Musical Mischief

A New Page for Pastiche
 
The page turned for the Pastiche Musical Theatre Company at the end of July, with Roma Ridley taking over the reins from her Mother, Jean Hobson, who had overseen productions for 20 years.
 
Roma, working with Musical Director Jean George proved that they could maintain those high standards with an excellent, light-hearted Musical Mischief show featuring some superb performances from the Company. Considering this is an amateur Company who only rehearse a very limited number of hours per week the quality of the overall performance was outstanding with an energetic cast who were thoroughly enjoying themselves, evident by the smiling, enthusiastic faces on stage throughout.
 
The two, hour-long Acts contained a varied mix performances from dancers, singers and musical instruments to the varied tastes of the young and old.
The evening started strongly with an entertaining opening ‘Broadway Medley’, which gave all the singers a chance to warm up their vocal chords and show off some well timed choreography (which proved to be of a high quality and varied throughout the show- including novelty acts such as a glow in the dark hand jive)!
 

The costumes have always been an impressive ingredient of Pastiche’s shows and the opening chorus was followed by a number which gave us our first taste of what was to come - a Lion King inspired lion’s outfit worn by the lead Duncan. He, Megan and Molly showed a glimpse of the future - next stop the X Factor perhaps?!
 
The Company were soon back on stage with Ben leading a confident rendition of ‘The Candy Man’. This young man is a valuable new addition to The Company, looking clearly comfortable on stage and delivering a high quality first performance.
 
Several entertaining numbers followed, including a funny rendition of ‘Plant A Radish’ led by Maxwell and Brian, a humorous and assured Mrs Worthington from Bryan, a passionate performance of ‘Gimme, Gimme, Gimme’ by Shivashtie, Debbie and Stephanie (who goes from strength to strength in every Pastiche show), a faultless Trumpet piece from Max that brought even further variation to the show, followed by a moment of pure class with Naomi playing a beautiful piece on her violin. Entitled ‘Meditation’, the soaring music was perfectly complemented by Megan’s confident ballet steps in the background.
Male attention in the audience was then peaked with a saucy ‘Lady Marmalade’, performed by Claire, Jenny and Gilly, who also choreographed the raucous routine.

The first half concluded with the Company performing the 60’s rock number ‘Proud Mary’ before everyone took a well-earned 15 minute breather.
Act Two kicked off with another ‘Broadway Medley’, before Richard Connolly continued the American theme with a fantastic rendition of ‘Mr Bojangles’. Richard was clearly very comfortable on stage and had a number of ladies in the audience swooning with his swagger and cheeky smile. The performance was also visually entertaining as Richard was accompanied on stage by an ever bright and talented Melanie James who showed through her tap routine that she is an accomplished dancer as well as singer.

One of the high points of the evening was yet to come however, as Naomi performed a show-stopping rendition of ‘Over The Rainbow’, delivering the tricky piece note-perfect and leaving the audience in awe! Other stand out vocals came from two Company members who never fail to deliver professional standard performances- Claire singing The Wizard and I from Wicked and Olivia who silenced the audience with I Don’t Know How To Love Him.

With the final ensemble number ‘Never Forget’ raising the roof, the crowd clapped their way off into the night, discussing highlights and favourite numbers from the varied programme.

As ever, the performances helped raise funds for a good cause, with The Dyspraxia Foundation being the worthy beneficiary on this occasion. After the success of the show, there will not be much rest for Roma, Jean and the Company, as they start to rehearse soon for their eagerly awaited next show - Carousel - which will premiere in March 2012. On this evidence, it cannot come around quick enough!

Tessa Wright

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

SHOWTUNE - Celebrating the Words & Music of Jerry Herman

Showtune
Uxbridge Musical Theatre
The Compass Theatre
Wed 25th – 28th November 2009

It is said that there is never an evening when, somewhere in the world, the music and lyrics of Jerry Herman are not being sung by a lady in a red headdress, or a lady with a bugle, or a middle-aged man in a wig and a feather boa.

Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage are home to some of the most popular, most-often performed and most successful musical heroines of all time, and have given Jerry Herman the distinction of being the only composer-lyricist in history to have had three musicals that ran more than 1,500 consecutive performances on Broadway.

Showtune premiered as the cabaret revue ‘Tune the Grand Up’ in 1985 in San Francisco. Subsequently, the revue was produced in London in 1998 with a new title 'The Best of Times', first at the Bridewell Theatre and then at the Vaudeville Theatre on the West End. In 2003, the revue, now titled 'Showtune', opened Off-Broadway at the Theatre at St. Peter’s Church, at the Citicorp Center.

The show starts by taking us through the seasons of love, and then returns with optimism to close the first half. We then moved into the movie world of Mack and Mabel with the emotional roller coaster continuing to include all of Jerry Herman’s shows.

The company, with only ten performers negotiated over forty musical numbers, an impressive achievement by any standards. The shows director, Carol Williams, also performed many of the numbers displaying her superb soprano voice; Carol certainly knows how to deliver a song. These numbers from Mame, Hello Dolly and La Cage aux Folles were written for a performer of Carol's quality. There were good vocals also from Rick Williams and Phil Harrison and a lovely touch of comedy from Phil again with Alan Anders in ‘A Little more Mascara’ from La Cage.

For a show with so many songs I would have liked to see more variety in the presentation, a little more movement, dynamism and excitement. Some of the numbers were delivered with deadpan expressions and very little animation. I would also liked to have seen more from the youngest member of the company, Juliet Hickman who when given a rare solo number really shone.

Congratulations to all concerned, to Derek Holland for musical direction and leading the band throughout the evening and the many people who work un-sung behind the scenes. Uxbridge Musical Theatre will be at Iver Village Hall on 22nd May 2010 for their next evening of music and back at the Compass next November. More information can be found at their website www.umtheatre.co.uk

Simon Tidball

The Sleeping Beauty

Argosy Players
15th - 18th January 2009
at the Winston Churchill Hall

This year’s Argosy pantomime, “The Sleeping Beauty”, has to rank as one of the best and most enjoyable pantomimes I have seen! Brilliantly directed by Tom Mackriell and Sally Munday, this was a production that really did have something for everyone.


The gags came thick and fast, the up-beat musical numbers were a perfect balance to the action, and there were none of those over-long slushy prince/princess songs that get the kids fidgeting and asking how much longer there is to go. A good test of the quality of a pantomime is whether a high level of audience participation can be maintained throughout, and in this show the whole audience, adults and children, were loudly and enthusiastically involved from start to finish.

The strength of the innovative script was that it was written by long-established pantomime star Nigel Ellacott, and no one could know better what works and what doesn’t. Add to that some inspirational directorial touches, and what you have is a winner. Just one example. Anyone who goes to a panto is familiar with the ghost in the forest “It’s Behind You!” routine, but in this production just the addition of some very clever direction lifted the scene to new heights.

All credit must also go the talented cast. Anne Robinson would have been out of place at this show, because there were no weakest links. Just right in the title role as the innocent Princess Aurora was Eirlys Roff, who was perfectly matched with Prince Rupert, played by Samir Sherriff. Their “You’re So Lovely” musical number was a highlight. Samir also put on a magnificent display of vanity, and greeted every wolf-whistle with a simple “I know”.

I was very impressed by the confident and polished performance from Sam Webb, who played Muddles, and who immediately set up an enthusiastic rapport with the audience. Newcomer Mandy Gasson was great as the rather inept Fairy Godmother, as was young Shannon Stroud, who played her sidekick Fairy Clover. There were also excellent performances from Yvonne Stroud, who cackled hideously as the evil Maleficent, and Vinay Lad as her assistant Fungi (pronounced “Fun Guy”). And no pantomime would be complete without a Dame, in this case Stoo Gill as Dame Dolly.

