Bad Girls introduces us to an anarchic bunch of women on the edge and up against the odds – prostitutes, addicts, shop-lifters, murderers – each with a story to tell of lives left behind and dreams of a better future ahead, and an entrenched old guard of prison officers out to dash their every hope.

Idealistic new Wing Governor Helen Stewart arrives at HMP Larkhall on a mission to reform the ‘us and them’ regime – and finds a surprising ally and soulmate in charismatic cop-killer Nikki Wade. But both face a ruthless adversary in corrupt Officer Jim Fenner, who wants Helen’s job and will do everything he can to undermine her…..

Then the tragic suicide of a young inmate – in which Jim Fenner is implicated – unleashes an angry protest on the wing and forces Helen and Nikki to their opposite sides of the bars. But when it’s clear that Helen stands to lose her job over Fenner’s misdeeds, the race is on for all the women to overcome their differences and join forces against their common enemy…..

“Kath Gotts’ music and lyrics are an inventive delight” Claire Brennan, Sunday Telegraph

“Kath Gotts supplies unflaggingly vivacious music and lyrics, ranging from a song for moppers-out (A Life of Grime) to a gospel moment for a godly shoplifter.” Susannah Clapp, The Observer

“Kath Gotts who has written both music and lyrics strikes me as the brightest new prospect for British musical theatre in years” Charles Spencer, The Daily Telegraph

“There is real artfulness in Kath Gotts’ music and lyrics and Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus’ book. A big, popular, brassy show that pushes all the right buttons.” Lyn Gardner, The Guardian

“Slick and assured, it offers an entertaining mix of tongue-in-cheek comedy and resonant pathos” Dominic Cavendish, The Daily Telegraph

“Brilliant songs range from a blues lament to a Garland/Astaire duet, to a full-blown Busby Berkeley routine” 
Kevin Berry,  The Stage

“In the vibrant tradition of shows like Blood Brothers, Spend Spend Spend and Billy Elliot. Ingeniously melding the harsh realities of its women’s prison setting with the irresistible bounce of a musical whose primary objective is to entertain.” 
Mark Shenton, The Stage

“Both Gotts and this show should go far.”  Mark Lawson, The Tablet.

To date there have been over two hundred amateur productions of Bad Girls The Musical across the UK and internationally. Several companies have had so much fun being bad they’ve had to do it twice!

Performance Rights for Bad Girls The Musical are handled by Josef Weinberger Ltd.

Cast size: 
Medium (11-20), Flexible
Cast type
: Mainly women, Ensemble Cast – Many featured roles, Strong/Large Chorus
Rehearsal Material
: 30 Libretto Vocal Books & 2 Piano Vocal Scores
Orchestral Material: 
REED 1 (Flute, Alto Saxophone) : REED 2 (Clarinet in Bb, Soprano Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone) : TRUMPET (dbl. Flugelhorn) : KEYBOARD 1/MD : KEYBOARD 2 : BASS GUITAR : DRUMS (doubles percussion: Bell Tree, Tambourine, Crotales, Glockenspiel, Castanets)
Genre: Book Musical (Original Score)

There’s more information about upcoming productions on the Bad Girls The Musical Facebook page.

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