'Allo 'Allo

With stage versions of well-known TV programmes, it can be difficult to get the balance right between doing slavish imitations of the characters and going your own way. No need to worry here though, with inventive direction by Jack Edwards and a well-chosen cast. They all make the characters their own, with more than a hint of the TV originals, which made getting into this play as easy as putting on your most comfortable clothes.

This is very much an ensemble piece and there was not a single weak link in the talented cast. Without exception, they each owned their characters and projected them to the audience with great vitality and conviction.  The script might not be the best comedy ever written, the jokes old and corny and the accents a little wayward at times, but even the most hardened cynic could not help but be caught up in the fun and daftness of the piece.

Robert Day gave a very confident and personable performance as café owner René, easily drawing the audience in with his asides and attempts to explain the bewildering plot. Sheila Elsdon (who I know has a beautiful soprano voice) was spot on as his put-upon wife Edith, making everyone cringe with her truly awful singing.

John Bettesworth (Colonel von Strohm), Stuart Warner (Captain Bertorelli) and Peter Colley (Lieutenant Gruber) have great on-stage chemistry and they each managed to wring every last drop of comedy from the script during their scenes, and were obviously having a great time doing it. Jacqueline Willis and Rachel Dean were perfectly bubbly and flirtatious as waitresses Yvette and Mimi, while Kerry Gilgannon gave resistance leader Michelle just the right air of mystery and incompetence. James Bradbury (Officer Crabtree) was the master of the mispronounced word while Nigel James and Katharine Guthrie excelled as Herr Flick and his adoring sidekick Helga.

The box set (by Jason Christopher) was a star in its own right, with clever fold-out sections that made changes of scene swift and efficient. It was very well dressed with an amazing number of appropriate props and pieces of furniture. Even the back of the set, which the audience had to walk past to get to their seats, was decorated as a French street – a really thoughtful touch. Costumes too were a triumph and nicely evoked the period, although a couple of green (rather than grey) German uniforms seemed a little out of place. Effective lighting completed the colourful picture, with good use of spots for René’s asides to the audience.

The intimate atmosphere of Players’ comfortable Studio Theatre works well for comedies like this where the audience are drawn into the action. When combined with this talented cast and Jack Edwards’ confident direction, we were guaranteed the great evening’s entertainment that we most definitely got.

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