"Dad's Army"

Thank you for inviting us to this production. Gillian and I thoroughly enjoyed it. "Dad's Army" is still being shown on primetime TV attracting sizeable audiences and thereby introducing younger people to the wit and wisdom instilled in it.  As well as introducing them to the phlegm shown by the volunteer soldiers standing alone against the very real threat of invasion by the Nazis, the lessons the text contains, subtly slipped into the plot, are there for the taking and make those of us willing listen and watch proud to be British. 

It is against this background that societies bring these well-known episodes to the live stage. The trick is not to embellish in any way the characters we all know so well. Likewise, it would be foolish to cast actors that looked dissimilar to those we have called our friends for over 40 years. Stephen Woods had stuck to this and clearly was in tune with the material he was working with. His direction was clear and unobtrusive. He respected the themes of the show and did not seek to overplay it. At times I have to say sometimes it was a little underplayed. The iconic line "Don't tell him, Pike" for example was thrown away. A pity as it should have attracted a round of applause. But that is a very small point for this reviewer to clutch at something perhaps not so positive to say about this well-rounded show that mirrored the integrity of the subject matter.

Captain Mainwaring played by Darren Brierley could have been taken for Arthur Lowe. This is both important and unimportant. Darren was never tempted to over-egg this crucial role. His performance was one of respect for Mr. Lowe's inimitable characterisation. There I have said inimitable but that is what the whole show is  - a gentle imitation. It would be silly to mention all the players by name but allow me to congratulate each and every one of them. This was a well-drilled team, (no pun intended), that brought out the humour and silliness to perfection. Remember these men and women were just one clang of the church bells away from attack from a ferocious ruthless enemy.  

The set was one of the best I have seen on any stage. The attention to detail was first class. Congratulations to Paul Ashworth and his team of carpenters and painters. The final play, that of the Floral Dance was very moving. Here we see a group of diverse British folk singing a daft ditty in defiance of Hilter. The emotion it evoked in the audience or those of a certain age was tangible. Much of the appeal of the original TV show stems from the lack of satire, yet somehow it manages, due to exemplary writing, to go just so far to poking a mild smile at these characters who encapsulate all we instinctively love about the British character and ethos. This show echoed this brilliantly. Well done.

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