'Allo 'Allo

Prior to seeing a production based on a television adaptation, there is always that slight trepidation about whether the characters and their idiosyncrasies will be the same as those that we grew to love over the ten years of the BBC series of the late 80’s/90’s, but as soon as you walked through the doors at Clent Parish Hall, those thoughts were dispelled immediately.

The scene was set, leaving no member of the audience in any doubt that they were going to be in for a fun-filled evening from the get-go. The cast were in the audience, talking to new and established TFO supporters, all in character and putting everyone at their ease.

There are limitations with the facilities at Clent and Emma Harley, the production’s director and Matthew Morgan’s set design, masterfully used the space to be able to portray the various settings required for the story using the area in front of the stage, slightly elevated, for the café and the other settings – the bedroom, the cellar, the General’s Office, etc. taking place on the stage area.  This gave the audience the comforting feeling on being right in the middle of Nouvion’s café life and it’s amazing array of personalities. So much so that the audience were not only encouraged to participate as characters joined them at their tables but also joined in ad-lib, handled beautifully by the cast. Having René and Yvette selling raffle tickets was a great touch!

The premise of the main story lines from the TV series were also present in the stage version – the theft of the painting of ‘The Fallen Madonna with the big boobies’ and the role of the central character, René Artois, the café owner and reluctant helper of the French Resistance and Tinkers Farm Opera played them to the full.

Simon Wilkinson’s excellent characterisation of René was a joy to watch, moving the action along at a great pace and being the lynchpin of the story. His interactions with Edith, his wife, played deftly by Diane Hingley, wrang every inch of humour and pathos out of the role, as both foil and antagonist in equal measure to René’s foibles.

The other café regulars were also immediately recognisable and taken to the hearts of the appreciative audience – Rebecca Bate’s, Yvette and Lily Fradley’s, Mimi, showed us the different sides of René’s love interest – Yvette’s adoring and unfaltering love and Mimi’s feisty hatred of the occupying Germans. Tyrone Howell’s, Leclerc, drifted in and out of the café in his various disguises, including his cockatoo and his amazing accent added to the ludicrousness of each scenario and Dominic Butters’, Officer Crabtree was an immediate hit with the audience from his first “Good Moaning” with his absurd and slightly risqué interpretations of the French language.

The main thrust of the humour throughout ‘Allo, ‘Allo was always against the occupying forces and in this fast-moving production, they gave as good as they got. Richard Cooper’s, Herr Flick was suitably unnerving yet brilliantly funny in his interpretation relishing his double act with Beth Siviter-Coupland’s, Helga. You could tell that they both had the most enjoyable time bringing these roles to the stage and sharing that joy with us, especially Helga’s hilarious striptease routine! The incompetence of James Hale’s, Gruber, and Tony Newbould’s, General were generously served in the play with some great set pieces which were lapped up by the audience, who were totally on their side when Geoff Westwood’s, General von Strohm, deliciously picked on them with suitable strictness. Completing the line-up was Mark Moran’s, Alberto Bertorelli, played with great aplomb and an incredulous Italian accent that meant almost every word uttered had the audience in stitches either from embarrassment or sheer delight.  

In opposition, we cannot forget the French Resistance, led with annoying guile by Helen Crump’s, Michelle, and “I will say this only wance”, who popped up at all the most inappropriate moments and made sure that the stiff upper lip of the British was also an integral part of the action, ably supported by the equally annoying and totally ridiculous, Richard Crump and Arron Davis’, British airmen and completing the line-up was Hatice Cetin’s suitably belligerent Peasant Girl.

All in all, TFO’s production was everything that it needed to be and more – faithful to the iconic TV series with brilliant characters brought to life by a very talented group of performers who brightened up the lives of an appreciative audience on a dreary night when all the other cares of the world were forgotten for a couple of nostalgic and fondly reminiscent hours.  My most grateful thanks to the members of TFO for their warm welcome and hospitality.

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