January 2002 - Region 6 - Colin Magenty
ANYTHING GOES
The Birkdale Orpheus Society
Director; Stephen Hughes-Alty
Choreographer: Karen Edge
Musical Director: Dave Mathews
This version of Anything Goes differs from the latest in one or two ways and although this one gives more scope to the Angels, who did well in their role as support to Reno, I did miss the number which Bonnie has at the end of the last act and also in that act Evelyn's "Gipsy in You " and of course the dog is missing.
The show was first performed in the thirties and I must admit that the twenties stylised touch, which some of the girls undertook, did not work for me. But the chorus were good and so was the choreography and Dave Matthews did Cole Porter's music justice.
Les Hampson's Moonface Martin was well executed and David Walker also gave a workmanlike performance as Elisha J. Whitney. Bonnie was played by Heather Lewis effervescent as usual. The supporting roles of the Bishop and Mrs. Harcourt were played by the experienced Terry Durrance and the unsinkable Ella Dring.
The two main couples came across well with Paul Edge giving yet another extremely good performance as Evelyn Oakleigh and Julie Davitt sang her way through the role of Reno with great panache and although she did it well I have reservations whether the role was for her.
In his first major role with the company Rob McGregor came across well as Billy Crocker and made him a believable character, and finally Liz Clarke who gave her usual polished performance as Hope Harcourt, this was an enjoyable evening.
With the young people in the show showing that the future is looking good for this society and proving once more how much talent there is in the area.
COMFORT AND JOY
Adlington St. Paul's
Director: Kathleen & Barry Ashworth
This is a risqué and very funny play not one for the faint of heart, but so funny and if you like the humour of Mike Harding you would have enjoyed this offering, but although the language is strong it is handled so well offence cannot be taken.
Martin (Ken Brindley) has an interesting family, wife played well by Sharon Morris as was the daughter played by Jillian Goulding and father-in-law Goff played for all it was worth by Alan Pearson.
The two weird neighbours were played well by Gordon Farrer and Liz Blundell. I also enjoyed Kathy and Crispin played a little 'OTT' by Joy Plowes and Michael Dootson. The whole evening was a 'hoot' and I thank everyone concerned, well done.
ENCORE AND BRASS
Adlington Music and Arts
It was very fitting that the tribute to John May involved the two Societies that he cared most about in life and also that his son was able to perform in that tribute.
A full house was taken through a night of superb music both from the Rivington and Adlington Brass Band and the singing and dancing of the Adlington Music and Arts society.
Songs from Lloyd Webber to Kander and Ebb, Cole Porter to memorable selections from Chicago and Les Misérables.
John was vice-president of both and house manager for the A.M.A.S. Both groups will miss him and this was a touching celebration of his life.
HIGH SOCIETY
Maghull Amateur Operatic Society
Director: Les Grimersall
Choreographer: Paula Harrison
Musical Director: Hilary Burgoyne
The music of Cole Porter is still the finest legacy the great man left, with continual revivals of what for me are his three great shows, Anything Goes, Kiss Me Kate and one of the best if not the best, High Society.
There are two or three versions of this show and this is not my favourite as it has some good numbers missing, but I was very disappointed with what came out of the pit and it did not help the performers on stage, several of which were trying to give of their best in spite of something which was beyond their control.
The "staff" who start the show and linked the scenes, a mixture of persons from below stairs just did not give the start the show needed, and never rose to the level required throughout.
Tracy Lord played by the attractive Elaine Alper caught the character at times but she had some good scenes with David Smith who did well with the part of Mike Connor as did his sidekick Jenny Horridge with the role of the ever patient Liz. Neil Butler had a good stab at the boring George
Kitteridge and Gaynor Hale and Seth Lord played Mr and Mrs Lord adequately. We had a cute portrayal of Dinah by Sarah Culshaw, if we lost some lines it was still a nice performance from this young lady.
Dexter Haven was slightly under played if anything by David Cox, he did not seem to be in as good a voice as I have previously heard him. But we did get an extremely good cameo performance from Tony Adamson who was a smashing Uncle Willie.
I found this production not to be up to the recent standard I have come to expect from this society, having said that it was an enjoyable evening and I look forward to Camelot.
THE MAGIC OF COLE, KERN & COWARD
Hindley & Wigan AOS
Director: Gemma Reid
Musical Director: Joan Bond
Choreographer: Jayne Quinlan
With such musicsmiths as the three mentioned in the title, what could it have been but a wonderful evening of songs that will never die.
From Porter's Kiss me Kate we had a medley of songs which included solos from Maria Collier, Christine Armstrong and Clive Green finishing with a rousing 'Too Darn Hot' by the entire company, including the six dancers who were enchanting throughout the evening.
