January 2001 - Region 5 - Glyn Neary
SING FOR YOUR SUPPER
Farnworth AODS.
Director: Craig Harris
Musical Director: Peter England
Rodgers and Hart had long running shows long before Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II came together although it is the music of the latter duo that sticks in the mind.
This revue, which is normally performed with three men and three women does not easily transfer into a full chorus show. The songs are meant to come across in a more intimate way but here this did not happen. The size of the Albert Hall didn't help but the biggest problem was the sound. When singing in front of the mic's right at the front of the stage we could hear everything but, standing anywhere else, the words of the songs became very difficult to hear: the dialogue was fine.
Although it did not gel for me, the way the stage was used by the director was very good and we had some lovely pictures. The choral sound was good and the soloists, in the main, sang their songs well. However, they were not up to their usual high standards and it was just unfortunate that the songs I did not know were the ones I could not hear. Possibly the hanging mic's were also picking up the band on stage and, to a certain extent, drowning out the words.
Having said all that I still enjoyed the songs which I knew but, as I said
at the beginning, didn't stick in my mind.
(Colin Magenty)
MURDER ON THE NILE
St Peters AODS (Bolton)
There surely can't be many people who don't know the plot and the eventual outcome of this Agatha Christie classic. However, a strong cast did their utmost to mystify the Friday night audience.
Played against an acceptable basic set of the observation saloon of the paddle steamer "Lotus'", which sadly lacked the necessary attention to set dressing, Producer Terry Bowden provided a pacy, well rounded production.
Irene Holmes looked absolutely right as the stern, class conscious Miss Ffoloit Ffoulkes as did her downtrodden and much put upon travelling companion Christine Grant played by Karen Farrar. Miss Ffoulkes's verbal sparring with the laconic Smith, well played by Ian Hunter, was timed to perfection and provided most of the humour in the piece.
Adrienne Wormald was very impressive as the elegant Kay Mostyn until she met her early demise whilst her nemesis, the neurotic Jacqueline De Severac, was equally well portrayed by Alison Partington.
Mike Jeffries provided a smooth performance as Canon Pennefather as he attempted to uncover the culprit and was ably supported Bert Halliday who managed to maintain a credible accent throughout as Dr Bessner. Nick Bennett played the part of the pseudo bereaved but scheming husband Simon Mostyn with touching sincerity whilst Nicola Jones also managed to retain her accent as Louise.
Smaller parts were played by Eddie Done as McNaught, Raymond Thornley as the steward and Michael Foley as the irritatingly persistent beadseller.
Well costumed throughout this was a pleasant evening,s entertainment provided by a competent cast.
HABEAS CORPUS
St Philips AODS (Bolton)
This fast moving, racy Alan Bennett comedy was superbly produced by Jason Crompton whose insight into the roles and situations resulted in a production of the highest quality.
The pivotal role of the world weary Arthur Wickstead was played by Alan McPhearson who gave an assured and highly polished performance. His wife Muriel, approaching middle age and wondering if life had passed her by, was played in fine style by Marion Henrys. Their spotty hypochondriac son Dennis was splendidly played in true whimpish manner by Peter Henrys whilst Sharon Shaw was outstanding, albeit not in the right places, as Connie Wickstead. Her insatiable desire for a larger bust size than naturally blessed with leads to the introduction of Mr Shanks the false boob salesman, played with panache by Jason Crompton, and her final transformation into a burgeoning Jane Mansfield.
Natalie Kirkbrìght, as the femme fatale styled Felicity Rumpers, gave an excellent performance which was enhanced by her Fennella Fielding styled delivery. She was nicely balanced by the frosty faced ex colonial type Lady Delia Rumpers, played with an air of unbridled disdain for all around her, by Irene Smith.
Her dark secret is finally revealed on the arrival of the vertically challenged Sir Percy Shorter played by Mark Roberts. His natural stature and supercilious attitude were ideal for the part.
