Honk!

Honk! is a wonderfully heart-warming musical based on the old Hans Christian Anderson story of The Ugly Duckling. The British song writing duo of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe have cleverly combined Drewe’s multi-level dialogue and Stiles’ catchy tunes into a colourful rite-of-passage story which celebrates the wonder of being different and the importance of inclusion and acceptance.

The simple, brightly coloured set had a cartoon quality to it, and was just the thing for the relatively small stage. The cast and stage crew efficiently added or removed further scenery and props to change scenes, meaning the story moved along at a good pace. Lee Stoddart’s lighting created the atmosphere perfectly in every scene, despite the difficulty blacking out the hall, and the colourful costumes, wigs and makeup completed the picture. Each costume cleverly identified the animal being depicted and I was particularly impressed by sea of green achieved in the “Warts and All” scene. I dread to think how big the costume budget was! Ben Dulake’s sound design got the balance between band and cast just about right. The use of head mics meant we heard (almost) every word, even from the smallest voices - important when some of the dialogue is underscored.

Matt Hoff (MD for the show) and Tim Wagter did a great job on the keyboards, really bringing the music to life. Steve Dunster and Lou Bundy had already schooled the singers well, getting the most out of the vocal harmonies – always this group’s forte. The big company numbers, “The Elegy” and “Look at him” were a real pleasure to listen to. Choreographers Ian Clark and Emily Dulake had obviously drilled the cast well – all movement was well executed and filled the stage and apron.

The story opens in the farmyard with Drake and Ida waiting for their new brood to hatch. Ryan Richards’ Drake was a kindly, but slightly hopeless father while Hayley Wilson’s Ida was a strong and determined mother. Both sang beautifully and convincingly. Maisy Wallace was outstanding as their ungainly offspring, Ugly. She acted and sang well and completely held our attention all the time she was on stage – i.e., most of the time. The Blue Team of children (Amy, Cara, Isabelle and Fraser) made charming and cheeky ducklings and were obviously enjoying every minute, as did the rest of the Red ensemble, filling the stage with their colourful antics. I am told that the Red team did equally well.

Johanna Whatmore excelled as Cat – her actions, accent, acting and singing all spot-on. Greylag and Dot (Gerry Hayden and Tricia Roberts, assisted by Olivia, Alec, Alec and Mackenzie) made the “Wild Goose Chase” the highlight of act 1, while Lowbutt and Queenie (Samantha Spivey and Megan Lawrence-Brand) really stole the show in act 2. Sophie Dulake made Maureen nicely nosey and interfering while Mandy Clowes gave Grace the calm and serious nature her name implies.

The well-produced and colourful programme was full of information about the two societies, the cast, and the creatives. I particularly liked the inclusion of messages to the cast.

It was an inspired decision for Curtain Up! Productions to collaborate with South Downe Stage School because while the youngsters contributed a lot of magic to the production, the adults added the necessary gravitas. Experienced Director Ian Clark has brought his own unique style and humour to the show and, together with skilled choreographer Emily Dulake, they have forged the two companies into one cohesive unit to produce a fabulous piece of entertainment – and what a delightful and uplifting evening it was! I hope there will be more collaborations between these two groups in the future.

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