September 2000 - Region 4 - Gordon Hall
SHOW STOPPERS OF THE CENTURY
Heswall Operatic Society
Director and Choreographer: Mary Newton
Musical Director: Greg Williams
Founded in 1917 Heswall OS is still going strong despite the problems faced by many societies of declining numbers and the peripatetic nature of the better leading players. For its millennium show it was decided to present an A to Z concert of numbers from 25 different shows covering the century (I was the intermission) and it would make an interesting party game to see which shows you would chose to cover the alphabet. Consequently it was good to hear numbers from almost forgotten shows like Viva Mexico and Zip Goes a Million. And what a lot of work this entails! How many shows require the whole company to learn 17 different routines? Even the colour co-ordinated costumes were designed and created by director Mary Newton and her team.
The format enabled almost every member to have a solo spot so that it would be wrong to single out individuals. While not all would normally expect to appear as soloists any lack of sheer vocal ability was always made up for by an enthusiasm communicated to the audience. The sheer hard work put in by all concerned was admirable and a tribute to the spirit which continues to inspire our amateur companies.
MILLENNIUM MAYHEM
Port Sunlight Players
Devised and directed: Julie Whitehead
Musical Director: Ian Lewis
And now for something completely different! This original compilation of the history of the millennium by Julie Whitehead was augmented by songs and dances - a sort of musical 1066 and All That and great fun was had by all. The excellent young narrator, Nick Hawkswell, took us through significant events in our history from the Norman Conquest to today. I'm not quite sure where Julius Caesar came in but there he was assisting Nick throughout. I'm afraid the programme did not differentiate between the large number of players so that I cannot single out individuals though throughout the pageant of the "movers and shakers" we were entertained by the two "common men" mainly telling of events such as plague, fire, war and sundry disasters. It all added up to a most enjoyable evening. I was particularly impressed by the large range of excellent costumes illustrating the different historical periods. Ian Lewis led from keyboard and the Archers theme cropped up at every medieval opportunity!
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
Hoylake and West Kirby Theatre Group
Director and Choreographer: Lynne Williams
Musical Director: Greg Williams
As a reluctant - and far from expert - gardener I find all plants to be rather frightening but fortunately not as much so as Audrey II, the floral star of this spoof of the horror genre. But I must admit not to horror but sheer enjoyment from this fast paced and most amusing show. Director Lynne Williams had done an excellent job, never allowing the momentum to flag and all concerned revelled in the fun of the evening. It was ideally cast with the two main leads of Gerry Johnston, with another fine performance as the nerdish Seymour, and Carolyn Robson, blond and beautiful, as the dim and put-upon Audrey; near perfection. The other main characters, Barry Prescott, strong of voice and bluff of character, as the shop owner Mushnik. Iain Tyrell - a very funny performance this - as the sadistic dentist boyfriend, Orin, gave excellent support. The girl trio, Chiffon, Crystal and Ronette, who observe and comment on the action most of the time, were excellently sung and characterised by Louise Huggins, Adele Riley and Anna Huggins, with their movement and actions well choreographed. Indeed this also applied throughout to the chorus work and the opening 'Skid Row' and the closing numbers were very effective. The use of the chorus certainly gave a big show feel to this relatively small scale work.
Perhaps the major star was the plant, Audrey II, (indeed all three of them) and how effectively they were both constructed and handled, marvellously characterised by the strong voice of Jason Collinson (yes, here he is again folks!) and the manipulation by David Holmes. As I had previously only seen the film version I found the stage show with the plant triumphant and about to take over America far more effective than the "feel-good" destruction of Audrey II in the film. MD Greg Williams and his small group gave excellent accompaniment throughout. How enterprising of HAWKS to give us this relatively infrequently performed show and how I wish that smaller societies would continue to explore the smaller shows better suited to their venues. I do appreciate the need to get bums on seats, however, which so often must influence choice but there are so many good things out there.
Thank you HAWKS for a most enjoyable evening - I came back a second time - and paid!!
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
Ellesmere Port LOS.