They then moved to the music of Kern and to sing two ladies, Eileen Dean and Hilda Smith who both sang with a sweetness and power that belied their age, finishing off with 'The folks who live on the hill' sung well by Ken Rees.
Then came the third in the trio and we had three songs by the Master. Sung by Clive Green and Maria Collier finally to finish we turned back to Cole Porter and Anything Goes during which we had extremely good singing from the full company and it was nice to see members of the youth section coming through to share the stage with members of the adult society.
Act two started with music from one of my favourite shows Coward's Bitter Sweet and a roof raising 'Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ay'. Gwyneth Holt followed with her rendition of 'Zigeuner' and Gill Galloway with 'I'll see you again', who were joined by the chorus for 'Dear little Cafe' very enjoyable.
Back to Kern again and 'Look for a silver lining' given a lovely treatment by Dorothy Grayson again, the chorus were on song in this section with 'They didn't believe me' and 'Pick yourself up'. We had a well sung duet from Gwynth Holt and Clive Green who gave us 'You are love'.
On to Porter again with High Society and the first appearance of Claire Hodkinson who for me stole the evening and it is obvious that the society have an up and coming star on their hands as she sang 'True love' then joined up with Christine Armstrong for 'Well did you ever'.
'I love Paris' was sung by Patricia Reid followed by a smashing version of 'The last time I saw Paris' by the company.
What followed that was for me one of the best numbers of the evening sung by Clive Green: that was Porters wonderful 'Begin the Beguine' and not to be outdone Christine Armstrong did justice to the old Ella Fitzgerald number 'Every time we say goodbye', and to round off the penultimate section Ken Rees gave us 'Night and day'.
Finally rounding up a very enjoyable evening with all the soloists and chorus singing Kern's masterpiece Showboat and with Ken Rees and the Company's 'Old man river' ringing in my ear - what a better end to an evening.
HOORAY FOR HOLLYWOOD
Chorley A.D.O.S
Devised & Directed by Lorraine Sullivan & Emma Bartlett From the opening curtain until it finally came down it was just a truly enjoyable evening.
The pace was good as was the continuous action, and the sheer energy was tremendous and showcased the talent not only of the adult society but also of up and coming youngsters.
The evening started with the Jazz Singer and finished with Moulin Rouge. The stops along the way included The Wizard of Oz with a lovely Dorothy sung by Francesca Wignall. Well aided by Barry Callender, Oliver Franklin and Michael Wignall as Dorothy's sidekicks Lion, Scarecrow and Tin Man.
Followed by a charming Pinnochio given by the younger members, on to Calamity Jane and a good rendition by Emma Bartlett.
One of the highlights for me came next with Andrew Sullivan singing 'Maria' from West Side Story. Very well sung for such a young man.
My Fair Lady followed with Lorraine Sullivan and Brian Clarke doing justice to the Lerner and Loewe show tunes. And to end the first half the Von Trapp children gave us 'So long fair well' I name them in no order but with my thanks to Brainne Edge who directs the Youth Theatre. Gretal (Zoe Wilson), Marta (Imogen Leigh), Brigitta (Nicola West), Kurt (Daniel Lacey), Louisa (Charlotta Inghamj, Frederick (Des O'Malley), and Liesel (Fiona Jack).
Jesus Christ Superstar opened the second half with a wonderful rendition of 'I don't know how to love him' sung by Gemma Tarpey. And an outstanding 'Gethsemane' by Andrew Sullivan.
The Youth Theatre then did three numbers from Bugsy Malone, which were very well received followed by a super look in on the Little Shop of Horrors and after a quick stopover in Fame and Sister Act 2, we finished off with Austin Powers by the young ones, and then the Senior dancers took over for the finale and I must say that the talent shown by the two directors along with Julie Norris, Zoe Duff in, Rebecca Dickinson, Cathy Higgin, and Lesley Nicholson, only goes to show what a wealth of dancing talant this society has.
May I thank everyone for a most enjoyable night and for your hospitality.
HOT MIKADO
Adlington Music and Arts Society
Director: Mr. C. O'Beirne
Musical Director: Steven Sandford
Choreography: Gillian Pilkington & Cathryn Pilkington This show was a delight from beginning to end and everyone on stage no matter how large or small the part never stopped acting, they were all involved and with good choreography and a superb six piece band in the pit the show was a joy to watch.
Now and again a society gets it together and this was one of those nights. Pish-Tush (Phillip Smith) and Pooh-Bah (Chris Higson) both gave sound performances, both giving me moments to remember.
One thing that will remain with me was the voice of David Whitehead and the smashing portrayal of Nanki-Poo playing opposite the lovely Vicky Bond who handled the part of Yum-Yum with the charm the part demanded, with a voice to match.
