Made in Dagenham

‘Stand Up and Change The World’…Would that we could! But these girls could and did! Lowestoft Players brought the classic tale of equality and equal pay to life at The Bethel . With a vibrant show supported by superb state of the art digital graphics and technical wizardry the tale took on a whole new dimension. Maybe this is Am Dram (or any dram!) for the future or at least for those fortunate to afford the luxury of set changing by computer! The whole spectacle was enhanced by visual and technical scene changes at the press of a button. Ok there were still humans with a finger on that button, and some grafting away backstage but what a difference it made. You can only admire the risk of the investment that makes this possible, but audiences recognise quality shows when they see them and the Players certainly deliver on that front! Oh yes, we also had a superb performance from Lauren Major as Rita O’Grady and Stephen Clarke as her husband Eddie.They were a typical married couple of the time and gelled wonderfully together both in role and in vocal singing delivery even though they nearly broke up as a result of Rita’s ongoing ambitions to fight the cause to the bitter end! You just believed in every nuance of their personal dilemmas. They really warmed to the task and our belief in them never wavered…Add the bevy of various ‘ordinary’ factory workers, each one different, and they came together to indeed ‘change the World’. A strong mention for Anna Croft as Beryl with a wonderful vocabulary of the vernacular, bringing a real touch of humour to the proceedings! On the receiving end was Apprentice Barry (Thomas Major) who showed the embarrassment and naivety which was the lot of most apprentices in those days (so much for equality eh!?). He also clearly enjoyed his car ride and great song as Cortina Man! Great support from a strong trio of fellow factory machinists , Rita’s friend, Sandra Beaumont (Bethany Lewis), Clare ( Claire Clarke), Cass (Hazel Cole). Of course they needed a little help and that came in the form of Pat Creegan as Shop Steward and major player who certainly gained our sympathies as she battled both with her health and her belief in the cause! Her death brought tears to the eyes of Monty, Stephen Wilson who as NUVB Union Convenor showed he had a soft side and created a real moment of empathy with the audience (also a few tears!). We had a superb and well considered cameo from Martin Wilson as the irascible Harold Wilson, Prime Minister of the time, complete with Pipe and Gannex raincoat! He was matched in the memory stakes by Judi Mars as Barbara Castle who showed just the right amount of strength as a politician who took up the cudgels in support of the girls! She was every inch that woman! We had Chris Penn as an obnoxious Managing Director with little understanding or indeed empathy which made the unlikely support for the girls from his wife Lisa (Louise Hay) all the more poignant, she showed her true metal in a well delivered cameo. A trio of characters fell to Matthew Canwell, Bill, Union Sop Steward , Chubby Chuff, a flamboyant night club DJ and perhaps most memorably, complete with cowboy Stetson, the arrogant and none too likeable US Ford Exec Mr Tooley, not sure which he enjoyed most but all were performed with relish! A hapless bunch of men (sorry guys!) of varying supporting roles, James Atkin as frustrated Production Manger, Peter Simmon as a sexist Personnel Manager, Ben Norman as Sid and Gerald Wilson as Stan all added an almost unrepresented male influence on proceedings. The strong ensemble of factory workers, certainly ‘brushed up’ well for their dance numbers in Act 2. Vocals were of a high standard in the well choreographed production numbers each and every one of this cast were ‘on song’ throughout. ‘Simply the Best!’

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