Once More With Feeling

Surrey Advertiser

Diana Eccleston

These pre-Christmas revues are always good-fun affairs, crammed with favourite musical numbers, interlaces with occasional comedy items and a fish and chip supper served during the interval.

This programme has been organised by three people new to their roles: John Nash as director, Toni Frost as choreographer and Neil Shrimpton (heading up a fab band).

And they make a fine job of it.

On Tuesday's first night there were some distinctly under-rehearsed routines during which some dancers were frantically trying to follow the moves.

Some pieces were average. but some were simply splendid, showcasing the talent and fine voices which are a hallmark of WallOp.

I wasn't keen on all the items - well, you win some, you lose some in shows like this where the bill is cobbled together from a variety of musical sources - though there was certainly enough to keep everyone happy.

Maybe it took some time to warm up, but the second half seemed to me by far the best.

I liked the blokes dragged up for their Women's Clothes and there was more funny business from Tony's monologue Boring Bugger, Iain's Maurice the Mayfly and Iain and Rick's excellently timed Abbott And Costello radio sketch Who's on First Base.

Derek gave a fine Anthem and was joined by Jacky, Lucy and Ian for another strong item, Model of Decorum (both from Chess).

The Les Miserable selection was also very well done, with Cathie giving us the Fantine song I Dreamed a Dream, Rick with Empty Chairs at Empty Tables and the whole company in the rousing One Day More.

Enjoyable solos came from Barbara with Sunset Boulevard showstopper With One Look, John's Neil Diamond number America, Laurie's cheeky Making Whoopie, Shane's Ain't Gonna Wash For a Week, Celena's Mr Spaceman and Vykki's Santa Baby, which led neatly into the vibrant finale.

Always a well-costumed company, they ended up with I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day in festive red, white and green outfits with all the trimmings. A great way to another hit show.

Gregory Vincent

The annual musical production by the Wallington Operatic and Dramatic Society is now in it's 32nd year - and you can see why.

The solo singing by Cathie Poole in When She Loved Me and I Dreamed A Dream is almost operatic is excellent; she reaches (and holds) the high notes with perfect ease. Val Brooham has a pleasant Broadway lilt as she sings Nice Work If You Can Get It; Vykki Cartwright has star quality in her rendering of Santa Baby; and Celena Bain's Mr Spaceman is also very melodious.

Meanwhile, Ian Lambert, Derek Drennan and Laurie Bright are highly professional and self-assured. Poisoning Pigeons and Model of Decorum were remarkably well-rehearsed pieces, the latter involving several performers in an intricate, overlapping harmony. indeed, the charismatic make and female partnerships are too numerous to list; and I'm A Woman, complete with silky skirts and sensuous body movements, was a saucy number for all males in the audience.

Tony Wall was admirable as a compere. In the interval, there was a tasty fish and chip supper, and throughout, an efficient bar service enables drinks to be ordered and brought to your table. I thought the whole evening was fun and found the audience to be very responsive.

The choreographer, Toni Frost, cleverly moves a large troupe around a small stage; and I simply must mention the costume design by Barbara Windsor, Yvonne Mount and Jane Martin.

After a somewhat low-key start, it becomes dazzlingly colourful and well-coordinated, especially in With One Look and Baby It's Cold Outside. I suppose the humour could more contemporary. Who's On First Base, although competently delivered, was old-fashioned even for it's time. There are also occasions when the audience was left in limbo for a couple of seconds, waiting for the next group to come on. Indeed, the compere humorously alerts us to how difficult some of these change-over really are.

Nevertheless, it was a fine evening's entertainment; and some of the talent on display would not look out of place in the West End.

John Nash, the director, said "This is a big year for our Dramatic Society, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Tonight's show is the result of two years of preparation and everyone is thrilled to be part of it. in fact, it's the kind of show that could launch a career. Normally, I'd be up there."

As I remember, he was up there himself for one number and he sang it with gusto.

NODA

Theo Spring

Another wide-ranging compilation of songs we mostly know and love, and all dressed up in your usual finery too.

I must congratulate John Nash on his musical show debut as director - it is a tall order to find numbers which will suit the theme, the audience, the talent and the time slot.

