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Bugsy Malone

Author: Tessa Davies

Information

Date
1st April 2017
Society
Dunmow Players
Venue
Foakes Hall, Dunmow
Type of Production
Youth Production
Director
Producer Peter Dedman - Director Iain Court
Musical Director
Iain Court
Choreographer
Abi Carsberg

This company has been recently relaunched and only started rehearsing in September for this production.   I recognised a few of the young people, even if they have grown a lot since I last saw them!  However, the majority of the cast consisted of new members, many with little experience of performing on stage.

So, given that proviso, I was impressed with the production.  Of course, some of the cast need to learn a bit more about the basics of performing on stage.   Some of these are vocal projection, including the audience in the dialogue, slowing down the speech (especially with an American accent) and making sure that the dialogue is well punctuated.  But all of this can be learnt and it is clear that the creative team intend to build on this going forward.  I am sure that they will achieve good results. 

The show was specifically written to be performed by children and it should, therefore, have a level of naivety that would not be expected of an adult cast.  It was a shame, therefore that the character of Tallulah was portrayed in the way that it was.  To be honest I was more than a little embarrassed by the adult nature of this particular performance.  The actress taking the role, Lucy Keys, is undoubtedly, talented and her performance would have worked well in another setting.  It just didn’t feel right alongside the younger children in the show.

Bugsy Malone, played by Henry Davis was good, especially as this was his first effort at a production outside school.  He had good stage presence, his diction was clear and directed towards the audience.  Fat Sam, played by Zach Willis is a difficult part for a young person to play.  It requires the character to be angry for a lot of the time, but shouting doesn’t always demonstrate anger.  When he projected normally, his performance was much stronger. 

Poppy Perry was a delight as Blousy Brown, I was just so disappointed that the hat she was given to wear shaded her face a lot of the time.  I know the character needs to wear the hat and coat for much of the time, so a hat with a smaller brim would have given us the opportunity to see her face.  She has a great voice and her rendition of Ordinary Fool was beautiful.   It is not an easy song to sing and she did it with terrific style and confidence.  Dandy Dan, played by Ollie Brown was a bit hit and miss in his character.  Sometimes it was spot on, others it wasn’t quite as strong.  Learning to maintain a character throughout the full length of a show isn’t easy and I am sure that Ollie will develop this skill further as he continues to work with the group.

Oscar Murray has a lovely voice and his rendition of Tomorrow, was excellent.  I look forward to hearing him perform again.  Eddie Davis was terrific as Knuckles, he kept the group together in the singing and, the last time I saw him perform he was about half the height he is now!  He has great stage presence and I look forward to seeing him in another production soon.  One other performer I want to mention is Richard Aspinall, I remember when Richard first started on stage with the Dunmow Players and I was impressed by how well he has developed.  Well done!

Unfortunately, it is just not possible to mention everyone in the cast but I will say that every single performer worked their socks off to produce the best performance they could and this was really enjoyed by the appreciative audience.

Choreographer Abi Carsberg created dances that were simple and within the cast’s capabilities.  Far better to have simple choreography, well done, than complicated choreography that didn’t quite work.

The scenery was simple, although that set of steps up the centre of the stage was quite tricky for the cast to climb!   I was especially worried when Lucy was negotiating them in those heels!   I know it is a small stage at the Foakes Hall, and that it is difficult to create a good ‘scene’.  The upper level was particularly high, could it, perhaps, have been slightly lower?  I don’t know what the technical issues might have been but a lot of the action up there was lost.

It’s three years since I have seen a youth production with Dunmow Players and it was a great pleasure to be invited to review this one.  I hope I am invited back again to see how the cast are progressing.

I really enjoyed the production and I particularly enjoyed seeing how some of the longer serving members have developed.

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