H.M.S. Pinafore

The expression “The show must go on” once again resonated this time, on my first visit to Kington, when 15 minutes before the opening night, the fire alarm sounded and we were all evacuated to the carpark awaiting the fire service who attended to a smoking boiler in the boiler room at Lady Hawkins School and Leisure Centre. The first night remained in doubt until and fortunately the all clear was given and the first performance commenced after a 35-minute delay. Not before I should add, the cast warmed up in the carpark entertaining us with a ‘A Policeman’s lot is not a happy one‘ from ‘The Pirates of Penzance’, to a round of applause!

As the production commenced one could not fail to be impressed with the richly painted back-cloth depicting on board ship and with three steps up to a platform the set was simple but effective. The sailors entered and gave a rousing start with ‘We sail the ocean blue’ and by the time we met the principals and ladies chorus it was clear this was a very well-dressed show. This production also proved you don’t need a full orchestra and sound desk, and that with just a talented pianist with the occasional addition of a recorder from the conductor / MD behind a small screen, the result was clarity of words.

I won’t summarise the well-known story here, but when ‘Little Buttercup’ played by Karen Spooner who sang well throughout, sang her Act 2 number with the ‘Captain’, ‘Things are seldom what they seem’, it set the scene for when revealing her ‘long concealed crime’. In fact, stage presence and good principal voices were a trade mark of this production; from ‘Dick Deadeye’ (Frank Banks),  ‘Captain Corcoran’ (Steve Hollinghust) and  ‘Sir Joseph Porter K.C.B.’ (Jim Smith), all three of which also had great diction. Russell Painter as ‘Ralph Rackstraw’ had a particularly strong voice which also supported the men’s chorus well.

Abigail Hollinghurst as ‘Josephine’ tackled some difficult numbers well. Abigail gave a sweet performance and I liked her asides to the audience. Jess Squire as ‘Hebe’ also sang well and good support was provided by Tim Hollinghurst (‘Bosun’) and John Beesley (‘Carpenter’). The ladies and gentlemen of the chorus all gave a committed performance, which culminated  in a resounding finale ‘Oh joy, oh rapture unforeseen’.

I would like to thank the Society for a warm welcome to my first production at Kington, directed by Lynne Owens, which the audience enjoyed and I did too.

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