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A Very Enjoyable Evening
Derived from the successful TV series of the
same name, the stage version of ‘Allo ‘Allo is
more than just a rehash of several episodes, it
is a story in its own right. It uses most of the
familiar characters and catchphrases and anyone
who enjoyed the TV silliness will love this too.
Director Ian Clark has enhanced the standard
script by inserting some appropriate wartime
songs, generally between scenes, to lengthen
what would otherwise have been quite a short
show. The songs were accompanied by an on-stage
pianist (Nick Cole), a nice touch.
The curtain opened to reveal René’s café – a
most impressive set built by Keith Dulake – and
director Ian Clark wisely used some extra
staging in front of the main stage to smooth the
flow of action for scenes in the café back room,
Colonel Von Strohm’s office and the Gestapo
headquarters.
Leading the action, and on-stage for most of
the show, was Will Donnelly, who gave a fine
performance as the affable café owner René,
desperately trying to please everyone and keep
the different sides apart, when he wasn’t
canoodling with the waitresses. Will’s acting
and accent were good throughout and you really
warmed to his character, sympathising when
events inevitably conspired against him. I
particularly liked his “freeze-frame” asides to
the audience. As René’s wife Edith, Kaye
Lee-Wright gave an excellent portrayal of a
nagging shrew, only too pleased to perform her
cabaret act or help her husband conceal the much
sought-after painting of The Fallen Madonna With
the Big Boobies. For someone like Kaye, who has
a beautiful soprano voice, singing so
excruciatingly off-key requires a lot of talent.
She did it perfectly!
Diane Jepson and Megan Brand played the
seductive Yvette and the firebrand Mimi to
perfection, both taking every opportunity to
kiss René whenever his wife wasn’t looking –
Mimi even bringing her own little stool to stand
on. Samantha Spivey gave the role of Michelle
(of the Resistance) exactly the right hint of
cloak and dagger, mixed with incompetence, and
Graham Cranmer was good as Leclerc, the master
of disguise. I thought the scenes with the
parrot radio were some of the funniest in the
show. Mike Lawrence really entertained us as
Officer Crabtree, whose appalling grasp of the
French language must have been a nightmare to
learn.
For the Germans, Mark De Salis did a nice,
cowardly Colonel Von Strohm, with a very wayward
hairpiece, and Ian Clark seemed to enjoy every
minute as the Gestapo Officer, Otto Flick – a
great performance. Nadine Darnley portrayed his
sidekick Helga really well, totally besotted
with her commander and willing to do anything
for him, and Peter Forsdyke was suitably
bombastic as General Von Schmelling, barging in
and upsetting all of their plans for post-war
prosperity. We mustn’t forget the Italian
contingent: Luke Brand was magnificently
flamboyant as the womanising Capt. Alberto
Bertorelli, always the first to put his foot in
it. Last, but most definitely not least, was
Ryan Richards as a very camp Lieut. Gruber. His
actions, stance and facial expressions were
beautifully observed and well maintained
throughout, never taking it too far, and his
comic timing was spot-on.
The costumes (especially the military
uniforms) were superb, looking just right for
the period, and the attention to detail extended
even to the ladies’ 1940s’ hairstyles.
Congratulations must go to Helen Dulake for
sourcing what must have been a most bizarre
props list – including a dead parrot, two
inflatable Hitlers and a suspender belt with
mousetraps attached! The lighting was cleverly
designed, highlighting action on the extended
stage but also showing the pianist when
necessary. All of the actors wore head
microphones and the sound quality was good, so
there were no problems following what was
happening.
I felt that, at times, the pace was rather
laboured and there seemed to be some gaps
between scenes, where we were just waiting for
the actors to come on. It would have been nice
to have used the on-stage pianist to bridge
these gaps with some appropriate tunes. Also,
some quiet background chatter from the people in
the café would have added atmosphere – though
there was some good crowd acting going on there
– nicely understated.
It was a very enjoyable evening with some
really good performances and nice directorial
touches bringing this TV favourite back to life
on the stage. Congratulations to everyone
involved.
Mark Donalds NODA Rep
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