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Reasons to be Cheerful. Script by Paul Sirett. Music by Ian Dury and the Blockheads. In 2010 Graeae staged REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL to celebrate their thirtieth birthday. It was thirty years since Nabil Shaban and Richard Tomlinson had set up Graeae and it was thirty years since Ian Dury and the Blockheads had been at the height of their fame. Ian Dury was, and still is, many things to many people: a geezer, a troublemaker, a genius. He was also a Patron, staunch supporter and advocate of Graeae. Ian has been gone for over ten years now, but the extraordinary wit and wisdom of his songs is still very much alive today. Eighteen months later the show is back and it feels more relevant than ever. The parallels with Thatcher’s government of the early 1980s and today’s Tory-led coalition grow more apparent with every passing day. A couple of years ago we thought the time might have come to bring back a little bit of attitude; now we know for sure that’s what we need to do. This show has got classic Blockheads’ songs, a story that we hope will have you laughing and crying in equal measures, and a motley cast and production team that would make Kilburn and the High Roads look respectable. Graeae and the New Wolsey Theatre are joining forces again and it’s time for Ian Dury to continue the work of inspiring a new generation. When Chaz Jankel, Ian Dury’s song-writing collaborator, saw the show in 2010 he told us he thought Ian would have loved it. Nothing could have made us happier. We hope Chaz, Ian and the Blockheads will continue to crack a wry grin at the liberties we have taken with their songs and we look forward to performing our show, and their brilliant music, to audiences up and down the UK. Paul Sirett and Jenny Sealey, November 2011. CAST PRODUCTION TEAM CAST/BAND Vinnie – Stephen Lloyd Colin – Stephen Collins Janine - Nadia Albina Pat - Karen Spicer Bill/Bobby – Garry Robson Nick/Dave (saxophone/guitar) – Daniel McGowan Uncle Harry (keyboards) – Robert Hyman