The original production at the Royal Court was directed by Tony Richardson, with décor by Alan Tagg.[20]
- Original cast
- Billy – George Relph
- Jean – Dorothy Tutin (replaced by Joan Plowright when the play moved to the West End)
- Phoebe – Brenda de Banzie
- Archie – Laurence Olivier
- Frank – Richard Pasco
- Gorgeous Gladys – Vivienne Drummond
- Brother Bill – Aubrey Dexter
- Graham – Stanley Meadows
The show transferred in September to the Palace Theatre in the West End, toured and returned to the Palace.[21] During the run Joan Plowright left the cast and was replaced by Geraldine McEwan.[21] Plowright rejoined the cast when the production opened in New York in February 1958.[22] In the same year, a touring production was presented in the British provinces, starring John Slater as Archie and Bobby Howes as Billy.[23]
London revivals have starred Max Wall (Greenwich Theatre, 1974);[24] Peter Bowles (Shaftesbury Theatre, 1986);[25] Robert Lindsay (Old Vic, 2007);[26] and Kenneth Branagh (Garrick Theatre, 2016).[27]
In August 2019, a new UK tour began at the Curve, Leicester, starring Shane Richie as Archie and directed by Sean O'Connor. In this production. the play was set in 1982, during the Falklands war.[28] The final performance took place at Richmond Theatre in London on 30 November 2019.
