'Allo, 'Allo

Pssssst. Listen very carefully, I will ask this only once. What do you get when you mix a café owner, his sex-starved wife, two frisky servers, the Resistance, Nazis, a valuable work of art, knockwurst sausages, an inflatable Hitler, a wonky wig and a stuffed cockatoo?  It can only be ’Allo ’Allo!, the long-running tv sitcom set in France during WW2 by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft.  Bawdy, a little naughty and laden with the expected innuendo, 'Allo 'Allo is great fun.

The Directors’ decision to have an open stage setting of the café was a good choice as it gave the audience an opportunity to absorb the excellent set, designed by Alan Gleed, and the detailed set dressings beforehand. Lighting and sound were good and costumes, particularly uniforms, convincingly in period.

Good casting in this play is essential. As René Steven Fenn’s portrayal of this ageing lothario worked well throughout the show, and Fiona Harvey-Maguire was in her element as René’s ever adoring and love hopeful wife Edith and was larger than life, owning the stage during her ‘cabaret'. Good support in the café from waitresses Megan Hey (Yvette) and April Murfet (Mimi). And still in the French camp, Chris Brighty made an amusing Leclerc. 

On to the opposition where we had an OTT style Bertorelli from Antonio Rina working well with his German counterpart Colonel Von Strohm, with wiglet, played by Nicholas Frankau. Herr Flick and Helga (Alex Schosland and Katherine Schosland) had a wonderful partnership. With her provocative strip and his hilarious cinema usherette they both added greatly to the production.  Dave Cooper played a convincingly gay Lieutenant Gruber, being a party to some very funny awkward situations.

Finally the English camp and Cat Blacker’s interpretation of Resistance member, “I'll say this only once” 'Michelle', encompassed good diction and excellent characterisation. Kris Camden had the dual roles of Officer Crabtree (Good Moaning!) and General Von Schmelling.  He differentiated the roles well although personally I would have preferred a slower delivery for the former.  Good support throughout was provided by Sarah Clark and Catherine Griffiths, together with Dave Cooper, playing multiple roles from soldiers, peasants, customers and, of course the English Airmen.

When first released for amateurs there was an overdose of productions, but now with a time lapse we are reminded of how funny the sitcom was and how well it transfers to the stage. Directors John Mitchell & Rosemary Jolley are to be congratulated for taking on the responsibility of bringing such a well-known, and much-loved, TV sitcom to the stage and providing a production which hit all the right notes - thankfully much better than the reliably tone-deaf Madame Edith.

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