Musical Masquerade

Pastiche Musical Theatre
22nd - 24th July 2010
at The Compass Theatre, Ickenham

Another Op’nin’ Another Show: the first notes strike up, the lights dim and we know we are in for some good old-fashioned entertainment from Pastiche.

By that I don’t mean fuddy duddy as there are plenty of youngsters in the company and enough modern songs, pop, rap and street dance to bring it right up to date and appeal to all ages.

Set this in the broad spectrum of variety from end-of-the pier to American musical comedy and you see Pastiche’s recipe for success: good, fun, family entertainment.

The pace is fast, act follows act in the blink of an eye, and though some soloists might not pass a Britain’s Got Talent audition, there are others who are so good they could win it. On Thursday, the audience knew this and warmed to a company which gives such a great community feel to their productions. They give the proceeds to charity too – this year Oasis benefits.

The costumes are always an important feature of Pastiche performances and we were once again treated to a feast of sparkle, masks, velvet cloaks and gangster suits.

There was of course plenty of angst –lost love, unrequited love, and mother love – and I was particularly moved by some of the youngsters’ poignant renderings. Favourites were I Still Believe by Olivia and Victoria; I’m Not that Girl by Emily, Megan and Molly; and I Wish I May by Jenny, Louise and Mel; the latter a particularly beautiful blending of voices.

Debbie’s version of On Easy Terms, taken from the musical Blood Brothers, was heart-rending and suited her voice perfectly; Stephanie’s My Heart Will Go On was sweeter than Celine Dion’s shouty version, and Jenny and Simon proved a good musical comedy pairing with their number Sue Me.

There were some excellent voices but I must single out Louise, particularly singing Woman, and Victoria’s How Did We Come to This? Also worthy of mention are talented pair Matt and Naomi’s Hey There Delilah – they used voice, keyboard and violin to great effect.

Stop the Beat brought the show to its conclusion. A great ending, but please don’t stop the shows.

Barbara Fisher

The Boy Friend

Spotlight Musical Theatre Company
23 - 26 June 2010
The Compass Theatre

The Boy Friend (sometimes mis-spelled The Boyfriend) is set in the carefree world of the French Riviera in the Roaring 1920s and is a comic pastiche of 1920's shows (in particular early Rodgers and Hart).

In the Villa Caprice, or Madame Dubonnet's School for Young Ladies, Maisie, played by a very talented Rachel Lawrence and the girls live with the maid, Hortense, (Katie Oliver) and Mme. Dubonnet. Hortense orders a costume for "a Miss Polly Browne" and Maisie and the other girls (Dulcie, Nancy, and Fay) sing the ironic "Perfect Young Ladies" with Hortense. Shy and reserved Polly arrives and tells everyone about her made-up boy friend who is "motoring down from Paris" to meet her for the upcoming carnival ball, and sings about "The Boy Friend". Later, Bobby surprises Maisie and they dance to "Won't You Charleston With Me?"

Polly's widowed father, Percy, then arrives at the school to discover that the headmistress is an old flame of his. They sing "Fancy Forgetting" to rekindle the spark. Polly, though a millionaire's daughter, feels left out because she is the only one of her set who does not have a boyfriend, and she needs a partner for the fancy dress ball. However, when the errand boy, Tony, arrives to deliver her Pierrette costume, they are immediately attracted to each other, and sing "I Could Be Happy With You." Later, they meet at the beach (after the chorus number "Sur La Plage") and sing about "A Room in Bloomsbury." They then kiss and decide to meet at the ball. The comically flirtatious Lord Brockhurst portrayed superbly by Mike Le Grange arrives on the scene, leading to a comical meeting with the rigidly mannered Percival Browne. Lord Brockhurst's domineering wife Lady Brockhurst is also introduced. Percival Browne and Dubonnet then sing "The 'You-Don't-Want-To-Play-With-Me' Blues".

When Polly goes to meet Tony on the promenade, Lord and Lady Brockhurst, who are passing by, recognize him. When he runs off, everyone else assumes that he is a thief. The act ends on a sad note.

At the ball, Bobby and the three boys propose to Maisie and the three girls, but the girls reply in unison that "we'll let you know at midnight" and everyone dances to "The Riviera". Lord Brockhurst sings "It's Never Too Late To Fall In Love" with the flirty Dulcie, and is caught out by Lady Brockhurst. Polly confides in Mme. Dubonnet, and they sing "Poor Little Pierrette". Tony later arrives at the ball and takes Polly by surprise. He asks, "May I have this dance, Pierrette?" to which Polly replies, "I'm afraid I can't dance with a stranger". He then kisses her to remind her. Polly discovers that Tony is really the son of Lord and Lady Brockhurst, who had left home to try to make his own way in the world. Percy and Mme. Dubonnet announce that they are getting married. The clock strikes midnight, and the girls unanimously say yes to the boys' proposals. The last scene has everyone dancing as soon as Bobby, with the last spoken line in the play, asks "So how about that Charleston?" The show ends with a reprise of "The Boy Friend" and "I Could Be Happy With You."

This was a very enjoyable performance with excellent dancing despite learning that the boys were not really dancers – they did very well. The singing too, was of a very high standard from everybody in the cast especially the girls, Rachel Lawrence, Sarah Lawrence, Kerry Geaney Anna Cole and Joanne Cook as Polly Browne.

If there was a weakness in the show I would say it was in some of the acting and characterisation and the fact that the show is supposed to be very funny. There were some amusing moments but the Director, Alan Ward, really failed to bring out the comedy in the piece. Madame Dubonnet and Percy Browne had an opportunity to have an absolute ball on stage but their performances were lame and lifeless. Daniel Hollis as Tony (The Boy Friend) had a very good singing voice and cut a striking presence on stage but his acting was very stiff and wooden. Congratulations to Musical director Darrell Butler, the excellent Ken Williams and Dan Grigg on Drums. All in all an enjoyable evening - well done to all concerned.

Simon Tidball