The trouserless men and scantily clad ladies were all too much, of course, for the frustrated cleric Canon Throbbing. Paul Costello's caricature clergyman was well observed right down to the outsized molars. The cast was completed by the suicidal but bungling Mr Purdue played by Arthur Taylor and the acerbic cleaner Mrs Swabb, played by Barbara Platt, whose well timed asides were an essential and integral part of the plot.
Played against a basic set with good lighting this was a production of outstanding merit. In the words of Alan Bennett "he who lusts last, lasts longest ..." well I don't know about lusting but the capacity audience certainly laughed last, and longest.
A SLICE OF SATURDAY NIGHT
Bolton Premier Productions
Built around a gossamer storyline, minimal libretto and songs which sounded like the `B' side of your favourite 60's songs this pastiche of the 60's scene needs to be pushed along apace, or the repetitive nature of the piece could become rather uninteresting. So how did it go I hear you ask ...well, considering the above, the society did extremely well.
A good set designed by Craig Anthony, which pehaps lacked the odd neon sign for complete authenticity, provided a suitable backdrop for the Club a-Go-Go whilst Producer /Choreographer Marje Brayshaw used her youthful chorus quite well with some fast moving, well executed dance routines. The club atmosphere was further enhanced by the International Rock Band "Platform Four" with the ``Sounds Unlimited Horn Section" under the musical direction of Steven Sharpies. Rock bands of this era were renowned for loud music and this group certainly took no prisoners. However, some of the already scarce liberetto was unfortunately lost in the high decibel delivery.
The club owner and fading rock star Eric "Rubber Legs" De Vene" was successfully played in a brash, upfront manner by John Whitehead. The club goers brought out their teenage angst, uncertainty and bravado which added realism to their relationships. Both Natalie Kirkbright and Gary Griffin sang well as the chronically shy Sharon and Rick whilst Paul Costello, as the wisecracking scouser Eddie, figured well in his pursuit of "frigid" Bridget. Lynda Cartey, as the aforementioned Bridget, was an ideal foil to Eddie as she gave him, and almost everyone around her, the cold shoulder.
Martin Pearce was effective as the "been there, done that, got the T shirt" Gary who is going out with the feisty Sue (Ruth Harris) whilst unsuccessfully trying to chat up the groovy Penny (Elisa Fielding). The principal line up was completed by Chris Parr as the seemingly spaced out "flower power type"Terry and his opposite number Shirl played by Vanessa Dean Boardman.
Costumes were generally of the era but I seem to recall far more colour in dresses and shirts at that time. I would also have expected the odd Teddy Boy still to have been around and whilst the staff of the Club-a-Go sported the correct hairstyles, many of the club goers would have looked singularly out of place in the 60's.
Although the show falls outside what many would consider a "musical " the society provided a lively evening's entertainment for the audience, many of whom might have recognised the characters portrayed on the stage.
THE BEST OF TIMES
All Saints (Elton) AOS
Devised, Directed and Choreographed by Anthony Williams this revue styled show gave the society's established, as the programme has it, stars as well as its starlets a chance to show their not inconsiderable talents.
Individual vocal contributions came from Pam Heywood Conner, Mick Seaton, Irene Lunt, Louise Freeman and Joe Conner amongst many others and as a chorus the 26 strong company contributed several excellent concerted numbers. The review was further enhanced by some excellent dance routines which were carried out with clinical precision by the company.
Behind the glitzy front of house curtain the redoubtable Mollie Binns and her backstage team provided a classy looking set which was cleverly lit by Mark Tempest to suit the mood of the different numbers. The costumes, generally white and simple in style. looked crisp, neat and caught the ever changing lighting.
The selection of numbers came from a wide and varied style of show. From the more established South Pacific, The Boyfriend, West Side Story and Gypsy to the newer Les Misérables, 42nd Street, Little Shop of Horrors, The Hot Mikado and perhaps unfamiliar to most, such as Martin Guerre and the Kiss of the Spiderwoman, the society presented an excellent evening's entertainment which should have satisfied every musical taste.
THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC
Whitefield and District AOS
In place of the usual musical the society decided to repeat its contributions, since 1994, to the annual Showcase charity event in Manchester. Along with additional extracts from Mama Mia and Jekyll and Hyde, which will be in the next Showcase, this was a mammoth undertaking of nearly 50 numbers, many of which were choreographed. Producer/ Choreographer Carol McCormack and her cast certainly had their work cut out and, judging by the excellent finished product, a great deal of hard work had gone into the production.
A strong principal line up consisting of Lindsay Astin, Alison Bell, Jenni Lomax, Vicki Stott, Maurice Abrahams, Brent Andrews and Martin Bradbury were supported by equally competent sub principals in the form of Hilary Eastwood, Maureen Tarrier, Vivian Taylor, Mike Jaimes and Keith McEvoy plus a very energetic chorus.
The show opened with some very lively and well choreographed numbers, by Shirley Ann Hill, from Mama Mia followed by extracts from Robin Prince of Sherwood which the society premiered in 1994. This section featured, amongst others, Martin Bradbury and Mike Jaimes who both sang well as did Jenni Lomax as Morgana. Half a Sixpence saw some excellent work from Brent Andrews whilst "I know what I am" was beautifully sung by Alison Bell. An unusual treatment of "Party on the House" with a white gloved chorus, under UV lights, who provided precise hand movement accompaniment to the song. The Pirates of Penzance brought us to the interval with some excellent vocals from Vicki Stott, an expansive Pirate King from Maurice Abrahams whilst a squad of lady policemen (women?) bared more than their "steel" much to the approval of the audience.
The second half continued with "Light Romance" sung by Hilary Eastwood, Keith McEvoy with "Madman" and a poignant "Tell me it's not True" by Vicki Stott all from Blood Brothers. Anything Goes followed with "It's Delovely" from Vivian Taylor, Brent Andrews and the chorus and, of course, the inevitable tap routine which was expertly carried out. Beauty and the Beast followed featuring Maureen Tarrier and the ladies' chorus along with a good dance routine from Keith McEvoy and the chorus with "Be our Guest". Two song from Jekyll and Hyde, "A New Life" and "This is the Moment" were beautifully sung by Lindsey Astin and Martin Bradbury.
The above is only a "snapshot" report of the total content but one which I hope gives a flavour of the overall quality. Supported by a small orchestra under the capable direction of John Goggins and with Bill Lawson as the Master of Ceremonies, who brought his own inimitable style to the proceedings, this was an excellent evening's entertainment which deserved better support from the local population. They don't know what they missed.
DOUBLE BILL
Trinity Church AODS (Farnworth)
The ever popular double bill of one act plays with a supper included was yet again successful, judging by the reaction of the capacity audience. This proficient group of players, under the direction of Julia Walker, provided some fine entertainment with:
A NEW LEAF: This play centres around drinking pals Tom and Dan and Tom's change of lifestyle when he decides to save his money and take his wife Mary on a surprise holiday to Blackpool. The sudden change to a long established routine, causes a great deal of consternation in the family and rumours soon abound as to his true motives.
The main players Tom (John Collier), Dan (Colin Aldred), Mary (Marion Tague) and Jane ( Jean Hughes) handled the situations very well as did Ann Flannery as Florrie who is suspected as Tom's "other woman". The set of the Jones's living room, although a little sparse, was adequate as was the lighting. 1 missed the use of the Welsh accent, as the play, written by E Eynon Evans, has many colloquial references. However, it is probably better not to attempt the accents if they cannot be maintained by the whole cast.
COSTA DEL PACKET: This play concerns a group of ill fated ladies whose package holiday is ruined when they arrive at the Hotel Playa del Sol only to find it has barely risen above ground level. During the interval the set had been changed into a rather dilapidated Spanish workman's hut which was quite effective. The rather implausible set of circumstances that follow were well carried by Ashley Baxter, as the rather blasé holiday rep Hump, as he tries to persuade the ladies, Sally {Kate Martin), Alice (Ann Flannery), Lesley (Andrea Baines) and Vera (Christine Fields) to make the best of it and stay for the duration.