The main players were supported by other fine performers, whom space unfortunately prevents me from listing, as well as a number of younger members of cast, but I must mention one of the dancers, Helen Gamble, who, along with Sam Webb, had done all the simple and effective choreography. The lively musical numbers were accompanied by a group of excellent musicians under the direction of Andrew Cowburn. To sum up, this was a very entertaining production. There wasn’t a dull moment.

The Argosy Players are not just about performing, but have an extensive social programme as well, and are always looking for new recruits. Find out more online at www.argosyplayers.org.uk. They will be back with “Cold Comfort Farm” at the Compass Theatre from 13th - 16th May 2009.

Frank Long

Kindertransport

Kindertransport, by Diane Samuels
Oaklands Drama Group
25th - 28th February 2009
at Ruislip-Northwood Liberal Synagogue

Shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War, and following the “Kristallnacht” atrocities perpetuated against German Jews, the British government was persuaded to offer temporary sanctuary to 10,000 endangered Jewish children from Europe. The rescue mission, known as Kindertransport, saw thousands of unaccompanied children, up to the age of 17, being placed in British homes, hostels and farms. Less than a year later many of the German-born youngsters found themselves interned as enemy aliens. Hardly any of these children ever saw their natural parents again, as most of them were victims of the Nazi regime. Not only were these children separated from their parents and homes, and brought to a country where they could not even speak the language, but also for many of them there was a legacy of severe and lifelong psychological trauma.

This is the background to the drama “Kinderstransport” by Diane Samuels. It is the story of Eva, the 10-year old daughter of a German/Jewish family living in Hamburg, who experiences an onslaught of conflicting emotions as she grows up to become a woman in northern England. Her sadness at being torn from her close-knit family clashes with the betrayal she feels when her natural parents fail to make it to Britain to join her. Her anguish at discovering that her parents died in a concentration camp is replaced by a cold bitterness when she is finally reunited with her mother, who just about survived. Opting to stay with her adoptive mother, Eva renounces her Judaism, has herself baptised into the Church of England, and changes her name to the more English-sounding Evelyn.

Seen first as a middle-aged mother, Evelyn, played here by Marsha Myers, is on the surface dismissive of her past, shrugging it off as though it is of no consequence, but as the veneer is gradually peered away under the interrogation of her daughter Faith, all the conflicts and anguish rise to the surface. These include guilt, anger, betrayal, and ultimately a disgust for having survived when so many died. Marsha Myers gave a fine performance as Evelyn, a woman tortured by the ghosts of her past, while Suzi Becker, as Faith, effectively portrayed the fury of a girl who discovers that her mother’s version of her past has been a lie, but who eventually comes to terms with reality, and finds forgiveness and resolution.

Hannah Lester played Helga, Eva’s natural mother, and Ingrid Squires played Lil, her adoptive mother in Britain, two women who could not have been more different. Both actresses gave excellent and moving performances, the former conveying the anguish of a mother who knows she may never see her child again, and the latter epitomising the typical northern housewife of early Coronation Street, a rough diamond with a heart of gold. As the teenage Eva, Alexandra Moran expressed cold brutality as she rejected the mother who had barely survived the Holocaust and then searched Europe for her lost daughter. A sinister non-speaking figure, always present on stage, was the Ratcatcher, a character based on the Pied Piper, played by Mark Davidson. His exaggerated expressions reminded me of a silent movie actor, whose function, I thought, was to amplify the emotions often being concealed by the main characters.

The outstanding performance of this Oaklands Drama Group production came from 13-year old Lily Unerman, in her debut performance, as Young Eva. She was the lynchpin of the play, linking scenes set in pre-war Germany and wartime Britain, playing Young Eva as a sweet, innocent girl, wracked by emotion as she is uprooted from everything she ever knew. Not only did young Lily act superbly, but she also spoke excellent German, which she had to learn especially for this role.

