INTO THE WOODS

INTO THE WOODS

L.A.D.S. at The Tractor Shed

26.08.2017

A good summer for Sondheim. Sunday in the Park with George from NYMT earlier this month, Follies at the National next week. And out at Latchingdon, my seventh Into the Woods, staged for the first and probably only time in a barn, with vintage tractors lining the stalls.

It's a popular show with amateur groups, despite the challenges presented by the staging and the score. A further challenge here was the absence of an MD to conduct – the accompaniment is karaoke style, which, to my surprise, works well, even for Sondheim. Though it has to be said that balance and acoustics conspired to rob us of some of his lovely lyrics.

The design had a charmingly naïve simplicity – trees were carried on and off, the birds were suspended from a stick, Granny's little cottage acted cleverly as a screen to spare us the worst of the Wolf's depredations. The garlands of flowers extended onto the apron, a useful acting area where the orchestra pit might have been.

Carole Hart's production combined music and movement to excellent effect, especially in Act Two, where numbers like No One Is Alone and Children Will Listen had a huge emotional impact. The Giant was well suggested by heavy footsteps and falling leaves, the beans by firecrackers. The choreography was by Aimee Hart, who also made a splendid Witch, hook-nosed before her transformation, strikingly elegant thereafter.

Many more first class performances: a lovely Baker's Wife from Carol Richardson, letting her hair down for a tumble with her Prince in the woods, her Baker Matthew Bacon, very strong in the “No More” sequence, Ben Braden's sunny Jack, Yasmin Lisa Sharp's Cinders, Freya Brown's Little Red Riding Hood [“I Know Things Now” very nicely done] and Tasha Gooderham's Rapunzel. There was a good deal of doubling – Cinderella's Prince and the Wolf, as is the custom [an impressive Adam Hart], but less usually Scarlette McSean gave us both Snow White and a particularly emaciated Milky White, and Rapunzel's Prince [Jacob Dawes] was given a Wolf of his own, plus Three Little Pigs as his prey. Notable contributions too from Daniel Tunbridge – striped blazer, panama – as the Narrator, Judi Embling as the wicked Stepmother, and Robin Warnes as a Chekhovian Mysterious Man.

A thought-provoking mix of fairytales – the Grimm and the gory never far away – the ending especially moving, with the stage peopled by the quick and the dead, a stylishly simple routine ending with everyone turning upstage, save for that one wistful “I wish”.  

NOISES OFF

NOISES OFF

LADS at The Tractor Shed, Latchingdon
16.06.16

Michael Frayn's backstage drama is still the best of the Show Goes Wrong genre.
And it's given a welcome revival this week in the unlikely setting of the Latchingdon Tractor Shed, a venue probably not on the OtStar Productions tour list …
A complex set, with all those essential doors, many of them on a raised level; it all spins round to reveal prompt corner and the wings, and is trundled back again, in full view, for the disastrous last act. Bravo !
It's a difficult play, even for the most seasoned pros. We saw the [postponed] first night, which would be the first audience preview, weeks before opening, in the real world. So there were some hiccups and hiatuses.
Nonetheless, much to amuse, and some fine farcical performances: Daniel Tunbridge as the harassed director, and Aimee Hart as the dozy ingénue, catching the style of the Whitehall farce very impressively.
Reliable character support from David Hudson as the whisky-fuelled reprobate Selsdon, and Joan Cooper as Dotty Otley, typecast again as the cheerful char.
Adam Hart makes an athletic Garry, Moir Gunfield gives a lively, confident Belinda, with Alan Elkins her on-stage husband. The “Nothing On” company is completed by Vicci Rayner as the hard-pressed ASM, and Aaron Gardner as the jack-of-all trades Company Manager.

