History Theatre / TheBoyFriend

* BoyMeetsGirl: Tony and Polly.

** MasqueradeBall
* DanceSensation: "The Riviera".
-->''Shake your hips and kick out your heels\\
You can't tell how lovely it feels 'till you do\\
The Riviera!''
* DirtyOldMan: Lord Brockhurst.
* TheElevenOClockNumber: "Poor Little Pierette".

* LargeHam: The show cant be played as anything but as a send up.
* LoveTheme: "I Could Be Happy With You" for Polly and Tony.
* MayDecemberRomance: Lord Brockhurt and Dulcie, in a way. They don't actually wind up together, but they do sing "It's Never Too Late to Fall in Love".
* TheMusical
* OfficialCouple: Lord and Lady Brockhurst, [[spoiler:Bobby and Maisie, Percival and Madame Dubonnet, and, of course, Tony and Polly.]]
* {{Pastiche}}: Of 1920s musicals, of course.

* TheCameo: Glenda Jackson as Rita the leading lady with an Broken Leg.
* LargeHam: Most of the Theatre's cast.

It was [[TheFilmOfThePlay adapted into a film]] in 1971, directed by Creator/KenRussell and starring Twiggy as Polly Browne.

we plot to have,\\
for it's so dreary not to have\\
that certain thing called 'the boyfriend'"...''

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_boy_friend_1954bway.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:300:The poster for the 1954 musical]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twiggytheboyfriend1971poster_1.png]]
[[caption-width-right:300:The poster for the 1971 film]]

''The Boy Friend'' is a 1954 musical by Sandy Wilson, and is a {{pastiche}} of the musicals of TheRoaringTwenties. Set in the 1920s in Nice, France, it follows the story of a seventeen-year-old British young lady named Polly Browne and her friends at Madame Dubonnet's Finishing School. All of Polly's friends have, or at least claim to have, a boyfriend, but Polly herself does not. Her father practically forbids her to have a boyfriend because she is incredibly rich and he fears that any boy that courts her will be after her wealth. Thus, Polly [[BoyfriendInCanada makes up a boyfriend]], feeling as if she may never find true love. That is, until she meets a handsome young British messenger boy named Tony...

''The Boy Friend'' is a 1954 musical by Sandy Wilson, and is a {{pastiche}} of the musicals of TheRoaringTwenties. Set in the 1920s in Nice, France, it follows the story of a seventeen-year-old British young lady named Polly Browne and her friends at Madame Dubonnet's Finishing School. All of Polly's friends have, or at least claim to have, a boyfriend, but Polly herself does not. Her father practically forbids her to have a boyfriend because she is incredibly rich and he fears that any boy that courts her will be after her wealth. Thus, Polly makes up a boyfriend, feeling as if she may never find true love. That is, until she meets a handsome young British messenger boy named Tony...

** One of the [[spoiler:girls]] that tries to flirt with [[spoiler:DeThrill]] even tries to learn French only at the last minute to find out he's [[spoiler:German]], she also reveals that [[spoiler:Polly]] has been chosen to become [[spoiler:a star in Hollywood]] but she leaves with [[spoiler:Tommy]] to [[spoiler:London]].

** One of the [[spoiler:girls]] that tries to flirt with [[spoiler:DeThrill]] even tries to learn French only at the last minute to find out he's [[spoiler:German]], she also reveals that [[spoiler:Polly]] has been chosen to become [[a star in Hollywood]] but she leaves with [[spoiler:Tommy]] to [[spoiler:London]].

** One of the [[spoiler:girls]] that tries to flirt with [[spoiler:DeThrill]] even tries to learn French only at the last minute to find out he's [[spoiler:German]], she also reveals that [[spoiler:Polly]] has been chosen to become [[a star in Hollywood]] but she leaves with [[spoiler:Tommy]] to [[spoiler:London.

** One of the [[spoiler:girls]] that tries to flirt with [[spoiler:DeThrill]] even tries to learn French only at the last minute to find out he's [[spoiler:German]], she also reveals

* LargeHam: The show cant be played as anything but as a send up

** [[spoiler:Maise]] was packed and ready, however [[spoiler:Cecil B. DeThrill]] realises that [[spoiler:Tommy]] is [[spoiler:long lost son]] and they leave together.

* ShowWithAShow: The Boyfriend is set up as a musical inside a Theatre.

It was adapted into a 1971 film, directed by Creator/KenRussell and starring Twiggy as Polly Browne.

