Mack & Mabel

"Mack & Mabel" the musical written by Michael Stewart and music by Jerry Herman has had a patchy history. Poor success on Broadway - running for only sixty six performances - and a limited West End run in 1995, has given cause for the show to be rewritten a number of times in an effort to achieve more audience appeal. 

However, tonight's performance certainly appealed to the audience in Lochgelly Theatre!  From the very first note of one of my favourite overtures, played by an excellent band in the very safe hands of Suzanne Stewart, we could tell we were in for an evening of first class musical theatre.   

The show is narrated by Mack (Mark Grieve) who looks back over a twenty year love story, as he came to meet and then lose his leading lady, Mabel Normand. Mark's performance as silent movie director Mack Sennet was outstanding, with clear dialogue and superb singing throughout. This was complemented by Pauline McGeever's portrayal of Mabel Normand. Again, first class acting and singing brought to us the sad story of the young girl actress slowly maturing in to a an elegant woman with a mind of her own, and finally declining into a drink and drug fuelled dependency in her mid thirties. 

Skilled support came from Laura Campbell as Lottie Ames and Andrew Gardiner as Fatty Arbuckle.  These, together with Ali Fleming as Kessel, Kevin Keir as Baumann and Craig Tait as Frank Wyman, all gave great performances, which in no small way enhanced the pace and energy exuded by the enthusiastic chorus in big show stopping numbers including "Big Time", "Hundreds of Girls" and "Tap Your Troubles Away", the last of these given first class choreographic treatment by Elinor Burns.

With it's diversity of scenic locations, this show can be a bit of a Director's nightmare, however, with the use of backcloths and minimalist set, Director, Margaret Paul, managed to keep the show moving, and reduce the "downtime" between scenes as much as possible. Technically, a little bit more general light would have been nice on most of the scenes, but this is a small point.  Sound was excellent throughout, and costuming was entirely in period. Attention to hair and makeup was the icing on the cake.

Congratulations to LADAMA for choosing a show which is not performed frequently nowadays, and for working through initial problems, culminating in a perfectly enjoyable evening of musical theatre.

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