Whilst the bossy Vera is understandably miffed and tries to organise other accommodation Sally, in a snazzy swimsuit and sarong and Alice, in an outfit that wouldn't have looked out of place in the Victorian era, seem prepared to run the gauntlet of the Spanish workmen to get to the beach. Salvation seems at hand when a letter arrives to say the ladies had won a competition which, to the chagrin of the group, turns out to be at the same building site that they currently occupy.
Nicely judged performances from all concerned concluded a pleasant evening's entertainment.
DEAD ON NINE
St Vincent's ADS
May I first take the opportunity to welcome this society into the NODA North West fold and introduce one who will assuredly keep the `D' alive and well in NODA. Having seen several previous productions of the `comedy' variety the society now ventured onto new ground with this Jack Popplewell murder mystery play and a very good job they made of it.
An intriguing mixture of failing marriages, illicit affairs, pregnancy, plot, counterplot, revenge, cover up and murder most foul were the ingredients for this extremely convoluted storyline. The voluble narrative required deft handling by producer and cast alike and, whilst sections of Act 1 were a little rushed and occasionally lacked clarity, the Producer Peter Barnett and his cast can be well pleased with the final overall results.
Michael Talbot, as the rather insecure playwright Robert Leigh, who instigates the chain of events, started rather slowly but soon got into his stride whilst Carmela Horne played the secretary Marion Dale in a prim, efficient manner. She also demonstrated a change of character quite well as she is drawn into the murder plot. Meanwhile Julie Nappin, as the financially independant wife Esmeralda Leigh, gave an impressive performance and looked completely at home with the part, particularly the vitriolic fencing with her husband.
Howard Clare was excellent as the laconic family friend and Scotland Yard detective Richard Farrow as he attempts to unravel the surrounding subterfuge. Robert Goodier playing Tom Hammond, another family friend, also gave a creditable performance as he too is drawn into the ever muddier waters. What little comedy there was in the play came from a very astute performance from Mary Riley as Lesley Booth and the cast was completed by Maureen Clare as the housemaid Gladys.
Set in the Leigh's weekend south coast cottage I would have expected a more 'olde worlde' effect and whilst a stable door type entrance paid lip service to this expectation I found the set rather too modern for my taste. It was however well built, well decorated and the set dressings were very good. A very efficient props team also worked swiftly and silently during the many 'blackout' changes causing minimal interruption to the flow of the play.
Altogether a very satisfying and enjoyable evening's entertainment.
SCROOGE THE MUSICAL
Walmsley Church AODS
An early start to the festive season was the society's offering with this Leslie Bricusse version of the ever popular Charles Dickens' story "A Christmas Carol". With the "special effects" being an integral and necessary part of the production this is not the easiest of shows to present and was one area with which the society coped very well. Specialised make-up was also essential for several members of the cast and again the society was equal to the task.
Roy Iddon took on the monumental part of Scrooge and, despite the odd hiccup, gave a proficient performance. His curmudgeonly attitude quickly changed to the jolly philanthropist after his brushes with Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Michael Taylor made an excellent cobweb bedecked Marley with good make
up and a nice line in levitation. The ghosts were played by Teresa Neary (Christmas Past), Harry Lee (Christmas yet to Come) and Ernest Dawson as the jocular and sumptuously costumed Ghost of Christmas Present.
The Cratchit family were well represented by David Witt who was exemplary as the downtrodden Bob Cratchit and Vicki Wilson as his wife Ethel. The children were played by Fay Knowles (Martha), Chloe Bentham (Belinda), Emma Walton (Kath) and Jamie Fletcher as Tiny Tim. Adrienne Wormald looked completely at ease with the double roles of Isabel and Helen and was suitably matched by David Wilson as Young Scrooge and Scrooge's nephew.
