The Boy Friend

The Theatre Royal in Portsmouth prepares for a Saturday matinee when the star, Rita Monroe, is not in attendance. Polly Browne, the new assistant stage manager, helps keep the company moving as they adjust to the missing lead. When they learn Monroe has broken her ankle, director Max Mandeville asks Polly to take over the role because she knows the show by heart.

Polly steps into Monroe's part for the matinee, facing the pressure of performing with little rehearsal but a strong knowledge of the show. The rest of the company and Max Mandeville watch anxiously as she carries the numbers she already knows by heart. Her successful improvisation marks the start of the show blending with backstage tensions.

Hollywood talkie director Mr. De Thrill arrives, introducing a shiny outsider presence backstage. He contemplates adapting The Boy Friend for film, which heightens Max Mandeville's anxieties about the show's future. De Thrill's arrival also stimulates the company to imagine their numbers as if they were in a lavish movie production.

Within the show's musical world, Polly meets Tony at a continental villa and their stylish, pretend-poor romance begins as part of the plot. The on-stage relationship runs parallel to backstage drama, and Polly and Tony start to show real attraction beyond their characters. The audience senses their chemistry as rehearsals continue.

Rita Monroe visits backstage and offers encouragement to Polly as she takes center stage. Polly's nerves are soothed by the support of Monroe and sympathetic stage hands and fellow performers. The presence of Monroe adds a bittersweet layer to Polly's growing confidence as she navigates the role.

During the intermission, Polly sings to a picture of Tony, while De Thrill overhears the moment from behind the scenes. Maisie sabotages De Thrill's chance to talk with Polly, trying to ingratiate herself with the director and win her own advantage. The backstage plot thickens as the boundary between stage fiction and real feelings becomes blurrier.

Polly witnesses Tony apparently flirting with chorus girl Dulcie, which leads her to misinterpret the situation and feel heartbroken. The real-life tension mirrors the on-stage tension, deepening Polly's suspicions about Tony. She withdraws as backstage dynamics become more tangled.

In acts two and three, Polly's mood remains low as her trust in Tony wavers. Tommy and the other men in the company retaliate against Maisie's scheming by ruining their number on-stage, turning quick-witted numbers into farce. De Thrill's attempts to impress the producer become increasingly ridiculous as the backstage farce intensifies.

In the finale, Polly, dressed as Pierrette, finds solace when Tony comes to comfort her on stage in his Pierrot role. An unscripted moment follows as Tony and Dulcie present Polly with a cake and declare their love, bridging the show-within-a-show romance and the real-life romance. The two stories move toward a joyous conclusion.

As the show ends, Polly is congratulated by most of the company and Monroe is moved to tears, realizing she has done well as an understudy. The audience is touched by Polly's composure and the cast's support as the understudy steps into the role with grace.

De Thrill ultimately decides not to adapt The Boy Friend for film, but leaves a card for Polly inviting her to Hollywood. Maisie hopes the invitation will come to her, while De Thrill instead recognizes Tommy as his long-lost son and departs with him. The Hollywood invitation becomes a pivot point between the stage world and a possible future.

Polly is handed De Thrill's Hollywood card but chooses to stay in London with Tony. Her decision favors love and the local theatre over a move to Hollywood, sealing the real-life romance that paralleled the stage musical. The show ends with Polly and Tony committed to each other in the city where their story began.