Kipps the Musical

KIPPS ZOOMS IN

Many of us have enjoyed watching productions streamed from various theatres over the last few weeks, thereby going some way towards satisfying our theatrical needs and providing some relief from any withdrawal symptoms. These were, of course, recordings of previous productions but none have been able to show us what we have missed by the cancellation of shows still in preparation.

Never a Society to sit back and allow a mere virus to destroy their plans completely,  members of Harrogate Operatic Players put together a “virtual” performance of “Kipps, the Musical” at one of their regular Tuesday “zoom” meetings and I was privileged to be invited to “attend” on the night which should have seen their Dress Rehearsal.  At the start we were invited to buy our programme and, yes, a limited number of these have been published; despite having the rarity of an Edward VIII Coronation mug, they may still appear in this year’s NODA Programme Competition as the Society seeks to repeat its success in 2019.

Something of a Luddite as regards technology, I could not help but be quite flabbergasted at the way in which the whole thing progressed.  After being summoned to join the audience already seated in a well-populated Harrogate Theatre, we saw the curtain (the first of many pieces of artwork) rise more smoothly than is sometimes the case with the real thing to reveal an opening scene which featured Kipps and Ann as children.  Through the foresight of some more perspicacious members of cast and crew, many of the rehearsals had been recorded and it was these which provided much of the content of the evening’s entertainment. Dialogue, however, was mainly “live” from each artist’s home as were many of the musical numbers, sometimes to the accompaniment of the original cast CD but on other occasions using recordings from a rehearsal.  Throughout we had ever-changing sketches of the set, with accompanying stage directions, and such attention to detail that these even reflected entrances and exits of various characters.  

The cast would probably be the first to tell us that their rehearsals had been interrupted in their comparatively early days and so we should not dwell for too long on the standard of their performances.  Nevertheless it was clear that Michael Kirkby (Director) and Jim Lunt (in his debut  with this Society as Musical Director) were putting together what would have been a fine production.  Rich Hawley was shaping up to be a good Kipps, already acquiring the necessary banjo skills on an instrument purchased especially for him from its Sunderland owner after much research.  Nina Logue, seemingly having forgotten all she learned as Eliza from Henry Higgins in last year’s “My Fair Lady”, reverted to her Cockney style and would doubtless have made a similar success of her role as Ann.  I particularly enjoyed her duet with Phoebe Haley (Flo) whilst another newcomer to the Society, Elisha Ainsley, impressed me with all the necessary upper class style as Helen Walsingham.  The casting of Christine Littlewood (Mrs. Walsingham) and Christine Castle (Lady Punnet) enabled them to show their considerable experience in the delivery of their lines and the same was true of Chris Cowling as Chitterlow.  The three shop boys, Dan Stanford, Rob Hastings and Harry Howell, were obviously beginning to form a useful partnership.        

That this “virtual” event was possible was due to much hard work by Steve Graham, who had also constructed a superb vintage camera for the “Flash, bang, wallop” number,  Cathy Hellas and especially Clare Pascall with their graphics of scenery and editing of the various component parts to give the finished product such a professional appearance.  It would be good to see it all for real at a later date but I know the members are looking forward to their production of “Kinky Boots- the Musical” in 2021. They have already started to practise in suitable footwear at another of their Tuesday “gatherings”, which have proved a lovely way of keeping their members together in these difficult times.  This “virtual performance” was, however, like Chitterlow’s play which saves the day in the Kipps story, an outstanding success.                                

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