Made In Dagenham

It was fab to be back seeing SVMCC finally performing the long-awaited Made In Dagenham with music by David Arnold, lyrics by Richard Thomas and book by Richard Bean, this production having been delayed from April 2020 due to the Pandemic. Based on the 2010 film of the same name and inspired by the true events of the 1968 sewing-machinists strike at the Ford factory in Dagenham, Essex, when management downgraded their status to that of an unskilled worker, which in turn led to changes in legislation and the creation of the Equal Pay Act. 

The simple but effective set consisted of flats brought on/off by appropriately dressed stage crew and stairs leading up to a small, raised area upstage was used effectively by Director Babs Harrison to indicate different areas of the factory enabling the scene changes to be mainly efficient. The Cortina was printed onto a banner upstage which made sense on the smaller stage, but I felt that it lacked the impact of having a physical car. The lighting enhanced the action. However, the sound seemed to have some issues with distortion on the night I was there and when the scenes were staged on the raised area upstage dialogue was lost. I loved the 60’s fashion and hairstyles. Natasha Bennetts ably led the band and the choreography by Ella Parkinson and Jessica Hughes was generally strong throughout the production and very appropriate for stage size, period, and talents of the cast. A personal preference maybe but I felt that the ensemble choreography in Connie’s song “Same Old Story” distracted me a little taking away some of the impact from this emotive number.

There was a strong principal line up led by  Rita O’Grady and  Eddie her husband they both gave strong performances with good vocal and acting ability. Eddie’s rendition of “The Letter” a highlight for me.  Beryl delivered her lines with great comic timing. The girls - Sandra, Clare and Cass all performing their colourful characters to the full. Lisa developed her character beautifully throughout and husband Jeremy Hopkins was suitably oblivious of her needs. Connie and Monty portrayed their roles very well. Great acting also from Harold Wilson and Barbara Castle. The male ensemble coped well with their multi-roles, this musical really highlighting the way women were treated back in the 1960’s especially with language of the time when talking about their female employees. The female ensemble were very strong vocally and performed with great energy. I must mention those who playing the O’Grady children with a lovely enthusiasm.

Congratulations to everyone involved on a great performance.

These comments solely reflect the view of the Representative and can only relate to the performance seen.

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