New musical by all-female theatre company on stage in Scarborough

It’s Different For Girls, a new musical by all-female theatre company She Productions, inspired by Hull’s pioneering 1960s girl band Mandy and the Girlfriends, visits Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre next month.

The unique all-girl line-up of Mandy and the Girlfriends attracted the crowds both in their hometown and London, and eventually took them to perform to the US troops in Germany.

The show was developed after the She Productions team met the original Girlfriends three years ago, and the parallels between the two groups set the project in motion. Sparking national media interest, the 2017 production and The Girlfriends’ story brought Geri Horner and the BBC One Show to the UK City of Culture.

It’s Different for Girls follows a fictional teenage band, Sindy and the Girlfriends, as they tour their local pubs and within months are asked to play for the US troops in Germany.

Leaving behind their day jobs, the teenagers embark on their journey to ‘freedom’.

However, reality soon hits that the troops are more interested in the length of their skirts rather than their talent.

If they want success will they have to bite their tongues and learn to live with it?

Underneath the catchy tunes, go-go boots and beehives live the ever-present dangers of ‘sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll’ and the vulnerable position women were, and still are, often placed in.

After spending the last year with the RSC, director Becky Hope-Palmer says: “I am beyond excited to join She Productions in bringing this story to life again. An unbelievable amount has happened in the world since we last shared the show, including the #MeToo movement which have opened up a conversation about women’s issues.”

Tickets: 01723 370541