''The Boy Friend'' is a 1954 musical by Sandy Wilson, and is a pastiche of the musicals of TheRoaringTwenties. Set in the 1920s in Nice, France, it follows the story of a seventeen-year-old British young lady named Polly Browne and her friends at Madame Dubonnet's Finishing School. All of Polly's friends have, or at least claim to have, a boyfriend, but Polly herself does not. Her father practically forbids her to have a boyfriend because she is incredibly rich and he fears that any boy that courts her will be after her wealth. Thus, Polly makes up a boyfriend, feeling as if she may never find true love. That is, until she meets a handsome young British messenger boy named Tony...

->''We've got to have,\\

that certain thing called "the boyfriend"...''

It has a far less well-known sequel named ''Divorce Me, Darling!'', set ten years in the future and a pastiche of 1930s musicals. Everyone is in Nice again, and happen to meet up. Madame Dubonnet's finishing school no longer exists, and many of the characters have completely different lives than before. The main plot is that Polly and Bobby, after meeting up, are accused of having an affair due to a series of misunderstandings from their respective mates.

* {{Pastiche}}: Of 1920s musicals, of course.

It was adapted to film in 1971, directed by Creator/KenRussell and stars Twiggy as Polly Browne.

''The Boy Friend'' is a 1954 musical by Sandy Wilson, and is a pastiche of the musicals of the roaring twenties. Set in [[TheRoaringTwenties the 1920s]] in Nice, France, it follows the story of a seventeen-year-old British young lady named Polly Browne and her friends at Madame Dubonnet's Finishing School. All of Polly's friends have, or at least claim to have, a boyfriend, but Polly herself does not. Her father practically forbids her to have a boyfriend because she is incredibly rich and he fears that any boy that courts her will be after her wealth. Thus, Polly makes up a boyfriend, feeling as if she may never find true love. That is, until she meets a handsome young British messenger boy named Tony...

''The Boy Friend'' is a 1954 musical by Sandy Wilson, and is a pastiche of the musicals of the roaring twenties. Set in the 1920s in Nice, France, it follows the story of a seventeen-year-old British young lady named Polly Browne and her friends at Madame Dubonnet's Finishing School. All of Polly's friends have, or at least claim to have, a boyfriend, but Polly herself does not. Her father practically forbids her to have a boyfriend because she is incredibly rich and he fears that any boy that courts her will be after her wealth. Thus, Polly makes up a boyfriend, feeling as if she may never find true love. That is, until she meets a handsome young British messenger boy named Tony...

* OfficialCouple: Lord and Lady Brockhurst, [[spoiler:Bobby and Maisie, Pierre and Dulcie, Marcel and Nancy, Alphonse and Fay, Percival and Madame Dubonnet, and, of course, Tony and Polly.]]

* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:When Polly believes that Tony was only after her wealth, she decides not to come to the Carnival Ball, too brokenhearted to go. When she does go, she simply sits the whole time, not dancing or talking to anyone.]]

* {{Pastiche}}: Of 1920s musicals, of course.
* WasItAllALie: [[spoiler:After Tony runs away from his parents and Marcel assumes that he is a thief, Polly becomes brokenhearted, convinced that he knew all along she was rich and was simply after her money.]]

* BoyMeetsGirl: Tony and Polly.
* DancesAndBalls: The third act takes place at the Carnival Ball.
** MasqueradeBall
* DanceSensation: "The Riviera".

* DirtyOldMan: Lord Brockhurst.
* TheElevenOClockNumber: "Poor Little Pierette".
* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:When Polly believes that Tony was only after her wealth, she decides not to come to the Carnival Ball, too brokenhearted to go. When she does go, she simply sits the whole time, not dancing or talking to anyone.]]
* LoveTheme: "I Could Be Happy With You" for Polly and Tony.
* MayDecemberRomance: Lord Brockhurt and Dulcie, in a way. They don't actually wind up together, but they do sing "It's Never Too Late to Fall in Love".
* TheMusical
* OfficialCouple: Lord and Lady Brockhurst, [[spoiler:Bobby and Maisie, Pierre and Dulcie, Marcel and Nancy, Alphonse and Fay, Percival and Madame Dubonnet, and, of course, Tony and Polly.]]
* {{Pastiche}}: Of 1920s musicals, of course.
* WasItAllALie: [[spoiler:After Tony runs away from his parents and Marcel assumes that he is a thief, Polly becomes brokenhearted, convinced that he knew all along she was rich and was simply after her money.]]