Chorus numbers were generally quite good with "December the 25th", led by the effervescent Fezziwigs played by Kathy Turton and Paul Brennen, and "Thank you very much", led by an energetic Tom Jenkins played by Andrew Turton, being outstanding. Costumes were colourful and of the correct period and lighting, by Norman Bowers. was effective and changed as the mood decreed. The production team of Nora Howcroft (Director), Karen Lunt (Choreographer) and Sarah Day (Musical Director) had obviously worked the society hard which presented the capacity audience with a very entertaining show.
A Long service award of a 10 year medal was presented to Evonne Neary along with 30 year bars to Betty Towler and Harry Lee after the show.
IN CONCERT
The Three Towns OS
A capacity audience was once again treated to a wide and varied programme by this talented society. Along with David Brown, who was a very amusing Master of Ceremonies, this was a thouroughly enjoyable evening of quality singing.
Excellent harmonies by the full chorus in "With A Voice Of Singing" and "Standing In the Need Of Prayer" set the standard for the evening which was maintained throughout. This was followed by a Serbian folksong which, impressively, was sung in the native language. ( Since the Balkans are relatively peaceful at the moment I can only assume they got the words right). Celia Rynn followed with a beautifully sung "Coming Of A Dream"and then a selection from the society's next production Yeoman of the Guard featuring solos from Lisa Murphy and David Kay. Joan Ashcroft added to the evening with "Something Wonderful" which was sung with much feeling and was followed by a Canadian folksong "Boot Jack Jaw Harp" and Colin Magenty with "Song On the Sand" from La Cage aux Folles. The first half drew to a close with the chorus and an excellent selection from Porgy and Bess.
The full chorus opened the second half with "Sing a Song of Sixpence" and "No Man Is An Island" which was followed by the gentlemen singing "Drink To Me Only" and then the fine tenor voice of Derek Jones with "Bless This House". Backed by the chorus Susan Batrak, Martin Eubank and Colin Magenty contributed a selection from White Horse Inn followed by the ladies who shone with"Wings Of Sleep". The chorus then gave us a splendid "Georgy Girl" followed by an excellent solo from Wendy Henshaw Of "I Don't Know How To Love Him" and a section of the chorus with "Softly As I Leave You". The whole ensemble then completed the evening's entertainment with an excellent selection from Phantom of the Opera.
With musical direction from Rod Dakin and accompaniment from Maureen Roberts this was a thoroughly enjoyable evening's entertainment.
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS
Bury Athenaeum AOS
May I take this opportunity to congratulate the society on two counts. Firstly the society has surmounted all obstacles in its path to survive into its 100th year and secondly the courage of the committee to attempt such a show, and for the cast and backstage staff to make such a good job of it, considering the current staging facilities. I suppose finding twelve young men to take the parts of the brothers and suitors might also be considered an achievement: indeed, some societies might class this as a minor miracle.
Comparisons with what was a smash hit film are probably inevitable. Staging the demolition of a barn is well nigh impossible, an avalanche is a tad troublesome and the requirement for so many high quality dancers is difficult to come by on the amateur stage.
Of the actual performances David Reeves was very convincing as the head of the Pontipee clan, Adam. He strode the stage with authority, looked right and was in fine voice. Sarah Davey was equally assured as Milly. Again a good vocal performance and a strong central figure for the female side of the story. The brothers, played by John Alarcon, Simon Coffey, Nick Jefferson, Brian Peters, Philip Price and Andrew Smith, whilst not being the best dancers ever to grace an amateur stage, coped well with the choreographer's interpretation, even to the extent of some rather impressive gymnastics.
The brides also worked well together as did the suitors during their brief appearances. Scenery by Proceneium looked very good and I reserve special praise for the backstage team who worked well under difficult circumstances. This was a very enjoyable show which reflected great credit on the cast and the Producer Mike Donohue, Choreographer Judith Edwards and Musical Director David Abendstern.