Dad's Army

A fitting tribute to the seventy fifth Anniversary of the D-Day Landings. Based on episodes of the classic BBC series by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, we were treated to three part episodes with all the wit, resilience and comedy you would expect from such gifted writers.

Dad's Army encompasses the grass roots, never give up, mend and make do attitude of the era, a ragtag bunch of people brought together by adversity, trying to keep daily life as normal as possible while the world around them has seemingly gone to pot.

Ian Bowen as Captain Mainwaring had an unenviable task of masses of dialogue to learn in a very short time which at times did escape him but on the whole a very worthy portrayal.

The mainstay of the troops should definitely be mentioned in dispatches, Sergeant Wilson, Lance Corporal Jones, Private Frazer, Private Godfrey Private Pike and Private Walker, respectively and collectively Neil Norman, Matthew Wright, Rob Mincher, Dennis Abbott Jason Whitehurst and Jason Greenwood, were astonishing facsimiles in their character portrayals, the facial tics, the subtle nuances, the endearing personality traits brought back the warm fuzzy feeling they created watching these much loved characters over the many years they were on air.

The rest of the cast also came up trumps, weaving their roles around this quintisential British War time comedy, David Wild's infamous U-Boat Captain; Tracy Labron's Mrs Pike; Ann Wislett as Mrs Fox; Nichola Abbott as Mrs Gray; Mike Duckworth's Private Cheeseman; Chris Povey as Chief Warden Hodges, Ivy Stanways and Porter; Bob Whitehouse as Mr Yeatman; Tim Clegg as Colonel, Waiter and Vicar. All should be commended on “doing their bit” for King, Country and Stone Revellers.

Good set allowed for the various scenes to flow, lighting and sound worked well in the context of the show. Uniquely to Stone this performace comes with a Fish and Chip supper after the wonderful photograph finish to Act One. This added to the camaraderie of the event similarly with the “keep your spirits up” sing along of well known war songs. I think I can safely say without fear of “loose lipping” the audience, ourselves included, had a wonderfly nostaglic and entertaining evening.

I must say in the nicest of ways possible at times parts of the show came across as almost shambolic, this could be down to the tight time frame the Revellers made for themselves after the excellent slick Wedding Singer. That said the way it was handled by the skilled cast made it all seem part of the Home Guards bumbling approach which meant it was swiftly forgiven.

I must compliment the casting of the show, the well known characters from the Warmington-on-Sea Home Guard must be etched on everyone's memory, just as Stone Revellers nailed the casting with their 2016 Father Ted production, once again it was spot on.

Around two months since their last show, The Wedding Singer, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly some shows can be turned around. That said I think another week would have cemented a better-drilled outcome.

 

 

 

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