A HIT musical film from the 1950s will be on stage at Malvern’s Festival Theatre later this month.

This brand new musical comedy - The Smallest Show on Earth - is based on the hilarious StudioCanal film starring the legendary Peter Sellers.

This new stage show will star Liza Goddard and Brian Capron and contains some of Irving Berlin’s greatest songs, including Blue Skies, Shakin’ the Blues Away, Let Yourself Go, Steppin’ Out with my Baby and How Deep is the Ocean, as well as some rediscovered gems.

Director Thom Southerland said: “Berlin’s music provides the perfect accompaniment to our 1950s story, not only in lyric, but in style and period too.”

Newly-weds Matt and Jean Spenser inherit a cinema and think their fortune is made. But the Bijou, better known as the fleapit, is the victim of a dirty tricks campaign from its rival flashy neighbour The Grand. The Bijou’s benevolent manageress, Mrs Fazackalee, and unreliable projectionist, Mr Quill, combine with Matt and Jean to outwit the opposition and restore the Bijou to its former glory.

StudioCanal's The Smallest Show on Earth was a 1957 British Lion film written by William Rose (Genevieve, The Ladykillers) and directed by Basil Dearden (Blue Lamp, League of Gentlemen). It starred Peter Sellers as Mr Quill and Margaret Rutherford as Mrs Fazackalee, along with Virginia McKenna and Bill Travers as Matt and Jean.

The cast of the new musical comedy will be led by Liza Goddard (Take Three Girls, Bergerac, Grandpa in my Pocket) as Mrs Fazackalee and Brian Capron (Coronation Street, Where the Heart Is, Grange Hill) as Mr Quill.

Also in the cast will be Haydn Oakley as Matthew Spenser, Laura Pitt-Pulford as Jean Spenser, Ricky Butt as Ethel Hardcastle, Philip Rham as Albert Hardcastle, Christina Bennington as Marlene Hardcastle, Sam O’Rourke as Tom Fazackalee and Matthew Crowe as Robin Carter, with Leo Andrew, Jacob Chapman, Matthew Dale, Nova Skipp and Leah West.

The Malvern leg of the show’s UK tour is from Monday, November 23 to Saturday, November 28, 2015.