Big Bad Mouse

Big Bad Mouse was a British theatrical farce. Although not specifically written for them, it became famous as a vehicle for the talents of British comedy actors Jimmy Edwards and Eric Sykes.

Related Topics:
Farce - Jimmy Edwards - Eric Sykes

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This description is taken from a website listing for one of the writershttp://www.doollee.com/PlaywrightsK/KingPhilip.htm

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In the Orders Office of Chunkibix Ltd, it is Mr Price-Hargreaves who gives the orders and Mr Bloome who obeys them. Until, that is, Mr Bloome is one day accused of chasing a young female person across Wandsworth Common making him the hero of every woman and girl in the office not least Miss Spencer. So glorious is Bloome's transformation, in fact, that when the young person in question discovers she has made a mistake in her identification, Bloome is the reverse of pleased and determines to keep her quiet.

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The original script is credited to Philip King and Falkland L Cary. However Edwards and Sykes would ad-lib, address the audience etc. throughout the performace. At some point Edwards would say to the audience, after another character delivered a line, "That, ladies and gentlemen, is the last remaining line from the original script!"

Related Topics:
Philip King - Falkland L Cary

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Edwards played Mr. Price-Hargreaves in his usual blustering way. Sykes played Bloome, the eponymous mouse. In this production, one ability that emphasized Price-Hargreaves dominance was his ability to pick up a phone handset by chopping down with his hand, causing the handset to jump into his grasp. Bloome, trying to emulate this, would usually fail ignominiously, or send the handset flying into a waste paper bin. Not until he gains confidence after being accused does he succeed. Sykes marked this with his trademark grin at the audience.

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The secretary Miss Spencer, who works for both men, begins the play as a shy drab spinster, but after Bloome gains his undeserved reputation and she herself is smitten by him, she also blossoms. In the Sykes-Edwards production, the actress playing the part endured endless ad-libs and delays in the action and still came in on cue with her lines. She functioned as the stable point around which the comics wove their magic. In the final act, having confessed her love for Bloom while wearing an ankle-length dress with a high lace collar, she shows up for work in a red leather outfit and boots, much to the delight of the audience who have come to appreciate her sterling contribution to the performance.

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The show ran in New York City in 1973.

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