Carole Hart's production, a considerable achievement for a village society, has many enjoyable comedy moments, many of them physical: the tumbles, the wordless wrestling behind the scenes, and the glorious moment when Poppy drops her bombshell at the end of Act Two. “And curtain!”

production photograph: Keith Spencer

THE LADYKILLERS

THE LADYKILLERS

LADS at The Tractor Shed

25.03.2015

As LADS opened their Ealing comedy, there were Ladykillers on the box, too. Turned out to be female pest control experts …

As fans of the 50s film will know, the vermin here are a pseudo string quartet who plan a heist from a room rented to them by an innocent little old lady.

LADS' production, produced and directed by Carole Hart, boasts a splendid set, with chez Wilberforce spaciously suggested, and a spare room – a little cramped, even for chamber music – which revolves impressively to reveal the roof outside the window.

This ingenious version by Graham Linehan [a recent success in the West End] is packed with gags, often physical, and a colourful cast of characters.  There's steam from the passing trains, a lethally long scarf, the criminals tumbling from the cupboard.

The brains behind the gang, “Professor” Marcus – the Alec Guinness role – is played with fine comic style by Daniel Tonbridge. His motley crew are Robin Warnes as geriatric cross-dresser and con-man Major Courtney, Keith Spencer unfailingly amusing as the slow-witted ex-boxer Mr Lawson - his demise particularly impressive, Alan Elkins as the vicious Louie, and Adam Hart excellent as the pill-popping teddy-boy.

Mrs Wilberforce, landlady to the mob and police time-waster, is played by Joan Cooper, convincingly clueless, in a wig that is terrible even by am-dram standards.

The fun could have been a little faster, with a touch more confidence in some performances, but nonetheless a laudable attempt at a challenging theatrical style. It's all “rather fantastical” [as David Hudson's weary copper has it] but most enjoyable – an affectionate tribute to a much-loved movie.

GUYS AND DOLLS

GUYS AND DOLLS

LADS at the Tractor Shed, Latchindon

15.11.2014

Mary Redman was there at the final performance:

Guys And Dolls is one of the 20^th Century's greatest musicals, up alongside Oklahoma, Carousel and West Side Story in the sense that they were game changers which altered how audiences perceived and enjoyed, not only the excellent music, but also the very different stories of American life in varied settings. And if you don't believe me, Bob Fosse the top banana of Broadway choreographers thought so too.

In taking journalist Damon Runyon's hilarious tales of Broadway gamblers and sharpsters plus their dolls and molls, musician and lyricist Frank Loesser created one of the most difficult sings in musical theatre yet they were melodies that are unforgettable and catchy.

LADS had a full house for their last night performance which fortunately also included Peter Jones the inspirational original director and designer of the group. With a track record stretching back to the Fifties, Peter has been unwell, but was looking so much better and lively in his rockabilly outfit of checked shirt and braces.

I've referred to the difficulty of singing this music but whenever the chorus was involved this was heartfelt and strong under the direction of MD James Tovey and his spirited band. For show stopper Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat by Nicely Nicely Johnson (Gavin Rouse) any vocal deficiency was covered by the chorus. He was joined by Alan Elkins as Benny Southstreet, Josh Oxley as Rusty Charlie, David Hudson's Harry the Horse and Daniel Tunbridge as Angie the Ox as the rest of the gang. David Bateman made a good Nathan Detroit, highlighting his naughty boy character. Unfortunately, I have to say that Ben Braden wasn't an ideal Sky Masterson since his singing was often off-key and his acting a bit diffident and lacking power.

The women's cast was much more assured with Aimee Hart as a delightful Sarah Brown the Mission Gal and Jamie-Leigh Royan as a highly glamorous Miss Adelaide. Both of them could sing and really did justice to numbers such as If I Were A Bell and Adelaide's Lament.

Simply staged - cutting out some of the Cuban scenes - by director Gavin Rouse with choreography by Vicky Bird and costumes by Kath Lang's team, this was an entertaining evening of musical theatre.

