'Allo 'Allo 2 The Camembert Capers

It is always a pleasure to be invited to Bucklebury Memorial Hall for one of KATS’ productions and I am always made welcome by the front of house team. It was a pleasure to meet your new Chair and Director of ‘Allo ‘Allo. Based on the hugely popular television series by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd, ‘Allo ‘Allo 2, The Camembert Caper gave old fans a much needed second ‘fix’.

Working together with a strong cast, the director successfully brought this iconic 1980’s television comedy to the stage. The production had been very well cast and everyone worked very naturally together and was confident in their roles. They had developed their characters so that they were recognisable from the television show but not caricatures with each actor making their character their own. In the most part the actors maintained their accents throughout, speaking clearly and with good production. The cast got every ounce of comedy out of the script, and it was a treat for those of us old enough to remember the original as well as a great introduction to the inhabitants of Nouvion who didn’t.

The props had been well sourced and of the era with a period telephone and wartime radio hidden under Madame La Fan’s bed, as well as a brass ear trumpet. There were of course by necessity, several identical camembert cheese boxes and the hidden francs. The costumes were excellent, and all the characters’ attire was authentic to the original series. The German uniforms were very impressive, and the French peasants and café staff all looked the part. I loved Edith’s 1940’s style dresses, coat and hat and her pin-curled hairstyle was perfect.

It is not easy to recreate on stage a piece of iconic television history such as ‘Allo ‘Allo and to ensure that the vision of legendary writing duo David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd is delivered. KATS did that this evening and judging by the laughter, the audience loved it. For me, it was a wonderful trip down memory lane to a much-loved series performed by a talented cast. Well done!

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