Director: Leigh Stanley
Musical Director: Ken Sage
Choreographer: Lynn McKenzie
36 years since Fiddler first came upon the scene and somehow its underlying themes of ethnic cleansing and asylum seeking are more relevant than ever, while the main themes of children rebelling against family and social traditions to the puzzlement of their parents remain universal! While it is sometimes difficult to interpret the wide range of cultural references which infuse the work, we can still appreciate the often humorous acceptance of a life of grinding poverty in a climate of constant fear of the approaching pogroms at a time of social unrest in Czarist Russia: a life circumscribed by an almost blind acceptance of tradition and religious observance. Seemingly unlikely themes for a musical but, in fact, it comes over as a tribute to the human spirit to be able to rise above such difficulties.
It was some time since I had last seen the show and Ellesmere Port presented a most enjoyable performance, headed by the fine voice and big personality of Mark Giarrusso as Tevye who would be hard to better in this role. He was ably supported by the rest of the cast, particularly the Golde of Irene Woods, often exasperated by an inability to understand Tevye's acceptance of change. Their 'Do You Love Me?' duet was particularly touching. The three main daughters, Tzeitel, Hodel and Chava were all well played and sung by Joanne Mason, Carly Nickson and Gill Rigby, their 'Matchmaker' trio being a highspot. They were well matched by the Motel of Nathan Rogers, Perchik of Mike Howard and Fyedka of Matthew Jones. With Roy Davison as Lazar Wolf, Joan Long as Yente and Keith Whelton as the Constable all adding convincing characterisations, and the large number of minor characters adding good interpretations, the show's success was assured.
Of particular note was the large chorus and Fiddler is particularly useful to a company as it enables the full range of its players - of all ages - to be used. The director had made good use of the passarella by principals and chorus so that the stage was not too crowded and this was very effective for the final leaving of Anatevka. The choreography struck an appropriate ethnic note at all times. I had forgotten what a wealth of good music is in the show but Ken Sage with his excellent orchestra gave full value to the score. An evening in the best 'Tradition' of Ellesmere Port!
KIDS ON SHOW
Hoylake and West Kirby Theatre Group
Director and Musical Director: Katie Bullen
This musical extravaganza from the youth section of this busy Society enabled a large number of juniors to strut their stuff and provide a very enjoyable evening - spoilt only by the NODA Regional Rep having to say a few words at the end! The whole show had been devised and choreographed by the youngsters themselves under the guidance of their director and a good job they had made of it. A mélange of music (mainly), poetry and drama gave good opportunities for many performers of all ages to shine in their personal specialities. George Gallagher was the only adult appearing on stage as the jovial compère and the trio in the pit gave excellent accompaniment to a wide variety of musical styles. Far too many soloists to mention any by name but the society can be proud of its efforts in providing this opportunity for their youngsters to enjoy the thrill of entertaining an appreciative audience.
One special effort worthy of mention was the use of a number of young "signers" who were learning this so useful skill.
THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE
Lifeline Productions
Producer: Joy Taylor
This children's favourite by C. S. Lewis has been adapted by Irita Kutchmy. The adaptation cannot hope to convey the underlying themes of Lewis's book, so relies on the pure storytelling which, in itself, is satisfactory. In this version the four children, Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy, were played by adults and while such a device worked in The Blue Remembered Hills I found it difficult to accept when played against the other adult characters. Although Peter Reeve, Linda Cumming, John Knapman and Diane Smith worked hard to convey the attitudes and behaviour of youngsters it was Diane who best achieved this. Leaving via the wardrobe the household of Professor Kirk, played by Robert Chapman and his harridan of a housekeeper, Mrs. MacReady (Marie Harrison), the children, one by one, find themselves in the land of Narnia, condemned to persistent winter, but never Christmas, due to the evil control of the White Witch, a good characterisation by Kate Peers. Among those they meet are Mr. Tumnus, a fawn, (John McGovern) and the bumbling Mr. And Mrs Beaver (Ralph Brady and Ann Murphy). They seek the help of Aslan, the Lion, impressively costumed and played by Mark Cumming and finally overcome the evil of the Witch and her henchman, Maugrim (George Jones). Christmas finally comes to Narnia together with Father Christmas and the children return to the reality of their everyday life.
Although a score is added to the show I personally felt the numbers to be distinctly unmemorable no matter how well performed. A pleasant evening with some nostalgia for those of us who left these once loved stories a long time ago.
CHESS
West Kirby LOS.