SHOW HITS 2014

SHOW HITS 2014

LADS at the Tractor Shed, Latchingdon

27.08.2014

A broad definition of “hits”, and of “show” in this frequently entertaining miscellany. From Stratford East to the West End to Broadway and Hollywood, from music halls to vaudeville

“Some Magic To Do” - from the recently-revived Pippin - makes a promising curtain-raiser, with jugglers and unicycles, and the finale, surely a first, has Spamalot segue into Hair, with happy hippies letting the sunshine in to the Tractor Shed.

Many gems and curiosities along the way: Stanley Holloway's Battle of Hastings, delivered deadpan by an E L Wisty lookalike, and Abbott and Costello's classic 50 Dollars cross-talk sketch, which will doubtless be even slicker come Saturday night, and a delightful soft-shoe Me And My Shadow.

The Great American Musical is well represented: Too Darn Hot, nicely jivey, If Momma Was Married [from Gipsy], Somewhere That's Green [from Little Shop] and an outstanding Miss Adelaide from Guys and Dolls, which just happens to be LADS' next big show in November.

Other musical highlights – Just A Bowl of Cherries [belted out like Liza], That's Life, and an amazing found-percussion sequence.

Dance numbers [ably choreographed by Vicki Bird and Aimee Hart] include Jailhouse Rock, Electricity and a brilliant Bye Bye Blackbird.

Some very tiny performers in the Somewhere Out There medley from children's movies, and, a highlight of Act One, a string of songs from the Great War, linked by original dialogue in a moving musical tribute to the fallen, produced and directed by Judi Embling.

This year's Show Hits is produced by Michelle Kuta, who directed it with Aimee Hart, assisted by Carole Hart. James Tovey is in charge of the music.

HABEAS CORPUS

HABEAS CORPUS

Latchingdon Arts and Drama Society at the Tractor Shed

18.06.2014

Not for the first time, it's off to Latchingdon to see Habeas Corpus, one of the best plays by my favourite writer.

Alan Bennett's philosophical farce is a challenge for any group, not least because there is so much for the actors to do, and for the audience to appreciate. The jokes and the references come thick and fast; timing is crucial.

Even on opening night, LADS managed a creditable pace, and kept the thinnish crowd audibly amused. Gavin Rouse's affectionate production had many delightful touches: the telephones handed on from the wings [with the hands included in the cleverly choreographed curtain call], the surreal dancing with chairs in the closing moments, the follow spot, and the pop-up scenery [“set the scene and see the set-up”] reminiscent of Latchingdon in its glory days.

He was helped by a strong cast of comedy actors.

Keith Spencer certainly looked the part of the old-fashioned General Practitioner from Hove. I am sure that his confidence and comic timing will have increased as the run went on. But many opportunities were missed [no attempt to convey the subtext of the “a little run down” speech]. He was good, though, in his Brighton Pier sequences [Bennett would be bemused, or possibly incensed, to hear his verse bowdlerized] and the Our World speech.

Eileen Judd was his frustrated wife – elocution her strong point - Carole Hart his flat-chested spinster sister. Nice work from Adam Hart, in his awful specs, as Dennis/Trevor/Leonard and Aimee Hart as the lovely Felicity. Gill Bridle was outstanding as the old colonial lady, commanding the stage and never missing a trick. Greek Chorus Amelia Swabb was superbly done, with Hoover and feather duster, by Joan Cooper. Denzil Shanks, with his fluttering hands, was David Hudson, Canon Throbbing, on his bike, was Alan Elkins. LADS veteran Robin Warnes lost inches to play a convincing Sir Percy, and Bill Wright was the unfortunate Mr Purdue.

Some black holes in the lighting plot meant that crucial asides, especially stage right, tended to be lost; the black curtains in the doorways were a distraction. I wasn't convinced by the Instamatic. I wanted to see the Rubens [helps to get the Apollo Space Missions laugh]. And I was sorry that the Hammond organ we heard at the opening wasn't used more often.

Tiny niggles, these, for the most part, born out of an unhealthily close acquaintance with the play – producer once, MD once, audience countless times, from Guinness on. This was a thoroughly enjoyable romp, boldly and stylishly done by the legendary LADS.