Ably assisting were Allison Smith as Pitti- Sing and a wonderful performance by the vivacious Susan O'Brian who hit such marvellous notes.
The Mikado played by the talented Steven Green was only overshadowed by one performer whose comedy timing seems to be getting better if that's possible, together with a face that launched a thousand laughs.
Philip May's Ko-Ko was a tour-de-force. By the time the finale had arrived I was wishing it not to stop. To say well done is an understatement but I say it sincerely. A night to remember at Adlington. Thank you.
MAN ALIVE
St Ambrose Players
Director: Jean Karran
This play was written in the fifties and it has that fifties feel about it, definitely a period piece and that came across in the production.
The comedy is not one of sidesplitting humour but a gentle humour that is never far from the surface. Although it is a gentle humour, it has to be played at a lively pace and the delivery of lines could have been quicker.
We had a selection of fine cameo performances (this was a large cast compared to cast sizes of today). In no particular order Colin Woods as Waldorf was a lovely performance and although the part is written for a younger actor it worked for 90% of the time. We had a laid back portrayal of Belgravia by Joyce Nicholls.
Andrew Musson and Delia Rutledge obtained the maximum out of what are straight characters George and Daphne.
The facial expressions of Martina Keith who played Jubilee were a joy and I must congratulate all the statues on their stillness, not an easy thing to do.
Lional Glover as Mr Hathaway was up to his usual standard and two excellent performances from heads of departments Mr Wembley (Ted Cookson) and Miss Yates (Christine Hughes), and although a small part the Police Commissioner was ably done by George Birkin as was Miss Adshead performed by Jean Robinson.
But in this play two performances caught the eye more than the rest, those of Kath Creer as Oakshott and Joan Watkinson who was a smashing Miss Butterwoth.
Well done for an entertaining production of a difficult play, and a special well done to props who had their hands full - literally.
MY FAIR LADY
St. Helen's AOS
Director: Pamela Foy
Musical Director: Charles Moss
Choreographer: Sylvia Stubbs
This show is not the shortest Lerner and Loewe show and ten thirty is not unusual but later than this is a regretful. And although an enjoyable evening the length was due, to some extent, to the pace of the show.
The set was acceptable and in the main worked well but I would question some of the costumes, mainly the length of the dresses and Eliza's hat at Ascot did her no favours. I am sorry but I could not see why we had dancing girls, each time they appeared it was in vibrant colours and in outfits of anything but the period and stuck out like a sore thumb.
The chorus sang well and Brian Williams as Henry Higgins on the whole did the mammoth part with some panache in spite of moments of memory loss. Bert Devlin gave a workmanlike performance as Pickering, and Freddy was played with the style I have begun to expect from the talented John Preston. Doolittle played by Joe Cowley did not seem to be at ease on the stage and his two numbers lacked life and energy.
Mrs. Pearce (Gill Yates) played her part well, as did Mrs. Higgins (Maria Gleave) both showing the dignity of their respective stations in life. Janet McDonald sang the part of Eliza Doolittle extremely well, she has a lovely voice but this part was not for her. For those who do not know the show and that Eliza should be a trim eighteen/twenty year old, may have found it acceptable, but for me the transformation did not work.
But having said all that it was an entertaining evening and it was evident everyone had worked hard. My thanks to all concerned.
THE WIZARD OF OZ
Ormskirk Theatre Co
This was an enjoyable production involving a considerable amount of children who for the most part were charming and from the ranks of whom were one or two for the future, Louise Taylor was extremely good as the Mayor and so was Gloria played by Ann Connor both had good diction and projection and
Ann also had a sweet singing voice. Aunt Em played by Barble Fillingham had good stage presence and started the show well. And once Gemma Ludgate learns to relax on stage watch out, she has a lovely way of delivering her lines but should stay in character until she is off stage, but her tab speech was very good, as The Sorceress of the North. Witch of the West, Rita Sharples I have only seen as a baddie, I think it must be her laugh.
Dorothy was played by a maturing Becky Casey and handled the part well, she needs now to start to try and feel the emotions and don't be afraid to express them. In what she says and more importantly when she is not speaking.
The parts of the Lion (Mark Hill) and Tin Man (Andy Hawkes) both gave acceptable performances but I have not seen a better Scarecrow for a considerable time than this performance by Gary Simpson, his timing and facial expressions were a treat. This was a good lib with some smashing one-liners. It would have been nice to have playout music for the walk down and at the end but it did not distract from a very enjoyable evening at Ormskirk.
GALA CONCERT TO CELEBRATE 50 YEARS OF R.A.O.S.
Rainhill Amateur Operatic Society
Directed by Erika Case
Musical Director: Jill Hyde
This was a trip down memory lane with a full house which is always nice to see and I'm sure everyone went home humming one tune or another which they hadn't heard for some time. With a good musical director it was a very good evening at a refurbished Rainhill Village Hall.
