Post by Buff on Jun 9, 2005 16:08:08 GMT 11
From theatrepeople.com.au
Presented by: Babirra Music Theatre
Date Reviewed: 27th May, 2005
Reviewer: Peter Philips
‘Me and My Girl’ is a musical that made its original appearance on London’s West End in 1937, where it ran for more than two years. It was revived with Robert Lindsay and a young Emma Thompson in 1985, and in 1987(the year Les Miserables scooped the pool) had a successful run on Broadway earning its two leads Tony Awards (by then Thompson had been replaced by Maryann Plunkett).
It is the story of the upper crust Hareford Clan, who in the desperate search for an heir to their Earldom find Bill Snibson, a cockney product of a youthful dalliance by the previous earl. In order to inherit, Bill must prove to be worthy of his title and estate. So begins the education of Bill (in a reverse My Fair Lady way), which sets him at odds with both his cockney roots and his true love Sally Smith, also a cockney.
After a worrisome start to the production involving a rather dodgy light show during the overture, and a rickety attempt at a newsstand, Babirra’s production hit its straps. The scene that followed was the inside of the family mansion. It was bright, colourful and detailed; a standard which continued for the rest of the show. Rachel Mellors, the set designer, did a lovely job, contrasting the dark cockney scenes with the refined scenes of the mansion. Set pieces moved well and scene changes were reasonably efficient, considering it was opening night. Design and use of most props was also effective (especially a sight gag with a bowler hat!)
Shannon Pincombe played the rough cockney Bill Snibson. It’s a role with a plethora of dialogue and choreography to remember and Shannon carried it off with great confidence and displayed great ability. He’s a charming, charismatic performer with no visible first-night nerves, great comic timing, a lovely voice, seemed to hold the accent well and was able to handle the choreography smoothly. The show really revolves around him and he did an admirable job.
His girlfriend, Sally Smith, was played by Philippa Chalke. Philippa sailed from comedy to pathos with ease (especially in the lovely ballad ‘Once You Lose Your Heart’) and danced like a dream. It felt like I was witnessing something really special watching Philippa. She lit up every scene that she was in, maintained consistent character beautifully throughout, handled the switch in accents effortlessly and showed true comic flair. Definitely a performer to watch in the future.
The duo’s tap break in ‘Me and My Girl’ was beautifully executed, showing real flair. There was a real and tangible chemistry between them. Choreography by Kaye Pederson seemed appropriate, used the abilities of the ensemble well and especially shone when demonstrated by the two capable leads. The only glitch I experienced was during ‘Leaning on a Lamppost’ which was a bit lack-lustre, but this was offset by nice versions of ‘the Lambeth Walk’ (truncated to a reasonable length) and even ‘The Sun Has Got His Hat On’ (possibly the most banal song in music theatre history!)
I always enjoy seeing more ‘more mature’ cast members strutting it on stage and the supporting players handled themselves comfortably. Judy Stephenson, playing the Duchess, looked a dream, sang beautifully, and despite showing a few opening night nerves, portrayed her role convincingly. Surely it must be easy for this role to be unsympathetic and two-dimensional, but Judy balanced her performance beautifully.
It’s always a pleasure to see Geoff Sussman on stage, and the role of Herbert Parchester was perfect for him. It has a real G&S feeling to it and Geoff showed that good things can come in small packages. Special mention must be made of Bill Connellan, who played Sir John Tremayne with great sympathy and comic flair and Rebekah Chapman who, despite an awful wig, played vixen Jacquie as a saucy, money-hungry, minx. Well done. I’d also like to mention David Allen, who stepped up from the ranks of ensemble to play Gerald for one night only (never an enviable task) and Doreen Jamieson, an ‘old hoofer’ who displayed good ability as the Pearly Queen, and more importantly just ‘oozed’ a real love of dancing.
In her first foray into directing after many years of performing and choreographing, Di Shepherd handled the whole thing really well. With a background like hers, she knows how to use dancers (and ‘movers’) nicely, got pleasing performances out of her actors, and has a great eye for the visual. Congratulations Di!
I really enjoyed the lighting by Jason Bovaird (despite my companion’s opinion that it was not ‘period’); and sound, by Greg Ginger, which was excellent, and evenly balanced between orchestra and cast. The orchestra, as conducted by musical director Basil Hawkins, was lovely. Costuming, by Maddy Connellan, on the whole was suitable (I’ve never seen so much fur on stage) except for every girl wearing the same new black character shoe! The tarts costumes in ‘Leaning on a Lamppost’ looked straight from ‘Carmen’, and again, really ill-fitting suits on the men. But there was great use of colour and the dresses were all well-designed and presented well. The colourful tableau in the finale was spectacular.
I’ve never seen ‘Me and My Girl’ before, even though it is known to be a bit of an old warhorse around theatre traps, and had been warned by many not to expect to like it. I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed it. Look, there were the usual opening night technical glitches and slow segues between scenes, but it’s just a lovely old-fashioned show that Babirra audiences will love, as will any open-minded theatre-goer looking for a nice evening. Enjoyable performances and a delightful production. What more could you ask for? Well done Babirra!
