All The Fun of the Fair

FOLLOWING their successful production of 'Allo 'Allo last year Lindley Church Amateur Operatic Society embarked on a short run of the David Essex musical All the Fun of the Fair.
Exorbitant costs at the LBT forced the Society to leave the town centre and return nearer to their village roots, and the format of cabaret-style seating at St Philip's Hall at Birchencliffe (trialled last year) once again worked well.
All the 'old guard' have left the Society in recent years, and the new company, along with director Dean Patrick, are young and relatively inexperienced, but all credit to them for continuing to provide live theatre.
This 'juke box'  show is pretty-much unknown, and although not a biog of Essex's career, it is based on many of his hit songs from the 70s and 80s.
It tells the tale of a widowed fairground owner Levi, who along with son Jack attempt to keep the ailing business afloat, while the latter is balancing his love life between local girl Alice (much to the disgust of her father) and fellow fairground worker Mary.
Morley-based performer Tom Daley takes on the central role of Levi with Chris Sleigh as Jack, and while both have pleasant enough singing voices, both seem to need a dose of self-confidence and belief in their own performances, and in Tom's case, a little less focus on the conductor (use peripheral vision).
Two of the stand-out performances came from Rachel Clegg as the fortune teller Rosa, and Jody Townend as her daughter Mary.
Rachel delivered a finely-defined character complete with a wholly convincing Irish accent, while Jody impressed all round and  provided the vocal highlights of the show, particularly pleasing in the duet He Noticed Me, with Alice, played by Mollie Johnson.
Completing the cast were Stephen Jamieson as Alice's threatening father Harvey, Ian Roberts as his menacing sidekick Druid and director Dean Patrick doubling up as Jonny.
Choreography by Christina Jagger  was limited given the small stage (although it could have been a bit more challenging), while Wil Jones was the MD for the score which included some of Essex's best known numbers, such as Hold Me Close, Rock On, A Winter's Tale and I'm Gonna Make You a Star.'
I appreciate first nights can sometimes be a bit tentative, but overall the 18-strong cast have to give the piece far more attack and enthusiasm and really believe in what they are doing and sell it to what is an appreciative audience.

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