Director: Robert Bowness
Musical Director: Geoffrey Lavelle
Choreographer: Deborah Clarke
Like many in the local operatic community I must confess I worried for West Kirby when the company announced Chess as its 50th anniversary production. With personal memories of less than delight with the original West End show and a realisation of the difficulty of attracting audiences to even the most popular of shows would the company run into problems? Well, although I am still not a fan of the Europop-type score or the cold-war storyline, I am delighted to say all of us could not have been more wrong as I joined with a full house to cheer a splendid production, well cast and driven forward with great verve by the director and M.D. In addition the chess matches themselves, which can slow up the action, were very well covered by some excellent choreography and dancing.
From the opening look-back to the childhood of Florence, the love interest for both protagonists, well sung by Robert Orford as her father, explaining the origin and history of chess, we move to the town of Merano about to host the world chess championship. Here the well drilled chorus which, for much of the show, of necessity, acts more like a chorus in Greek drama was given full rein as they were in the some-time disco favourite 'One Night In Bangkok' and all took their opportunity to the full. From then on we were into the drama of the conflicting personalities of the two chess players and the political machinations of the their KGB and CIA supporters. Michael Kennedy beautifully conveyed the tortured soul of the Russian, Anatoly, as he wrestled with his conscience over defection and his love for Florence. His singing, particularly of the moving Anthem, was excellent. The contrast provided by the American Freddy with his volatile moods was well portrayed by Stewart Dennett and West Kirby was fortunate indeed to find someone who could provide the modern voice with the high tessitura that the role demands. Once again in a Wirral show Gina Davies showed her undoubted talent and versatility as Florence, the pawn in the complicated game between East and West.
Tony Clare, with his strong bass-baritone, was every inch the suspicious and dour KGB agent and again the contrast between him and the media tycoon with political overtones, Walter, was perfect. Mike Ellis, in a welcome return to West Kirby, conveyed the initial charm but underlying deviousness of the character. Damien McBeath as the Arbiter made a strong contribution and Sharon Henderson as Anatoly's wife joined Gina Davies in a beautifully sung 'I Know Him So Well'.
An excellent orchestra made a telling contribution to a performance worthy of the West Kirby's 50th Anniversary proving that Chess does not need the complicated technical equipment which was such a feature of the original to provide an absorbing and enjoyable theatrical evening. Well done!
OLIVER!
Birkenhead Operatic Trust
As soon as this show opened in 1960 at the New Theatre in London, Oliver was an instant success, playing to packed, ecstatic audiences, and here we are, 40 years on, joining BOST in the packed, 2000-seat Empire Theatre still enjoying this unique show.
Elsie Kelly's production was superb. Her presentations are always inventive and here we had a fresh approach by a totally dedicated and talented company.
Jamie Lester was in fine form as Fagin, capturing the cunning, conniving rogue to perfection, and we had wonderful characterisations from the boys in his Gang, their routine with the Chorus and Dancers in "Consider Yourself " was outstanding.
Mark Williamson created a most believable Oliver with a warm sensitive performance, while Robert Carter was a revelation as the Artful Dodger - wonderful stage presence, perfect timing and a performance that certainly belied his years. Jason Collinson as the menacing, brooding Bill Sykes added another string to his bow showing his versatility with what, in my opinion, was his best performance to date. Pat Davies returning to BOST after an absence of 10 years was an ideal Nancy, finding the hard side of the character, as well as warmth for Oliver, brashly vocal with "Its A Fine Life" yet tender and passionate with "As Long As He Needs Me".
The excellent Mike Carroll was perfect as Mr Bumble. He created a most believable, well-rounded character with his fine voice, his confident easy style and natural flair for comedy. Equally impressive, too, was Ann Fleming's Widow Corney - magnificent voice and stage presence.
There were no weak links in this production. BOST have a depth of talent viz.: Malcolm McEwan and Claire Thompson (Sowerberrys), Ian Lloyd (Noah Claypole), Stephanie Murray (Bet), Joanne Dennis(Charlotte) and the quiet dignity of Mr Brownlow played with great sincerity by Gordon Hall.
It says a lot for a production in which the large chorus all had definite characters, and the dancers were absolute perfection.
The superb orchestra was directed by Tricia Gaskell, and the exciting sparkling
choreography of Collette Clare and Jimmy Webster all complemented a night to
remember.
(J.M.O.)