BLITHE SPIRIT

BLITHE SPIRIT
Latchingdon Arts and Drama Society
The Tractor Shed Theatre
Latchingdon


Mary Redman was at The Tractor Shed:

Well at least we didn't have to go up to London to see a revival of Noel Coward's comedy which he dashed off with great speed in the dark days of the Second World War. Just out into the backwoods of the Essex Marshes.
Swing music provided on record by either Victor Sylvester or a near relation set the period scene as the curtain went up on Alan Elkins's luxurious set with its comfortable, overstuffed furniture, radiogram, plentiful ornaments, paintings and a grandmother clock permanently stopped at ten past four.
In an age when additional alcohol preferably in the form of a cocktail was the cure for anything that ailed you, adoring and over speedy maid Edith was played by Michelle Kuta. Ann-Marie Stephens as Ruth second wife of widower Charles Condomine attempted to restrain her enthusiasm. This Ruth was apparently of the correct social class and reserved where Charles' first wife Elvira had been mischievous and less inhibited according to the script. It was unfortunate that Ann-Marie wasn't rock steady on her lines. By contrast Carole Hart's Elvira was impish, vindictive and thoroughly naughty with clear delivery of her lines.  
An elegant Dan Tunbridge had the appropriately relaxed and bemused manner for Charles a writer researching ESP by inviting outlandish medium Madame Arcati to dine with them and Robin Warnes in dignified mode as local Doctor Bradman and Pam Burton as his giggly wife.
Nor did we need the services of an ageing Angela Lansbury reimported from America to play the actress-friendly role of Madame Arcati because Cathy Hallam tackled the role head on from her first entrance and was clearly having a whale of time in the process. Clad in exotic silken robes impossible to describe, she strode around the stage with her voice swooping here, hovering there and booming when excited. Which frequently happened.
One of the drawbacks to Alan Elkins' (assisted by Arthur Barton) production was the underprojection by most of the cast which was not helped by a very slow delivery that meant Coward's many witty lines didn't make the impact they should have done. I know the script well and even then couldn't make out what was being said especially when the action moved upstage to the sofa. 
Lighting was by Sean Sullivan and Matt Refell and while the front of the stage was well lit it appeared that the lighting had been set while people were sitting down. There were great pools of grey making facial expressions difficult to read.
Costumes of the 1940s by Aimee Hart were somewhat let down by small but vital details with the maid having deliberate strands of hair hanging down her face while wearing footless tights and Mrs Bradman's 21st Century loose updo which ought to have been a tight chignon. And a proudly 1970s' coffee set with large cups made its appearance after dinner.
Graham Farrell's sound included the cuckoo calling through the open window and Always on the radiogram.
As is usual with this play Stage Management were in their element at the end with pictures, ornaments and all manner of things flying about as a manifestation of Elvira, Ruth and the Maid's anger. Even the stopped clock fell apart.

LADS' Founder Director Peter Jones continues to make good progress in hospital and should be home soon.

[pictured: the cast in rehearsal]

SHOW HITS 2013

SHOW HITS 2013

LADS at the Tractor Shed

27.08.13

This celebration of twenty-five years of Show Hits begins with a touch of the feather duster, and a rumbustious tap-dancing Time Warp [from The Rocky Horror Show]. Fittingly, the eclectic offerings include a handful of favourites from years past, as well as plenty of new work.

For Show Hits has grown over the years, and now manages to encompass contemporary dance, mime [an inventive, complex two-hander with a twist, to Jacko's Man in the Mirror, impeccably done by Aden Gardner and Dani Hoad] a comedy sketch, and even an old novelty song from the Music Hall, The Sardine and The Sprat, revived to great acclaim by LADS veteran Robin Warnes.

But of course the meat of the miscellany still comes from the musical theatre, even if some of the numbers, like Michael Bruce's subversively naughty Portrait of a Princess [Aimee Hart] are still looking for a show.

