'Allo 'Allo

Derived from the successful TV series of the same name, the stage version of ‘Allo ‘Allo is more than just a rehash of several episodes, it is a story in its own right. It uses most of the familiar characters and catchphrases and anyone who enjoyed the TV silliness will love this too. Director Ian Clark has enhanced the standard script by inserting some appropriate wartime songs, generally between scenes, to lengthen what would otherwise have been quite a short show. The songs were accompanied by an on-stage pianist (Nick Cole), a nice touch.

The curtain opened to reveal René’s café – a most impressive set built by Keith Dulake – and director Ian Clark wisely used some extra staging in front of the main stage to smooth the flow of action for scenes in the café back room, Colonel Von Strohm’s office and the Gestapo headquarters.

Leading the action, and on-stage for most of the show, was Will Donnelly, who gave a fine performance as the affable café owner René, desperately trying to please everyone and keep the different sides apart, when he wasn’t canoodling with the waitresses. Will’s acting and accent were good throughout and you really warmed to his character, sympathising when events inevitably conspired against him. I particularly liked his “freeze-frame” asides to the audience.  As René’s wife Edith, Kaye Lee-Wright gave an excellent portrayal of a nagging shrew, only too pleased to perform her cabaret act or help her husband conceal the much sought-after painting of The Fallen Madonna With the Big Boobies. For someone like Kaye, who has a beautiful soprano voice, singing so excruciatingly off-key requires a lot of talent. She did it perfectly!

Diane Jepson and Megan Brand played the seductive Yvette and the firebrand Mimi to perfection, both taking every opportunity to kiss René whenever his wife wasn’t looking – Mimi even bringing her own little stool to stand on. Samantha Spivey gave the role of Michelle (of the Resistance) exactly the right hint of cloak and dagger, mixed with incompetence, and Graham Cranmer was good as Leclerc, the master of disguise. I thought the scenes with the parrot radio were some of the funniest in the show. Mike Lawrence really entertained us as Officer Crabtree, whose appalling grasp of the French language must have been a nightmare to learn.

For the Germans, Mark De Salis did a nice, cowardly Colonel Von Strohm, with a very wayward hairpiece, and Ian Clark seemed to enjoy every minute as the Gestapo Officer, Otto Flick – a great performance. Nadine Darnley portrayed his sidekick Helga really well, totally besotted with her commander and willing to do anything for him, and Peter Forsdyke was suitably bombastic as General Von Schmelling, barging in and upsetting all of their plans for post-war prosperity. We mustn’t forget the Italian contingent: Luke Brand was magnificently flamboyant as the womanising Capt. Alberto Bertorelli, always the first to put his foot in it. Last, but most definitely not least, was Ryan Richards as a very camp Lieut. Gruber. His actions, stance and facial expressions were beautifully observed and well maintained throughout, never taking it too far, and his comic timing was spot-on.

The costumes (especially the military uniforms) were superb, looking just right for the period, and the attention to detail extended even to the ladies’ 1940s’ hairstyles. Congratulations must go to Helen Dulake for sourcing what must have been a most bizarre props list – including a dead parrot, two inflatable Hitlers and a suspender belt with mousetraps attached! The lighting was cleverly designed, highlighting action on the extended stage but also showing the pianist when necessary. All of the actors wore head microphones and the sound quality was good, so there were no problems following what was happening.

I felt that, at times, the pace was rather laboured and there seemed to be some gaps between scenes, where we were just waiting for the actors to come on. It would have been nice to have used the on-stage pianist to bridge these gaps with some appropriate tunes. Also, some quiet background chatter from the people in the café would have added atmosphere – though there was some good crowd acting going on there – nicely understated.

It was a very enjoyable evening with some really good performances and nice directorial touches bringing this TV favourite back to life on the stage. Congratulations to everyone involved.

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