Bugsy Malone

Let’s be honest, in the absence of sporadic, soapy, spume-filled slaughterings the plot of Bugsy Malone is thinner than a gangster’s alibi.  The fact that one of the best songs in the show, Tomorrow, is delivered by an almost incidental character, Fizzy, and that the major protagonists, Fat Sam and Dandy Dan, sing nothing at all is also rather curious. Nevertheless, Bugsy Malone provides a vehicle for young singers, dancers and actors of all ages to have fun while experiencing musical theatre. The ensemble numbers were lustily sung and the choreography both fun and age appropriate. The flappers were beautifully costumed and the blonde wigs provided a uniformity as well as locating the action in the 1920s.  The use of a raised platform for Fat Sam’s office was a clever way to provide a distinct acting area for several scenes and the location of Fat Sam’s band at the back of the stage was, I suspect, a pragmatic and suitable response to the perennial question of where to put the musicians.

Matt Scott was a very likeable Bugsy Malone who provided the narrative glue throughout the show. Rose Gowen’s Blousey Brown had a lovely voice and accent and displayed a vulnerability despite her tough words. Lizzy Newsome was a very confident Tallulah whose main song was strongly delivered.  I did like Fizzy’s (Ore Kane) Tomorrow, pitched a bit low for young people I think, while Devran Arslan and Aaron Bell as Fat Sam and Dandy Dan came across well as the gangster protagonists. If I could offer a word of constructive comment for all principals, it is the need to slow down the dialogue and think about what are the key words and ideas to get across to the audience. Sometimes dialogue is rushed and it can come across a little jumbled.  However, audibility, or the volume of sound, was generally very good and the balance of band vs cast was also good.

It is always a logistical triumph to accommodate so many young people (42 I believe) in a show but to do so at the Cramphorn Theatre is an additional challenge. Entries and exits can take a while and Offspringers made it harder by spraying the stage with foam at regular intervals, making it slippery underfoot, with the walkdowns at the end proving particularly treacherous. However, these outpourings of splurge from the splurge guns and from the foam pies were a major contributor to the fun as well as the plot. The cast clearly had fun and the audience did too. Congratulations to all.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.