Amongst many stand-out solos, Evie Brown, with perfect Julie Andrews vowels, in I Could Have Danced All Night, Aimee in I'm Not Afraid Of Anything, and Vicki Cumbers bringing a strong voice and dramatic presence to I Dreamed A Dream.

Excellent ensemble work in the production numbers, choreographed by Vicki Bird, assisted by Aimee Hart and Alice Tickner. The chorus is imaginatively used in Superstar [though to be honest, under lights few performers are flattered by a white top], boundless energy in a clever Travolta pairing – We Go Together and You Can't Stop The Beat, and superb performances in Bernstein's America – great frocks, strong voices and a dynamic staging powered by the upstage band, directed by Kris Rawlinson, who has brought so much to Latchingdon over the past few years. Nice to hear some polished choral singing, too – Seasons of Love [from Rent] especially.

The youngsters, who will of course provide talent for LADS over the next quarter century, have their moment of glory with numbers from Lion King, Wizard of Oz, Beauty and the Beast [Carole Hart the teapot here] and High School Musical.

The show ends on a high, with Dirty Dancing [complete with lifts!] and an electric Let The Sun Shine In for the finale and the curtain calls.

Star Hits 2013 is directed by Cathy Hallam, Mandi Tickner and Kris Rawlinson.

production photograph by John Strange

VISITING HOUR

VISITING HOUR

Latchingdon Arts and Drama Society at The Tractor Shed

23.03.13

Richard Harris [no, not him, the other one] has a long pedigree of scripts for telly, plus a couple of popular hits for the stage.

Visiting Hour [1990] is a lesser work, a sequence of six scenes set in a hospital ward. From The National Health to Our Boys, it's a potent metaphor for the wider world.

LADS' production boasted a lovely ward in two-tone green; real beds too.

Not well lit, with much of the area in shadow. The transitions were smoothly handled, with curtains drawn round beds, the visiting bell and the beep of cardiac monitors.

The writing, and the acting, were patchy. Two of the pieces are monologues. Carole Hart coped well with Keeping Mum: a little bedside housekeeping, a few home truths and then a darker dénouement as her marriage breaks up and she is chillingly revealed as a serial, compulsive hospital visitor.

The other monologue, which had very little to do with the rest of the scenes, saw Robin Warnes' Mr Archer sharing a lifetime of memories and snatches of song with no-one in particular, his only visitors two ghosts from the past.

Lighter moments elsewhere, with Gill Bridle confronting her paralysed husband with the farcical infidelity that led to his accident. Bill Wright was excellent as the unfailingly cheerful Mr Darbon, bemoaning the dearth of Ronnie Ronalde on his hospital headphones. He's the unwitting star of a transplant documentary, made by his media-whore of a surgeon and a comically camp crew.

Going Home saw Tricia and Cheryl, stewed prunes and apple tart, recovering from hysterectomies while the voice of doom and the busybody pass through the ward. It did boast one of the few laugh-aloud lines of the evening: "Monday she loses her womb; Friday they take all her furniture."

And the slightly surreal last scene – Magic – was enlivened by Keith Spencer's amateur magician and Holly Hallam's Sandra, feeding the payphone with 10p pieces in a vain attempt to rescue a relationship.

By their nature, these scenes are static. Director Arthur Barton moved his actors as much as plausible, and sometimes more, but there were still some dreary longueurs, punctuated sporadically by interesting, touching or amusing moments. Much like life on the ward, I suspect.

SEASON'S GREETINGS

SEASON'S GREETINGS

LADS at the Tractor Shed, Latchingdon

17.11.12

A real church choir carolling in the foyer, but that's about as far as peace and goodwill go in Ayckbourn's classic Christmas comedy, revived by LADS in the Tractor Shed.

It's done, if not in the round, then at least on the floor, as the playwright intended, with a nice set including a landing, with bedrooms off, and the dining room and lounge right under the audiences noses. It obviously proved a bugger to light, though; the hall was often in total darkness, for instance – a scene played in the dark should not mean a scene with no lighting whatever.

