Salad Days
Dated: 14 August 1954
Salad Days, the hit musical by Julian Slade and Dorothy Reynolds, premiered at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre in June 1954.
It soon transferred to London, and became the longest running musical in West End history (though, sadly, it’s since been overtaken).
The show’s chaos, music and nostalgia have been charming audiences for over 60 years. The profits from its transfer to London enabled the purchase in 1956 of villas off Clifton Downs for the use of the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. The school was founded in 1946 and had previously used cramped rooms above a fruit warehouse near to the theatre.
