Agnes is heading back to town (rescheduled dates at the bottom of the page) in what Brendan O’Carroll is calling the MRS BROWN D’LIVE SHOW…ENCORE TOUR. Bringing D’Musical production back next year they will perform in some venues and cities that they haven’t played in for many years. They are however, regulars in Cardiff and this show promises to take audiences on an exhilarating and side-splitting adventure.
Brendan told us…..
“It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever written. Even I laugh and I know what’s coming next!”
But actually, the Mrs Brown tale was so close to never being told.
The original radio play version of Mrs. Browne’s Boys (the e was later dropped) appeared first on Irish radio station RTÉ 2fm in 1992, then in a series of books written by Brendan from the mid-1990s onwards. Called, The Mammy, The Chisellers, The Granny, and The Young Wan, they were first published in Ireland, before being made available in the UK. In 1999, The Mammy was adapted into a film titled Agnes Browne with Anjelica Huston playing the title character. Following the film’s success, Brendan wrote a series of stories adapted from the books, in which he played Mrs. Browne (now spelled ‘Brown’) and cast the rest of the family – including many of his own relatives as characters.
A series of seven film-like adaptations were made and went straight to DVD release, originally just for Ireland, and since re-released via Universal Pictures, as “Mrs Brown(e)’s Boys – The Original Series”. Believe us, they are very, very different to today’s Mrs Brown. Just be aware, there is bad language in the episode.
We’ve seen the whole of this original series and really like it. Although it is so, so different, all the elements and characters are still there, and in this episode you’re sure to remember the storyline.
In turn, while these 7 straight-to-video features were released over the next few years, they would then also become adapted into the 7 stage plays later performed in rotation on the various tours, originally just in Ireland.
During this time, Brendan took the show on the road, appearing in a series of Mrs. Brown plays in the UK and Ireland. Outside of Ireland, the stage show got its big break at Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow, where manager Iain Gordon liked his idea and decided to put it on. Incredibly, the show didn’t sell so Brendan suggested a 2-for-1 ticket deal, after which the it became a huge hit. For the next seven years, two different Mrs Brown’s Boys shows were on for up to three weeks at a time. The Pavilion became known as “The Home of Mrs Brown”.
In early 2009 was approached by BBC Scotland producer Stephen McCrum to create a television series based on the stage show. O’Carroll recruited an expanded cast mainly from family members and wrote a pilot, but production was held back a year due to the Jonathan Ross/Russell Brand incident. The un-broadcast pilot was created in November 2009, and within three weeks of the pilot being submitted to the BBC, they commissioned a full series. Subsequently, RTE came on board to help produce the series in partnership with the BBC.
And the rest, as they say is history, although it was one hell of a journey to get Mrs Brown to where she is today. Following the success of the first series, RTÉ and the BBC commissioned a second, which began with a Christmas special which was the most watched television programme in Ireland over the Christmas season.
MRS BROWN’S BOYS success has been nothing short of incredible. Voted the No. 1 Sitcom of the 21st Century, awards include 5 BAFTAs, 4 National Television Awards, 3 TV Choice Awards, 4 IFTA awards, 3 TV Times Awards as well as RTS, TRIC and National Comedy Awards. It is a ratings smash across the globe. The live show have done pretty well too. They have broken box office records across the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
Brendan and Jennifer are no strangers to South Wales, obviously the live shows bring them here regularly, but each year you can see them in action at the Celtic Manor Resort for the Celebrity Golf Weekend. I can assure you, they love it just as much as the spectators who follow them round the course.
What makes MRS BROWN’S BOYS such a hit is the reaction with and from the audience, so if you haven’t experienced the live show, we reckon this tour is set to be one of the hottest tickets and is not to be missed. They were set to play the Motorpoint Arena this year but inline with the current crisis, have been rescheduled to 2022 on Friday 8th July at 6:30pm and two show on Saturday 9th July, at 1 and 6:30pm. Current tickets are still valid and you can still buy yours now. You can get them here. MRS BROWN.
And if you are going, here’s a little something to wear…….