The festive season often throws families together, causing tension, tempers and drunken tears. Here, we have Neville [Daniel Tunbridge] and his bright young wife Belinda [Jamie-Leigh Royan]. Into their suburban home come childless doctor Bernard [a nicely fussy performance from Robin Warnes] and his dypso wife Phyllis [Eileen Judd]. And ex-colleague Eddie [David Hudson], with Pattie, his heavily pregnant wife [a convincing sense of desperation from Carole Hart]. Here's Bel's spinster sister, with her duffle coat and lisle stockings [Vicky Melhuish] who's picked up an author at her book group – Alan Elkins making an intense, bemused Clive.

And, discovered in front of the TV watching a seasonal action movie, is Uncle Harvey, excellently characterised by Keith Spencer.

There were some very amusing scenes, like the drumming bear in the farcical close to Act One, or the awkward encounter between Belinda and Clive. And, of course, the priceless puppet show, with Bernard increasingly frustrated by his incompetent stage-crew, and a cynical Harvey the chief critic at the dress rehearsal.

But I was left with the feeling that there was more to the play than we were getting – not all of the actors explored the depth of their character – like all of Ayckbourn's work, the farce and the fun are only the surface …

Season's Greetings was directed, as it was in the Village Hall back in '85, by Gavin Rouse. It was good to be down with the action – we could almost have handed Bernard his Third Pig – feeling as cosy as one can in a vast agricultural outbuilding.

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS

LADS at the Tractor Shed Theatre, Latchingdon

15.06.12

production photo:
Keith Williams Photography

An unlikely hit musical, Little Shop, and its creepy ending is unrelieved by irony or imagination in the equally unlikely setting of the Tractor Shed.

But Kris Rawlinson gives it a high-octane outing, with a brilliant band and the best Audrey II [that's the strange and unusual plant] I've seen, voiced by Jon Greaves [a raw, rasping Feed Me] and constructed by LADS' own enterprising engineers. The glove puppet is nicely malevolent, while the voracious last incarnation takes up most of the little shop, but does a great job of gobbling up its victims, with just the feet dangling from its fangs.

The humans do their best not to be upstaged by the vegetation: Dan Bavin as the sadistic Orin, doing a very scary dentist chair routine, Alan Elkins as the shopkeeper, coming into his own in Be My Son, and Lani Calvert as the wistful Audrey.

Sam Toland excels as the clumsy Seymour – his geeky boyish charm is absolutely right, and the moment when he lets his feelings have full rein is a highlight of the show, his gauche, warm, affectionate Suddenly Seymour.

The vocal trio [Aimee Hart, Jamie-Leigh Royan and Liz Pilgrim] boasts some superb voices, and the sound picture is often very impressive, though the acoustic is kinder to the band than to the voices. Lighting is less professional, I felt, with actors often left in shadow for key moments.

Kris Rawlinson directed as well as being MD and playing lead keyboard. Vicki Bird provided some lovely period choreography, and the show was produced by Peter Jones.

SHOW HITS 2011

SHOW HITS 2011

LADS at the Tractor Shed
31.08.11


How did a redundant tractor shed attract a talented company of younsters to spend their summer nights preparing a very enjoyable, and highly professional, variety show of songs [and dances] from the musical stage ?

Well, that's a story for another day. Suffice it to say that Show Hits 2011 was a fast-paced, slick sequence which never lost energy or style.

It began with a generous helping of Sister Act, with a very lively Deloris, and some impressive chorus work.

And ended with the Queen fans' juke-box musical, We Will Rock You, with familiar numbers [though not alas Bohemian Rhapsody] belted out with enthusiasm and a great rock backing.

In between we had two lovingly revived “Gerald Wiley” monologues off the box, a very stylish title number from Cabaret, and the Waltz duet from Sweeney Todd, which honesty compels me to say was the only performance where all the words were audible. Not to mention brief encounters with Rent, Wicked, Legally Blonde and Glee, and a commendably simple sequence from Glee: the a cappella ending to Say A Little Prayer was a musical highlight.

