Cockneys and Cowboys

This compilation show, based on its two themes, made for a lovely evening's entertainment.

Cockneys was set in the East End, with the silhouette of St Paul's in the background, in eras broadly between Victorian times (Who Will Buy from Oliver!) to Noel Coward's delightful patriotic anthem from the Blitz years (London Pride), giving the opportunity for a wide variety of pieces from the comic - Please Don't Touch My Plums and The Marrow Song (Oh What a Beauty!) - to the romantic (Leaning on a Lamp being one example). There were some very nice performances from John McIntyre who bemaoned his Policeman's Lot, Carol and Peter Haynes (Maybe It's Because I'm a Londoner) and Miranda Simms as Burlington Bertie. I was especially taken by The Old Bazaar in Cairo which was accompanied by an excellent performance of the sand dance by Bradley Westley, Katie Andrews and Georgia Westley. Steve Kelly was our able guide to proceedings and Cockney rhyming slang.

I found Cowboys a bit less satisfying. I'm not sure why but, whilst there were some very proficient and consistent accents to be heard, my own feeling was that they sometimes interfered with clear diction. That said, there was much to enjoy in this half. The scene was set in a Western saloon - again very attractively presented by Shaun Johnston and his team. And once again a wide variety of pieces were included. High points were Spencer Hawkes in drag as Francis Fryer from Calamity Jane, a lovely mime of Running Bear and a soulful Colours of the Wind by Annemarie McDonald. And I liked Kath Geeves and Chris Doherty's comical chat.

Of course, other soloists and the whole ensemble - too many to mention - are to be commended for their work.

There was a lot of dancing in this show - including ballet, tap and the sand dance - and Georgia Westley is to be congratulated on her work in producing this in a relatively small space.With a cast of almost 40, finding two sets of appropriate costumes was a challenge ably met by Costume Manager Dianne Betts. A quartet led by MD Dinah Stevenson ensured that the dots were all present and correct. And sound and lighting matters were dealt with efficiently by Steve Westley and his team.

One concern was that the stage was sometimes over full but that said director Steve Lack created some fine 'pictures' to frame the songs. Congratulations Steve and team for producing such an entertaining show.   

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