A camp (in every sense of the word) comedy classic, with wonderful songs! PFT’s rep Season expands to five plays on Thursday 14th July, with the Scottish première of the 2001 version of Peter Nichols’s Privates On Parade.

Another PFT Anniversary first, this bawdy musical memoir of concert party life during the Malayan Emergency of 1948 is based on Nichols’s own National Service experiences - alongside Stanley Baxter and Kenneth Williams. 

1948, the Malayan Emergency: whilst most of Britain is getting used to peacetime once again, the British army is engaged in a forgotten war against Communism on the other side of the world. Its secret weapon?  The Song and Dance Unit South East Asia - or SADUSEA . .

The task of creating a variety show to entertain the troops has fallen to Acting Captain Terri Dennis, the finest Marlene Dietrich impersonator ever to hail from Lancashire. The problem is that he’s been landed with a bunch of wet behind the ears National Service types who can’t tell a tap step from a tea cup.

If having to master Fred and Ginger duets and the Western Approaches ballet wasn’t enough, the Unit also has to cope with a deranged Sergeant Major who’s up to something iffy on the black market, a CO who’s convinced that Christian piety can defeat the Red Menace – and a couple of Chinese servants who aren’t quite what they seem . .

Privates On Parade opens on 14th July and will play in repertoire until 14th October. 

Please note that Privates On Parade contains frequent strong language, adult content, male nudity and scenes of a sexual nature.