The sixteen-piece orchestra – the envy of many a West End pit these days, and maybe a tad over-powered for this acoustic and these vocal forces – was directed by the prodigiously talented Kris Rawlinson, who also managed to appear in two numbers, including Shrek in a green mask of his own making …

The younger performers – some cute Cockney tots here – got a chance to shine in a medley from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, which featured a brilliant knees-up number [Ol' Bamboo] and the car itself, magnificently recreated by Frank Burgess. We're promised a period cab for Pygmalion, LADS' next show...

Show Hits 2011 was directed by Cathy Hallam, with Mandi Tickner, and choreography by Vicki Bird.

SHOW HITS 2010

Latchingdon Arts and Drama Society at The Tractor Shed

03.09.10

No “auto-tune” in evidence here – and only the most rudimentary sound re-inforcement.

The “strange journey” through the musical comedy canon began with Rocky Horror – lively gothy punks tapping and Time-Warping.

We also visited Fame, Footloose, Funny Girl and the Fandango Ballroom for a nice sequence from Sweet Charity, including smoke and silhouettes for Big Spender, an excellent Something Better trio and a hippy Sixties Rhythm of Life. A welcome drop of nostalgia with Bosom Buddies [from Mame], but also bang up-to-date with Legally Blonde – pink divas squealing Omigod You Guys – and Avenue Q, featuring some very impressive puppets and a cameo from the show's tireless MD Kris Rawlinson.

In the first half we had Dorothy and some cute Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz, and in the second, the phenomenally successful Wicked. I imagine its success is not down to the quality of its melodies, but this young company brought boundless energy [and a unicycle] to the stage to suggest the spectacular style of the original.

Two 'front-cloth' items while the chorus changed. If they'd been listed in the programme I would have thought only a madman would try to recreate two classic routines forever linked with their creators. But Jake the Peg and Tommy Cooper's “Hats” sketch both worked surprisingly well, painstakingly reconstructed and confidently delivered.

ShowHits 2010 was directed by Cathy Hallam with Mandi Tickner, and the choreography was by Vicki Bird, assisted by Vicky Cumbers.
photos by Sethski Woolf

FOOTLOOSE


Latchingdon Arts and Drama Society at the Tractor Shed
16.04.10



Footloose the Musical was sniffed at by the critics, but has had a successful afterlife touring the US and the UK, as well as becoming a popular high school musical.
Not hard to see why. It follows the lucrative furrow already ploughed by Grease, Fame, Saturday Night Fever, Smoky Joe's and Glee.
Peter Jones's lively production for LADS at the Tractor Shed, with energetic choreography by Vicky Bird, did its best with the paper-thin improbable storyline. Perhaps it's just as well there were no more plot twists, since not all the lyrics that drive the narrative were audible.
The one-horse town of Bomont has banned dancing following a fatal late-night teenage car crash. Cool Chicago sophisticate Ren McCormack [a stunning performance from Alex Martin] is the catalyst for a change of heart in the Reverend Shaw Moore – Robin Warnes having no difficulty convincing us as a stick-in-the-mud to whom all dance is anathema.
Elsewhere the accents were authentic only in the younger performers.
The songs ranged from the dire to the forgettable, though the young lovers [Martin with Marianne Davies excellent as the pastor's rebellious daughter] made the most of their duet – Almost Paradise – perched high on a bridge above the town. The most successful numbers were the harmony trios, Somebody's Eyes, Learning to be Silent, and the quartet Holding Out For A Hero.
But if, despite the best efforts of Kris Rawlinson and his band, much of the music was anodyne, there were compensations aplenty, mostly choreographic: the duet from Ren and good ol' country boy Willard [Dan Bavin], the opening number, answering the train, and the extended megamix dance sequence at the end, seemingly shrouded in the sulphurous smoke of eternal hell fire.
Great dancing, and palpable energy and enthusiasm, made for an impressive spectacular – one rural backwater bringing to pulsing life another.