DAD'S ARMY
Theatre
at Baddow
02.10.14
Dad's
Army on stage ? I recall the Seventies spin-off, featuring almost
all the original cast in a kind of variety bill of songs and
sketches, and then of course there was the Leslie Grantham vehicle
which revived some of the lost episodes.
TAB's
offering is a more straightforward staging of three favourite
episodes.
A
brilliant opening, with the huge cast singing Mr Hitler and marching
into the very hall where the real-life local LDVs drilled seventy
years ago. And a moving finale, with everyone singing along to We'll
Meet Again, led by chanteuse Mandy Oliver, whose superb solos helped
to bridge costume and scene changes.
A
company of twenty or more, including a U-Boat crew best described as
motley [Liam Mayle their “insolent swine” commander] and a bevy
of ladies for “Mum's Army” [Rita Vango outstanding as
Mainwaring's Brief Encounter].
These
are familiar stories, with lines and characters we've loved for
years. Of the principals, Terry Cole captured Mainwaring and his
dyspeptic smile to perfection, and in a much smaller role, Chris
Piper recreated
verger Yeatman with uncanny accuracy.
Elsewhere,
the spirit if not the persona of the platoon members was
affectionately invoked by, amongst others, Peter Eyre's ga-ga
Godfrey, Bob Ryall's eager Jonesy, David Saddington's wild-eyed
Frazer and Martin Baker's fresh-faced Pike. Roger Saddington purred
through his laid-back “Jack
Buchanan” Wilson,
and John Mabey brought a cheeky comic energy to the incorrigible spiv
Walker.
Inevitably,
pace and energy were sometimes sacrificed to scene changes, and the
subtle punchlines proved hard to recreate on stage, but nonetheless a
very enjoyable homage to one of the best ever British sitcoms.
production photograph: BeccyPphotography
