Whoops! There Go My Trousers!

Whoops! There Go My Trousers! is a British comedy play written by H. H. Quarter and first staged in London's West End briefly in 1971. It was a critical and commercial failure, but its name has become a cliché for the genre of Whitehall farce. It proved difficult to stage as it requires six actresses who (can be made up to) resemble each other, or, (as the author intended) three actresses who can "double" parts very effectively.

Ploy synopsis

The farce centres on an isolated hotel in the West Country. Three young vicars are awaiting the arrival of the Bishop of Barchester and also their respective fiancées. Unfortunately, an impresario and three strippers are also booked into the hotel, and there is an unfortunate resemblance between the bishop and the club owner. Everyone, it seems, has something to lose ...

References

• Benedict Nightingale, "Fifth row center: a critic's year on and off Broadway", Deutsch, 1987, ISBN 023398108X, pp.73-3
• Eric Johns, "British theatre review", Vance-Offord (Publications) Ltd., 1974, ISBN 0903931079, p.89