Half a Sixpence

Everyone's favourite H.G. Wells inspired musical (we await St Cuthbert's version of Jeff Wayne's 'War of the Worlds' with bated breath...) hit the boards with gusto in this colourful production which fairly flew along to the delight of a packed house on a Friday night. Something of a forgotten gem, this musical transports us back to the age before angst-ridden musicals needed performers to wail self importantly while clutching at at the air, their furrowed brows competing with the scenery and special effects for the audience's attention. A simple tale well told with some tuneful music, 'Half a Sixpence' tells the rags to riches (and back again) story of Arthur Kipps and his romantic misadventures. In an interesting examination of Edwardian mores and the British class system, Kipps finds himself caught in social limbo: too rich for the working class he's been elevated from, yet too vulgar to be accepted by the upper reaches of the middle class world which his wealth has catapulted him into. Will he stick with his childhood sweetheart from the lower orders, or will his head be turned by the charms of his new wealthier lady friend? By the end of the (rather long) show, we find out that the course of true love love doesn't run smooth for Kipps but, in the finest tradition of the old fashioned musical, it does inevitably run true.

 The role of Arthur Kipps is pivotal in this show and he hardly leaves the stage for the duration of the lengthy running time. The focus of every scene in the show, the role demands a performer of indefatigable spirit; fortunately, St Cuthbert's were blessed with the presence of Blue Blezard who took the role by both hands and - fortunately - only very occasionally looked like he was going to strangle it to death. Boundless energy and endlessly enthusiastic, Blue made a cracking job of keeping the show on the road all evening, throwing himself into each scene with aplomb. I could have done with a little less lapel clutching (it got irritating very quickly and it went on all night!) and a toning down of the Norman Wisdom antics from time to time too but that said, Kipps as a character is made for that kind of larger than life interpretation and Blue did a great job of keeping the show moving along. There was an exuberant spirit abroad which really lifted the production and Kipps was the generator which kept the whole show ticking along: well done Blue. Kipps' pals from the shop were a similarly youthful brigade, each bringing their different personalities to their respective roles. Elliot Griffiths stood out particularly as a superbly lugubrious Buggins, Karl Pilkington was an amiable Pearce and Blake Morris seemed to inject a touch of Russell Brand into misguided socialist Sid. Similarly, the shop girls Flo, Victoria, Kate and Emma were all very bright and breezy in the hands of Helen Pollard, Marina Monk, Ellie Stuttard and Laura Wilkinson. All of the shop boys and girls excelled throughout the show, really throwing themselves into each musical routine with gusto. I also enjoyed John MacNabb's interpretation of Mr Shalford: usually portrayed as an out and out Dickensian villain, John suggested a real character behind the blustering shop owner's stuffed shirt. John did a very good job of hinting at a more gently humorous and paternal side to Mr Shalford which although very well buried, was nevertheless present below the surface: a multifaceted and carefully considered performance here, well done. Having played the part myself a couple of times, I always wondered about the pronunciation of 'Shalford' (is the 'a' in 'Shalford' to be pronounced as the 'a' in 'swallow' or 'shallow'?) and it would appear my confusion was shared by the characters on stage here; half the cast tried one way, half the cast preferred the other and one or two switched between the two just for good measure! Mr (however one pronounces it) Shalford's partner in misery at the shop - the underling Carshot  - was also nicely played with a suitably slimy sycophancy by Jason Morris.

 Kipps' inamorata Ann was a very breezy creation in the hands of Hayley Watson-Reid; every inch the brassy parlourmaid! Hayley's fine, clear vocal tone made nice work of Ann's musical numbers and she and Kipps made a perfect couple with two very well matched performances from Hayley and Blue. Hayley's performance was a considered and mature take on the character and was a pleasure to see and to hear.  Chitterlow was brought to life magnificently by Robin Reid who did a great job of injecting a believable dimension to the boozy thespian with great style! A veritable whirlwind - Biff! The Walsingham clan, headed by the formidable Heather Nicholas (who approached the character as a nuclear powered Lady Bracknell with a PhD in snobbery) who added to her long list of superb character roles with another majestic performance. The rival for Kipps' affections, demure Helen Walsingham, was also adroitly played by Marcia Turner. This is something of a tricky role to pull off as Helen's role in the plot is a divisive one yet at the same time, must retain the audience's sympathy until the closing stages of the show: Marcia did a splendid job of playing the part just right. Heath Stockburn was an oily Young Walsingham and Anne Reid did a great job as the sniffily insulting Mrs Botting. Among the smaller roles, Jennifer Pollard's woodcraft student made an especially amusing mark on proceedings: Jennifer's Dickensian cameo sparkled brightly in her brief moment on the stage and proved that the mark of a good society is the care that is shown across the board with performances, rather than leaving one or two 'leading lights' to carry the whole production.

This was a technically smooth production, with scene changes (and there are a lot of them!) flowing nicely, scenery which looked the part, a set of rather sumptuous costumes which looked very impressive throughout and lighting which enhanced the look of each scene. I always admire the understated way in which the society just get on with each production and take the enormous amount of hard work needed to put on a show in their stride: all at St Cuthbert's deserve our respect and admiration for their level-headed, inclusive and hard working approach to amateur theatre.

'Half a Sixpence' is a show which can drag interminably if not handled properly - one twee little scene following hot on the heels of another, each seeming to follow the same pattern (and all too often, rounded off in a rather perfunctory fashion by a jolly sing-along) - but it is to the society's credit that the evening ran smoothly and swiftly. A number of excellent routines were choreographed to perfection and helped to move the drama along (rather than being exercises in clomping about to kill a few minutes while the tune runs out of steam.) Even the soul-deadening 'Flash Bang Wallop' - that charmless, wailing banshee of a song which never knows when enough is enough - was given a rather nifty routine to help assuage the pain, with Blue's enthusiastic performance leading the troupe in fine style too. One of the problems I have with the show is that too many of the musical numbers are rather too similar in their 'conveyor belt' approach to relentless jollity: 'Money to Burn', 'The Party's on the House', 'All in the Cause of Economy', 'Flash Bang Wallop' all have an air of coming from the same mould (the mould marked 'Forced Enjoyment') but it is to the credit of the production team that each scene was distinct enough to stand on its own and offer something different. Even the show's unsatisfying conclusion was glossed over and we were given a feel-good finale which didn't outstay it's welcome. This was a production which offered a new look of a hit show of yesteryear and did so in fine style, providing an evening of old fashioned theatrical entertainment in a heartwarmingly old fashioned way. My thanks and congratulations to all at St Cuthbert's for a great evening and a very warm welcome.

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