely girl name Babe Williams. Sid falls in love with her. Babe however, is 100 per cent for the workers and their Union's struggle for seven and a half cents, whilst Sid, being for the boss, must fight the Union. So his courtship is rather hampered although Babe has also fallen for him. Her father takes Sid and keeps on bringing him home to see his stamp collection which helps Sid to see a lot of Babe.
        There are several interesting types at the factory - Mabel is Sid's secretary, a nice motherly type who tries to help others. Gladys is the boss' secretary and carries the key to his private ledger. She is Hines' girlfriend and he is jealous of everyone who looks at her! Then there is Prez, president of the Union - a snake in the grass whose wife "doesn't understand him" and he has a fast technique in seeking consolation with the factory girls. But he lands a tough one in the person of Mae, who knows how to cling!

        Prez organized quite a few stunts to force the issue of the raise. Babe supports him and a gesture wrecks a machine and admits publicly that she is the culprit. Sid sacks her on the spot - bang goes his love affair! Sid is all for compromise but Hasler doggedly professes that he is a fighter and will not give in. Sid's suspicions are aroused by the boss' unreasonable security measures with his private ledger.
        As Sid cannot make headway with Babe, he takes Gladys to a low dive and gets her dizzy with his charms and plenty of gin. He gets the key and spends the remainder of the night studying the private ledger. He finds out that Hasler's been fiddling the books.

        Meanwhile, Hines had found out about Sid's night out with Gladys and goes berserk - throwing knives he narrowly misses hitting Sid, Gladys and Hassler. The boss is terrified and convinced that the Union has imported gangsters to murder him. In the end Hasler capitulates and grants the rise and a pajama party brings the story to a happy engind.

The Cast...

LADIES: Gillian Tanner, Heather Collins, Irene Elborn, Jo Russell, Karen Wilson, Lynn Andrews, Melva Coe, Nikki Blackler, Stephanie Swain, Helen Clark, Terri Kivlichan. GENTLEMEN: Robin Edgar, Tim Dexter, Chris Botting, David Thomas, Hugh Addy, Michael Wheeler.

The Production Crew...

STAGE CREW: Peter Ayres, Tim Ayres, Stephen Eager, Stuart Moon, Duncan Morton, Derek Mileham, Adrian Kidwell, Nigel Stevens. PROPERTIES: Joe Barnett, Sid Coe, Mary Lejeune, Stella Lillywhite, Julie Mileham, Jenny Potter. GREEN ROOM STEWARD: Carrie Collis.