This was a gripping and emotional production, expertly directed by Debbie Unerman, and performed on an intriguingly devised set, designed by John Baderman, which doubled, without hindering the flow of the action, as both Germany and England. The Oaklands Drama Group is always keen to recruit new members, regardless of age or experience. Contact mummyu@hotmail.co.uk for more details.

Frank Long

Broken Glass by Arthur Miller

Proscenium
21st - 24th January 2009
at the Compass Theatre

Arthur Miller (1915-2005) was a prominent Jewish-American playwright, a winner of the Pullitzer Prize, and is probably just as well known for having married Marilyn Monroe in 1956. He was a young man in November 1938, when a state co-ordinated pogrom against Germany’s Jewish community resulted in multiple deaths and an orgy of abuse and destruction. This has since come to be regarded as the beginning of the Holocaust. It was called “Kristallnacht” (“Night of Broken Glass”), and provided Arthur Miller with the title of this play, written 56 years later in 1994.

The play is the story of Phillip and Sylvia Gellburg, a Jewish couple living in New York at the time of “Kristallnacht”. On the face of things, it appears that Sylvia has been so traumatised by media reports of elderly Jews being forced to clean the gutters of Berlin with toothbrushes that she has spontaneously become paralysed from the waist down. Dr. Harry Hyman is called in, but can find no physical cause for Sylvia’s paralysis, concluding that her problem is psychosomatic.

Sylvia’s main problem is, in fact, her prickly and inhibited husband Phillip, a complicated businessman who is both proud of, and embarrassed by, his Jewish heritage. While his love for Sylvia seems genuine enough, he dominates and represses his wife. Throughout the play Dr. Hyman learns more and more about Sylvia’s personal life, from Sylvia herself, from her sister Harriet, and even from his own wife who, on first meeting Phillip, accurately sums him up as a “miserable little pisser”. It’s when the doctor/patient relationship becomes too intense, and Phillip’s impotence is revealed, that the sparks really begin to fly.

As tensions mount unbearably Phillip suffers a heart attack which ultimately kills him. At the moment of his death he cries out “Sylvia, forgive me”, whereupon she rises from her wheelchair and walks to the bed on which his body lies. At that point the play ends.

In “Broken Glass” Miller is mirroring Sylvia’s situation with events taking place in Germany. Sylvia’s paralysis is a symbol of the paralysis being shown by America, even its Jewish community, in recognising the evils of Hitler and the Nazis. The play also deals with the traumas thrown up by peoples’ inability to communicate, or to overcome their own repressions. With the exception of the outspoken Mrs. Hyman, the characters are unable to speak about what they truly feel. For them public and personal denial, along with wrongly placed loyalty to one’s family or religion, are apparently more important. In this play’s case, such fear can literally cripple your life.

Directed by Anne Gerrard, this was another superb production from Proscenium. Within minutes I had forgotten that the six outstanding members of the cast were actors, so powerful were their portrayals of the characters. For two hours they were the Gellburgs and the Hymans, in a performance that was a flawless and completely absorbing tour de force. Duncan Sykes, in the challenging role of Phillip Gellburg, prowled the stage like a caged animal, becoming increasingly demented as his world fell apart and all his flaws were exposed. Angie Sutherland, as Sylvia, came across as a woman who had everything except the one thing she needed most - love, both physical and emotional.

Anton Jungreuthmayer played Dr. Harry Hyman, effectively conveying to the audience his struggle to retain his professionalism, while Sheila Harvey, as the down-to-earth Margaret Hyman, provided some lighter moments, very much needed in a play bursting at the seams with so much angst. Lynette Shanbury played Harriet, Sylvia’s sister, struggling to be loyal while reluctantly revealing some of the skeletons in the family cupboard. David Pearson played Phillip’s boss, Stanton Case, the unpleasant face of American capitalism, and representative of the attitude to Jews so prevalent at the time.

Proscenium are back at The Compass Theatre from 25th - 28th March with Shakespeare’s “Anthony and Cleopatra”, an event not to be missed! Find out more about Proscenium at www.proscenium.org.uk.

Frank Long