Presented by: Babirra Music Theatre
Date Reviewed: 27th May, 2005
Reviewer: Peter Philips
‘Me and My Girl’ is a musical that made its original appearance on London’s West End in 1937, where it ran for more than two years. It was revived with Robert Lindsay and a young Emma Thompson in 1985, and in 1987(the year Les Miserables scooped the pool) had a successful run on Broadway earning its two leads Tony Awards (by then Thompson had been replaced by Maryann Plunkett).
It is the story of the upper crust Hareford Clan, who in the desperate search for an heir to their Earldom find Bill Snibson, a cockney product of a youthful dalliance by the previous earl. In order to inherit, Bill must prove to be worthy of his title and estate. So begins the education of Bill (in a reverse My Fair Lady way), which sets him at odds with both his cockney roots and his true love Sally Smith, also a cockney.
After a worrisome start to the production involving a rather dodgy light show during the overture, and a rickety attempt at a newsstand, Babirra’s production hit its straps. The scene that followed was the inside of the family mansion. It was bright, colourful and detailed; a standard which continued for the rest of the show. Rachel Mellors, the set designer, did a lovely job, contrasting the dark cockney scenes with the refined scenes of the mansion. Set pieces moved well and scene changes were reasonably efficient, considering it was opening night. Design and use of most props was also effective (especially a sight gag with a bowler hat!)
Shannon Pincombe played the rough cockney Bill Snibson. It’s a role with a plethora of dialogue and choreography to remember and Shannon carried it off with great confidence and displayed great ability. He’s a charming, charismatic performer with no visible first-night nerves, great comic timing, a lovely voice, seemed to hold the accent well and was able to handle the choreography smoothly. The show really revolves around him and he did an admirable job.
His girlfriend, Sally Smith, was played by Philippa Chalke. Philippa sailed from comedy to pathos with ease (especially in the lovely ballad ‘Once You Lose Your Heart’) and danced like a dream. It felt like I was witnessing something really special watching Philippa. She lit up every scene that she was in, maintained consistent character beautifully throughout, handled the switch in accents effortlessly and showed true comic flair. Definitely a performer to watch in the future.
The duo’s tap break in ‘Me and My Girl’ was beautifully executed, showing real flair. There was a real and tangible chemistry between them. Choreography by Kaye Pederson seemed appropriate, used the abilities of the ensemble well and especially shone when demonstrated by the two capable leads. The only glitch I experienced was during ‘Leaning on a Lamppost’ which was a bit lack-lustre, but this was offset by nice versions of ‘the Lambeth Walk’ (truncated to a reasonable length) and even ‘The Sun Has Got His Hat On’ (possibly the most banal song in music theatre history!)
I always enjoy seeing more ‘more mature’ cast members strutting it on stage and the supporting players handled themselves comfortably. Judy Stephenson, playing the Duchess, looked a dream, sang beautifully, and despite showing a few opening night nerves, portrayed her role convincingly. Surely it must be easy for this role to be unsympathetic and two-dimensional, but Judy balanced her performance beautifully.
It’s always a pleasure to see Geoff Sussman on stage, and the role of Herbert Parchester was perfect for him. It has a real G&S feeling to it and Geoff showed that good things can come in small packages. Special mention must be made of Bill Connellan, who played Sir John Tremayne with great sympathy and comic flair and Rebekah Chapman who, despite an awful wig, played vixen Jacquie as a saucy, money-hungry, minx. Well done. I’d also like to mention David Allen, who stepped up from the ranks of ensemble to play Gerald for one night only (never an enviable task) and Doreen Jamieson, an ‘old hoofer’ who displayed good ability as the Pearly Queen, and more importantly just ‘oozed’ a real love of dancing.
In her first foray into directing after many years of performing and choreographing, Di Shepherd handled the whole thing really well. With a background like hers, she knows how to use dancers (and ‘movers’) nicely, got pleasing performances out of her actors, and has a great eye for the visual. Congratulations Di!
I really enjoyed the lighting by Jason Bovaird (despite my companion’s opinion that it was not ‘period’); and sound, by Greg Ginger, which was excellent, and evenly balanced between orchestra and cast. The orchestra, as conducted by musical director Basil Hawkins, was lovely. Costuming, by Maddy Connellan, on the whole was suitable (I’ve never seen so much fur on stage) except for every girl wearing the same new black character shoe! The tarts costumes in ‘Leaning on a Lamppost’ looked straight from ‘Carmen’, and again, really ill-fitting suits on the men. But there was great use of colour and the dresses were all well-designed and presented well. The colourful tableau in the finale was spectacular.
I’ve never seen ‘Me and My Girl’ before, even though it is known to be a bit of an old warhorse around theatre traps, and had been warned by many not to expect to like it. I must admit I thoroughly enjoyed it. Look, there were the usual opening night technical glitches and slow segues between scenes, but it’s just a lovely old-fashioned show that Babirra audiences will love, as will any open-minded theatre-goer looking for a nice evening. Enjoyable performances and a delightful production. What more could you ask for? Well done Babirra!