It is unusual for me to find niggles, but I did this time and will start with these. Although I came on the second night, the show on Wednesday still had that first night fell to it, with little things going wrong. Costume changes just that bit too quick to manage, some of which requiring extra ad hoc time padding from our master of ceremonies. Dances were still not solid in a few routines and I noted several members of the cast who did not know the words to some of the numbers in which they appeared.

Owing to my fault in the lateness of my response to Laurie's kind invitation to attend, I found myself right at the back of the hall this year and experienced difficulty hearing words. In the main, these were the words of the MC, and certainly most of that delightful "Who's On First Base" sketch was inaudible, which was a great shame. I do know how tricky it is to get the sound balance right, particularly when there is a mix of song and spoken words, but it is worth getting someone to do sound checks - not only at rehearsal, but on the first night when the acoustics change once the hall is full of people.

But back to the gems - and there were many.

Jane Martin low gravely voice perfect for the Dietrich spoof. It was so realistic that it took many of us to realise that there was something not quite right with the words.

I thought that the harmonies in Because were spot on - presented by a talented group of voices. Mick, Rick and Ian did well with the tricky melody of Fixing a Hole and the company likewise with Maxwell's Silver Hammer. Barbara, looking wonderful in that silver turban gave is quite an intense With One Look..

The sound gremlins for to the Ladies Who Lunch, but good body and face acting here helped to underline the gist of the sketch.

I really enjoyed the Global Trotter's choreography for Sweet Georgia Brown  - a novel and well rehearsed number.

Vikki looked just the part of the Trolley Song - this is a legendary piece and many of us know the phrasing as well as the words, and this interpretation kept faith with the original.

What I Did For Love has odd phrasing and Clare found it difficult to start, with breathlessness and short notes, but she gained strength as she sang on.

Loved the costumes for I Got Rhythm - and great tap to match made this a really super number.

The band, who deserve huge plaudits for their wonderfully accurate musicianship throughout the show really excelled in Now You Has Jazz - very professional indeed.

Laurie's Making Whoopie had just the right touch of suggestiveness in it, but we missed some of the words - us at the back!

Ian and Derek's You Nothing Without Me was well sung, but difficult to follow. Jacky and Lucy gave us a splendid duet with You Can Always Count On Me with two voices that are growing nicely in stature.

The D W Washburn set was an excellent concerted number with Saved as an equally good follow on.

The second half reversed gender numbers were a very clever juxtaposition and the 'ladies' looked wonderful. The orchestration in America was an excellent mimicry of the original Diamond, but, for me, John Nash didn't quite come up to Neil's delivery.

Red and gold costumes for Baby It's Cold outside added much to the well-presented number and Derek's Anthem was beautifully sung.

Model of Decorum was confusing - it could have done with some pre-number explanation for the audience to have understood what was going on, but I did like the understated Chess reference in the black and white costumes.

Les Miserable is much loved, and well known. It was quite spoilt for me by the spoof Bring Him Home. Mick did an excellent job on the vocals, but sandwiching it in between two such serious numbers I felt it spoilt the praiseworthy emotion and delivery of Cathie's I Dreamed A Dream and made Rick's work to get things back on track with Empty Tables, very difficult. Such ideas (and I have heard this one done before), should be treated, with levity, in a solo spot. by the time we had got to One Day More, however, my ire had fled - what else could it do in face of such a rousing number?

I heard and appreciated the majority of Iain's Maurice the Mayfly and welcomed the good old 60's back with Mr Spaceman, well sung by Celena.

Vykki's Santa Baby needed just a little more 'Eartha Kit' to it, but the finale from Derek and the company was a merry was to say goodnight.

Taking show tunes out of context is never without its concerns. How well do the audience know the numbers, do they know which musicals, do they know the story of the musicals well enough to know what the particular numbers are saying? The answer to most of these of 'no'. We must not assume our audience have the same in-depth knowledge as those of us who are imbed with musicals. Often a note of the show and a short explanation will suffice. I realise that programme space is short but maybe an extra leaf and a little more on the selling price?

So once again, congratulations to John Nash, to the superb music of Neil Shrimpton and his talented band, to Toni Frost for excellent choreography and to the tireless wardrobe.