Saving the last dance for Luton

It’s hard to tell how serious Maurice Gran and Laurence Marks are being, but their new show, Save The Last Dance For Me, tells the tale of two sisters from Luton in the summer of 1963, and audiences will note a series of references to the town.

The play opens at the gates of the Bedford Motors Factory, where the sisters work on the production lines doing the glamorous job of counting hub caps.

Gran said: “The reason we chose Luton was that we wanted it to be sort of London-ish, but not actually in London. Far enough away from the capital to feel a bit out of things, but still be influenced by the fashion, the cinema, the music. We have referenced Luton before in our work, this is not the first time. It must be in our subconscious.”

Marks said: “I’ve been to Luton - I flew from the airport and I stayed in a hotel, it was absolutely awful.”

He even found love in the town, as his first girlfriend lived in Luton and he remembers walking her to St Pancras Station in London to catch the last train back to Luton.

Both Arsenal fans, the Dreamboats And Petticoats writers are familiar with Kenilworth Road, and Gran said: “Luton Town beat us in football, think it was in 1987 (Ed, it was 1988) and I’ve never forgiven them. Maybe that’s why Luton is always in our subconscious and we end up referencing it in our work.”

Save The Last Dance For Me does not all take place in Luton, as it tells the story of the sisters who go on holiday to the traditional seaside town of Lowestoft, near to the US Air Force base at Lakenheath.

It is here that they meet dashing American airmen who prove irresistible to the young girls.

Marks said: “Luton is very multicultural nowadays, but in the 1960s when a 17-year-old white girl from Luton decides she thinks she’s in love with a black GI, she wasn’t thinking about the reception she might get from her parents back in Luton because it hadn’t happened before.”

Save The Last Dance For Me was the title of a hit by The Drifters in 1960 which was written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, whose songs are featured in the feel-good swinging 60s family show.

Marks said: “This is a homage to Luton. Every time Luton is mentioned the audience have to all jump up and whoop!”

Save The Last Dance For Me is at Milton Keynes Theatre from April 10 - 12, and Aylesbury Waterside Theatre from February13 - 18. For tickets call the box office: Milton Keynes: 0844 8717652, Aylesbury: 0844 871 7607.