PRIVATE RESISTANCE

PRIVATE RESISTANCE

Eastern Angles

at The William Loveless Hall, Wivenhoe

18.02.12

Still standing, resolutely confronting the invader from the East, pill boxes all across East Anglia. But facing the wrong way, it turned out, when the barge-borne Nazi invasion finally came from the Southern ports.

At least that's the alternative future graphically portrayed in Ivan Cutting's new play for Eastern Angles, now embarked on its region-wide tour.

Private Resistance tells the story of the Auxiliary Units, small bands of local men [and boys] who would harass the foe from within, slowing the advance of Operation Sealion, keeping Britain fighting while we waited for the Yanks to finish off Pacific business and ride to our rescue.

Civilians, meanwhile, were exhorted to Keep Calm and Carry On, by a poster now ubiquitous. But there were two other slogans, also printed against the possibility of invasion, of which "Freedom Is In Peril, Defend It With All Your Might" is used in Fabrice Serafino's ingenious set design.

This very British guerilla warfare, and the stresses of the Home Front, are cleverly combined in the story of an unconventional extended family. Young Wilf [Fred Lancaster], keen on cricket and cycling, motherless, his father at the front, lives with his aunt [Frances Marshall] whose doctor husband is a POW. Her brother-in-law [Matt Addis] will be the commander of the Unit, and recruits the local gamekeeper [Phil Pritchard]. The war brings two outsiders to the village – Prue [Bishanyia Vincent] a young ATS girl, and Alan, a freedom fighter from up north [Pritchard again] who will galvanize sleepy Suffolk for the May uprising of 1943.

The narrative cleverly combines history with conjecture – the cattle trucks from Manchester to Harwich, the Government in Canadian exile, a Vichy independence for Scotland. And details add authenticity – the John Bull printing outfit, the vintage cricket bat, the crystal set. The costumes, too, had a period precision – the schoolboy, the Land Girl, the revolutionary.

Naomi Jones's engaging production tracks the developing characters as the calendar pages turn, with some wonderfully moving moments – the two women giggling at their first encounter, and much later dancing the Beguine. And the pacy panic as uniforms are burnt, the BBC goes off the air [later to re-surface as Free BBC in Manchester], and church bells toll the invasion. Perhaps most effective of all, the six characters recalling their last moments, with evocative word pictures of wheat fields and the wide Suffolk sky.

But as the characters observe, it's often looks rather than words that convey our feelings, and it's not always Jerry, it's sometimes us – heartlessly handing over refugees, for instance. But who's to say how we might have acted, in this alternative England, with the enemy at our door.

This gripping drama is an ideal vehicle for sharing a little-known chapter of our history, Churchill's underground units which were never spoken of, even fifty years later. Not many of those resistance fighters, who stood ready in 1940, survive now; soon the few remaining Operational Bases and the pill boxes will be the only witnesses to this very secret war.

production photograph by Mike Kwasniak

MAN AND BOY

MAN AND BOY

Chelmsford Theatre Workshop

at The Old Court

10.02.12

A stylish post-script to the Rattigan centenary season, Mike Nower's Man and Boy was one of the most consistently accomplished productions I've seen on this stage.

The split set – boldly imagined and skilfully realised – had real stairs down to the basement, allowing us to glimpse film noir shadows of the characters as they arrive and leave.

Memorable stage pictures, too. The troubled Basil [James Christie] sitting in the window, and the opening moment, with Carol [Amanda Drury] en déshabillé in his bed.

Both of these young actors gave pitch-perfect performances. Christie's eloquent features, his body language, brought out the agony of the Boy who cannot help worshipping his father, despite everything, crumpling as he ties his tie, sobbing with his back to us. And Drury's young American, elegant but vulnerable, sounded superbly convincing.

Not all the accents were as assured as hers, but all the performances were thoughtful and intelligent, and the actors worked wonderfully well together, in a tawdry tragedy, a web of intrigue involving finance and family, deviancy and death. David Hawkes was Gregor, the mogul "mystery man of Europe", effortlessly dominating the stage, but perhaps most effective as he sees the chickens coming home to roost. His "Crown Prince" henchman was a genial, menacing Robin Winder. Herries, as played by Terry Cole, seemed more of a Harvard jock than a pink-faced pederast with literary leanings; his hysterical young accountant was played for all he was worth by Tony Ellis – a textbook character exploration. And Catherine Kenton brilliantly suggested the complexities of the secretary turned Countess.

