Mack and Mabel
Information
- Date
- 15th November 2012
- Society
- GEMS (Gravesend Entertainment & Musical Society)
- Venue
- Woodville Hall,Gravesend
- Type of Production
- Musical
- Director
- Debra Harold
- Musical Director
- Maria Penfold-Watson
- Choreographer
- Paula Gosnell
I promise you a happy ending …but we didn’t…But we had an excellent orchestra to start with, just wonderfully conducted by Musical Director Maria Penfold-Watson. Mack and Mabel tells the true life story of silent movie director Mack Sennett (Tony Harold)and his turbulent romance with Brooklyn waitress/actress, Mabel Normand.(Emily Clark) Mack and Mabel also tells the story of the bumpy history of Sennett’s movie company, Keystone Pictures. Director Debra Harold had a huge task on her hands directing Mack and Mabel for GEMS with so many montages of set comedy. Her cast was chosen well and carried the show through these montages, which I thought should be faster and not looking as if they had been rehearsed. Tony Harold as head of this cast of about 18 performers. His tone was pleasant and telling us the story of his life, Tony did with ease, but romantically with Mabel there wasn’t any chemistry, but this is a huge part and Tony carried it off adequately. Emily Clare as Mabel Norman has a nice singing voice, and good acting ability. I felt that when playing a real person that has lived, one needs to study that person and Mabel Norman wasn’t blond. Over all I felt that some hair styles and some costumes were not to period. Movement by chorographer Paula Gosnell executed well by the young dancers especially in “Tap your troubles away” fronted by Lucy-Rae Tamuleviouis as Lotte. Supporting players were. Paul Smith provided us with a jolly Fatty and Peter Sinclair-Osenton a down trodden Frank. The musical numbers, are delightful, full of Jerry Herman’s melodic trate. Songs include the poignant “I Won’t Send Roses” and “Time Heals Everything”, along with the upbeat “Tap Your Troubles Away” and “Look What Happened To Mabel. Props were of a very good standard as were the programmes and posters. Thank you GEMS and congratulations on your hundredth year, which is a massive achievement in this day and age, and I wish you many many more.
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