A Cabaret

.So, Marcie Loan sends me an email saying …. “we are doing a cabaret at the Conservative Club Swaffham. Don’t need you to do a review, but would you like to be our guests … just for fun?” Anyone who knows me knows I will go to the opening of an envelope, so off we went.
I must confess that expectations were not massively high. The last time I had seen The Swaffham Players do a review show it was at the Barn Theatre and was Christmas themed. The songs were nice enough but the complete lack of any comedy or prose made it drag somewhat. This time out, there was not even a hint of dragging with a show that zipped along nicely with a good mix and (sorry Marcie) just demanded at least a few words of commendation.
The venue was really nice and the drinks only just above supermarket prices so we indulged freely! The show was a classic cabaret with MC John Hooker linking everything together beautifully with a mighty stage presence and some excellent jokes. I have stolen all the good ones and will be passing them off as my own! Musical accompaniment was by Richard Winch and his three vocal contributions were three of the main highlights. Mr Winch has an amazing semi-operatic singing voice and it came as no surprise to find out he had spent time with the D’Oyly Carte earlier in his career! Other high points were Sue Baxter and her presentation of Alan Bennett’s ‘Talking Heads’ one act  piece, “A Cream Cracker Under the Settee”. Mrs Baxter  is indeed an incredible actress and held my attention for all of the 20 minutes that she was on. It was extremely refreshing to have some pathos amongst the comedy and the music.
Marcie Loan herself contributed two of the best songs “Bring Him Home” from Les Mis,  and the Roberta Flack anthem “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”. Mrs Loan is a brilliant actress but now it seems she can sing a bit as well! I really enjoyed Rodger Bilverstone and his superb delivery of the Chicago classic “Mr Cellophane”, and when he came back as half of a comedy double act with Brian Hubbard …. he brought the house down. I laughed ‘til I cried as the two of them just stole the show.
Penultimate paragraph honours go to everyone who took part. It was a really enjoyable evening, but more than that, it was a really good show and the whole composition worked so well in that room.
Many congratulations to … well, whoever put it all together. I guess John Hooker had a hand in things although I expect there were many others alongside. As I drove home still smiling at Bilverstone and Hubbard (available for summer season, pantomime and Bar Mitzvahs I have no doubt) I was absolutely sure that everyone in the audience was smiling their way home as well!

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