All the interactions were masterfully explored – not least the various farewells which close this compelling drama.

ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

ON THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

Billericay Operatic Society

at Brentwood Theatre

11.02.12

Sixteen hours, and a crazy back-stage drama is played out on a state-of-the-art train. That's 'On The Twentieth Century', Comden and Green's warm and witty look back at the Thirties, with Cy Coleman's music recalling everything from operetta to the silent movies. [MD for this show was Derrick Thompson.]

A very enjoyable performance of a rarely-seen show in the tiny Brentwood space, the train represented by newsreel clips and two ingenious, if not especially glamorous, trucks.

Wayne Carpenter's production used the large cast to excellent effect, in the duets, quartets and ensembles that drive the implausible plot forward. Every single performer radiated energy and enthusiasm, for instance in "Together", eagerly anticipating sharing a journey with a superstar. Other stand-out numbers were the Indian Love Call pastiche, the infectious title song, the stylish Legacy and the OTT Veronique, allegedly Lily's first hit [and fairly blatantly ripped off from Brel's Madeleine of 1962].

Carpenter himself was the Little Corporal, the impresario whose career is on the line, and the girl he plucks from the Bronx to be Lily Garland was Fiona Whittaker, bringing her impressive vocal skills to a demanding role. Staunch support from his henchmen, Trevor Lowman and Matthew Carpenter, in the face of enemies Bruce Granit [Brian Plumb], the "two-bit ham hock" who's Lily's leading man, and upstart rival Max Jacobs [an amusingly youthful Simon Johnson]. And Gail Carpenter made the most of the religious maniac, urging everyone to "Repent" and gaily stickering the audience.

LITTLE BELTER

LITTLE BELTER

Elouise at the Civic Theatre

11.02.12

A value-lines Little Voice ? Elouise herself is down-to-earth about her talents: "I sing very loudly in an array of fabulous frocks...". And very well, too, delivering the best of the divas [Judy, Donna, Barbra …] with power and enthusiasm.

The arrangements [MD Steve Anderson] were lush, if sometimes overblown, making the Little Belter sound underpowered. The stage show, with three musicians and four very versatile dancers, was sometimes over the top, camp or kitsch, though I liked the dressing-room introduction, lightbulbs round the mirror, with its photo of Garland.

The chat fell somewhat flat, scripted and stilted reminiscence from this bubbly, giggly chanteuse. We saw her home movies, heard about her career path through cruise ships and Abba Tribute Bands, but mostly it was about the icons and their anthems – Tainted Love, Over the Rainbow, Live and Let Die, and as an encore, Don't Rain on My Parade, with top hats and gold lamé. All given 101% by everyone on stage, for this, the first date in a national tour.

FOOTLOOSE

FOOTLOOSE

WOW!

at Witham Public Hall

14.02.12

Grease and Glee, Fame and Footloose. These are the young people's shows, celebrating joie de vivre with a string of energetic routines.

Footloose, though scarcely a masterpiece, was a canny choice for WOW, and from the opening number it was clear that they had mastered the genre. The crisp, snappy choreography, highlighting groups and individuals, and the sheer power of their movements was exhilarating to watch.

The plot – pitting the world of Mark Twain against the world of Kurt Vonnegut – is paper-thin, but it was well served by some fine dramatic performances and excellent enunciation in the lyrics.

Notably from Jake Davis as Ren, with his easy stage presence, fluent movement and pleasant voice. His final scene with Steve Patient's Pastor, where they share their sense of loss, was movingly done.

But plenty of outstanding work right down the cast list: Josh Reid's dim little Willard, ably partnered by Zoe Rogers as his long-suffering girl, Matilda Bourne as Ariel, torn between her father and her friends, Michael Stewart as the bad-ass Chuck.

It was the ensembles, though, large and small, which really made this show – the hats in the air, the cowboy boots, the cheerleaders, the improvised percussion, the roller-skates – all full of inventive fun. "Mama Says", set in the junk yard, especially enjoyable, I thought.

The lighting [Nigel Northfield], the costumes and the minimalist set all played an important part, too.

Like many musical film spin-offs, the show does suffer from frequent changes of scene. Efficient as they were, the pace and the energy were still too often allowed to drain away in silence.

Fortunately, the stamina of these talented young performers survives, and the protracted finale, with its party frocks, tuxes and customised calls, was just as thrilling as the opening two and a half hours before.

Footloose was directed by Nikki Mundell-Poole, with Gemma Gray; Peter Snell was the excellent MD.