'Allo 'Allo

I had never seen the stage production of ‘Allo ‘Allo before, although I never missed an episode of the TV series when it originally aired. So I was naturally looking forward to all the same characters, gags and implausible plot lines I so used to enjoy! I was not to be disappointed. For those unfamiliar with the show it parodies a 1970’s T.V. series called Secret Army and follows the mishaps of Rene, a French cafe owner, his staff, members of the French Resistance and German, English and Italian military types. The set was good and faithfully reproduced the familiar Cafe Rene. Other locations were represented at stage left and right. I thought the scene changes sometimes ran on a little too long as most of the non cafe scenes were quite short. Perhaps more adventurous use of lighting and props being carried on by cast may have helped the piece to flow better. Costumes were excellent and fitted well with the production. The part of Rene Artois was played well by Robin Brown, with just the right deadpan delivery. His wife Edith was portrayed perfectly by Anne Starks, although her singing was a little too ‘on key’ for Edith’s cabaret slots and cheese was not necessary for the audience! The parts of the two waitresses Yvette and Mimi were very well delivered by Jacqui Mooney and Debra Hart, although I did think Mimi needed to be a little more dangerous. Leclerc, played by Brian Whittaker was very entertaining with some well delivered one liners. Jenny Hodkinson took on the role of Michelle of the resistance and interpreted the character very well. Officer Crabtree was played well by Jeff Moxham – this is a difficult part, as perfect line delivery is what makes the character what he is and some of the lines were a little too quick to catch the deliberate mispronunciations. Tom Howarth took on the role of Lieutenant Gruber with great characterisation and an excellent accent. Andrew Smith & Dave Batterby both played well as Colonel Von Strohm & Captain Bertorelli with some excellent comedy moments and Jonathan Mallinson worked hard throughout and certainly looked the part as General Von Schmelling. My favourite two characters in this performance were Martyn Pugh whose Herr Flick was just perfect and his beloved Helga very well played by Kate Roberts. These two were hilarious in their scenes together. The rest of the cast all did an excellent job in keeping the pace and delivery on form, well done to all. All in all this was a very good production, but as I was driving home I wondered to myself why I hadn’t found it quite as funny as I thought I would. It dawned on me that the answer could have been timing. With such familiar catch phrases I think it’s often a good idea to allow the audience time to reflect on what’s coming next before delivering the line and on some occasions this was missing. Director Therese Ball had made good use of the skills of the actors taking on these memorable characters and excepting the staging issues mentioned above the performance flowed well. Overall I did really enjoy this production, so well done to all at the drama club for an excellent evening’s entertainment.

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