It would not be right to pick out individuals, this was a team effort and the choral sound was excellent as were the solos and duets singing songs from each of the shows the society has done over the years.
The only criticism I would have would be that a little more comedy could have been put into breaking the evening up a little more. My thanks to the society for their hospitality and I sincerely hope they continue for a further 50 years.
THE RISE AND FALL OF LITTLE VOICE
Chorley A.O.D.S
Director: Sean Duxbury
Musical Director: Judith Holt
This was a very enjoyable production in parts, some scenes worked, others didn't. The fire could have been better portrayed and at times the set was not helpful to the plot.
Little Voice (Kim Boyle), the centre of this play, performed well until she tried her different voices, which were not even near the people she was trying to mimic. Which was a shame as her overall characterisation was good and she showed that she has a very good singing voice.
I enjoyed the two performances of Mari Hoff (Gill Brown) and Ray Say (Andrew Swindley). Gill came across well as the mother and Andrew handled the change in his character showing his nasty side as the show progressed.
I was a little disappointed with Barry Callander's Mr Boo . I felt the two faces of this man did not come across as well as I would have expected from this talented actor.
We had two lovely cameos from Billie, played with feeling by Michael Wignall and Sadie (Alison Waugh) who was a perfect feed for a lot of Mari's one liners. And finally Darren Kay's workmanlike Phone Man completes this hard working cast.
WHAT A SWELL PARTY
S.O.N.G.
Directed by Paul Morgan
Choreographer: Louise Edge
Musical Director: James Stafford
It is wonderful to see theatre reaching young people and this was an evening of Cole Porter's marvellous music and talented young people well directed, the result, an extremely enjoyable evening.
The scene is set at the house party of Mr and Mrs Devereaux a wealthy New York couple and tells the story of four couples, all from different backgrounds. And with a cast of 45. The pictures and grouping were excellent as was the choreography.
There were so many good performances: George A Wainwright as Rex Devereaux was well sustained, as was Vickie Murray's Katie Flynn as maid to the lady of the house.
Two of the smaller roles stood out: Henry Birch's William Aster and the very attractive Aimie Disley, as Tilly, was extremely good.
The humour was provided by Spider played by Alex Howerth and a super performance by Andrew Mackley as the mafia boss and although all and I mean all the cast gave their best.
But the performance of Lydia Murray, as Sarah Tyler was one of a person far older than her years. This was a mature and sensitive interpretation for one so young.
Well done to Lydia and congratulations to S.O. N.G., the music of Cole Porter and an extremely good Musical Director and his very young (in the main) musicians.
LA BELLE HELENE
Una Voce
What a shame that so few people attended the night I watched this show, if nothing else they missed a treat of wonderful music played by excellent musicians and under the baton of John Flood who stood in at very short notice.
The only criticism I have is that they were too loud at times drowning the soloists especially during the prologue. The voice of Debi Jones was one of the highlights of the evening and she played Helen well. Her leading man was exceptional, Nick Hardy sang the role of Paris with aplomb.
The three Kings, Agamemnon (Stephen Riordon in good voice as usual. Ajax (George Jones) and Achilles (Geoff Eliason) these two have the comedy roles and I felt that more should have been done to bring that out.
We had two extremely good performances from two young ladies who could be heard when others could not, they were the pretty Clare Griffith as Leona and Cecilia Costello, who played Cressida.
The man who carried this show was Mark Duffy who gave a super performance as Calchas and whose costume could not have been shorter. But his timing and comedy lifted the show.
The chorus had some nice numbers, thank you for an interesting evening at the Neptune.
CASH ON DELIVERY
The Unnamed Players
Directed by Enid Pennington
This is the first time I have visited this talented group and I hope it will not be the last, the play was new to me to, but one I can recommend. Perhaps not to a church society, but if the language is not a problem it is up to date and a very funny farce.
I was informed there were three members who were or stage for the first time and it was difficult to see which they were, all I can say is hang on to them.
Eric Swan is the man around whom the whole play revolves and this very important role was played extremely well by George Lowe aided by his lovely wife Linda (Linda Hunter).
Norman the lodger was played to the hilt by Robert McKenna, as was the part of Mr Jenkins, this was a nice portrayal showing the experience of Don Tucker.
Uncle George, a smashing cameo by Albert Parry, reminded me of the parts played by Leo Franklin in the Whitehall farces.
Newcomers Fiona Gill and Frank Gill both showed promise of things to come and I was very impressed by Sean Ashdown who played Dr. Chapman. Ms Cowper was played by Ann Houghton.
This was a well directed and enjoyable play my congratulations to all: a great pity more did not attend.