Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be

Fings Ain't Wot They Used T'Be is a musical comedy by Frank Norman (1930-1980)[1] and Lionel Bart (1930-1999)[2].

Also found as Fings Ain't What They Used T'Be on occasion.

The original text

Originally written as a straight play about low-life Cockney characters in the 1950s, but at the suggestion of Joan Littlewood, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart were added. This turned it into something like a play with music rather than a conventional musical.

The piece was first performed in February 1959 by Theatre Workshop, directed by Littlewood, at the Theatre Royal Stratford East. It subsequently played at the Garrick Theatre in London's West End, starting on 11 February 1960.

Performance history in South Africa

1974: Performed in Cape Town by Carousel Productions, with Craig Curtis as "Horace Seaton".

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fings_Ain%27t_Wot_They_Used_T%27Be

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Norman

E-mail correspondence with Craig Curtis, September 2023.

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