Dancing in Bluebells
Cast: 3m, 4f
Run time: 120 minutes
Struggling with grief and financial pressures of a family business, Kat and historical researcher Harry peel back the layers of a half-century-old secret, revealing how a single moment of cowardice during the London Blitz still ripples through lives today.
After the death of her mother, financial circumstances force Kat to take over the family business. But her father is hiding a secret which only comes to light after Kat meets Harry, who is researching his family’s history. Talking to some of the regular cafe customers, Harry discovers the hidden secrets of one man’s life that he has buried for more than half a century.
Set just after the turn of the twenty first century in a cafe, with flashbacks to The London Blitz from November 1940 to April 1941.
Past misdemeanours ripple through the generations.
Published by Lazy Bee Scripts.
First performed in Devon, UK in November 2025.
CHARACTERS:
2000’s
Kat Cooper, cabaret singer, Charlie’s daughter ,40’s
Charlie Cooper, former theatre owner, 80’s
Elsie Harper, former dancer, now suffering from mild dementia, 80’s
Lucy Harper-Smith, Elsie’s daughter, 60’s
Harry Tanner, mild Welsh accent, 40’s
1940s
Peggy Hollis, Air raid warden, Margie’s sister-in-law,30s (May be doubled with Kat)
Alf, ARP warden, 60s
Young Elsie Harper, dancer, 20s
Margie Hollis, Air raid warden , 20s
Jack Cooper, Charlie’s brother, Theatre ‘runner’, 20s
Alice, Norfolk accent, naive, 19
Characters doubled with above:
Mourners
Cafe customers
1940s Man with torch, any
1940s passers by in street, any
CHARACTERS - DOUBLING OPTIONS:
3 men / 4 women
Kat / Peggy Hollis
Alf / Charlie
Young Elsie / Elsie
Margie / Lucy
Jack Cooper / Mourner / Passer by / cafe customer
Alice / mourner / cafe customer
Harry / Man with torch / Passer by
Published by Lazy Bee Scripts.
