Half a Sixpence

Half a Sixpence, the musical, was originally based on the novel by HG Wells.  It was first performed on London stage in 1963 and adapted for film starring  the banjo playing, Tommy Steele 4 years later.  This was the new version by Warner Brown.  Stowmarket SODS had previously performed this in 1987 and were due to perform it again in 2020  when just a few weeks before it was due to open it had to be cancelled  due to the Pandemic.   Director Meryl was determined not to let all this hard work go to waste and she finally got her wish using most of the original main principals from the 2020 cast .   However she had to almost start again from scratch as the majority of the ensemble had changed. Well done to her for her determination to finally bring the show to the stage.

Mark Littlewood was Arthur Kipps, he maintained his character throughout the endless dialogue and numerous songs. Jess Ellis was Ann, his childhood sweetheart, she captured her warm and down to earth character well and kept up her accent throughout, including her songs. As time passes she misses Kipps and finds him working in a drapers shop, but when he comes into money she tells him she doesn’t want his riches, preferring a simple life.  Kipps falls in love, with Helen Walsingham  (Lauren Bunce) however she is well above his station and tries to help him to better himself to meet her mother’s high standards. Lesley Scott plays her mother (Mrs Walsingham)  who does not approve of this match. Lesley captures  the character of this snooty women beautifully as she bosses everyone around including her husband played by Paul Eggleston.  Once Kipps comes into money he is befriended by an actor and playright Henry Chitterlow (Callum Limer). Callum plays this eccentric character totally ‘over the top’ and with plenty of comedy.  The other main character is Mr Shalford (Peter Hawkes) who owns the Drapers shop.  A perfect cameo role for Peter in which he excelled both in appearance and characterisation.

This was a very large cast who gave us some great performances. All  were enthusiastic and energetic throughout all the scenes and the numerous songs  with some good harmonies and kept their audience well entertained. It was good to see a live 7 piece orchestra  who performed well under skillful hand of Simon Pulham. The choreography by Sarah Roberts was excellent and innovative, as was the standard of dancing.  I particularly liked the ball room scene with the waiters and waitresses as they wound their way through the cast, balancing their trays full of refreshments.  There was also a very good kick-line.  It was a pity that the space dictated that some of the cast were obscured during the larger chorus numbers making it often feel over crowded. This was partially overcome by constantly moving the backline forward in a kind of rotation which worked well and gave everyone equal opportunity.  Indeed since the Regal has had it’s modernisation there is not now a facility to have a front apron or an orchestra pit, which reduces the acting area and also means that the orchestra has to occupy valuable stage space.   However, the set was projected onto a backcloth  with both scenic pictures and dialogue  to assist the visual impact of all the various scene locations. This looked good and definitely helped to maximize the working area. The other items of set and props were efficiently moved by stage crew all costumed appropriately according to the scenes and by some of the cast,  mostly during continued activity onstage, which assisted in maintaining the pace throughout the production.

With such a large cast of over 40 members the costume department certainly had a mammoth task and were all sourced from the Society’s own costume store  with others being made as necessary. They all  fitted well  and looked very good and appropriate for the period.  The lighting was effective to enhance the mood of the scenes.

Congratulations to Director,  Meryl, and all the numerous cast and crew on a giving their appreciative audience a  fabulously entertaining  and enjoyable evening.

Catherine Dixey. NODA East District 12 Representative

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.