"Allo Allo"

It was wonderful to be invited to my first show with The Idle and Thackley Theatre Group who were putting on their first show after “Lockdown”.

This much loved show featuring nearly all the characters from the TV comedy that spawned it, which had in its heyday a cult following including myself. The show with its catch phrases, such as "you stupid woman" and "Gid moaning" which were commonly used in the show brought back happy memories of this great TV series. Gloriously un-PC and all the better for it! As a concept then, "'Allo 'Allo!" could hardly fail. The Idle and Thackley Theatre Group have not the advantage of a large theatre and a huge stage, but this production is far more suited to an intimate stage with its effectively designed and used seedy French café setting. We had all the familiar café essentials and at the sides the cellar on stage left and the German offices on stage right. The set was very well designed allowing maximum use of the performance space.

Graham Siddle in the lead role of René Artois captured this harassed, treble-timing, but essentially decent man to a tee. With Alyson Boote playing his stage wife Edith with hideous, including of course the expected dreadful 'singing', glorious in its discordancy. The characters on stage played their roles for real, therefore making sure the production stayed a play and not panto style.

Sara Temple, who also directed the play, was the vivacious Yvette and Rebecca Miles played Mimi both performing with an overtly flirty manner towards Rene. Anne Bateson the fierce resistance fighter, Michelle Dubois telling us all to "Leesten very cairfully"; how could we not!!  Bob Cochrane played Leclerc performing a wonderful scene with a parrot with Rene.

Capt. Crabtree with Ian Wood's wonderfully mangled English and French with great charisma too and a great performance was given by Damian Fisher as Italian Capt. Bertorelli, his costume having as much charisma as him.

Yvonne Crann as Helga and Herr Otto Flick played by Phillip Crann made a wonderful double act with both players doing their characters proud. Ian Knight was suitably camp and gave a hilarious performance as Lieut Gruber, lusting after Rene. Vicky Moncaster who played General von Schmelling, came in at the very last minute by reading in for other cast members in rehearsals and then ending up on stage and another new actor to the stage was Nick Anderton who performed Col. Kurt von Strohm. Both actors gave an enjoyable performance and I hope they continue on stage. Ian Knight and Nick Anderton also doubled up as the two "I say chaps" English Flight Lieutenants Fairfax and Carstairs

There was much comedy throughout; the mousetraps for Bertorelli's wandering hands; the stripper scene and music for Helga and Herr Flick with his fiddle looking on, Edith’s singing, Bertorelli's hilarious Hitler, as well as the other Hitler impersonations.

Some accents were far better than some others, but the show flowed with good effect and there was a good deal of audience hilarity, always a reassuring sign in comedy.

Lighting and sound were used well and the director Sara Temple had clearly worked very assiduously with the large cast and together they did this iconic show full justice giving excellent comedy timing, sending a highly amused audience home in a happy mood. I am sure John Roberts would be looking down on them with pride.

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