Made in Dagenham

I received a warm welcome at The Queens Theatre, from Shenfield Operatic Society. I was very appreciative that Caroline had emailed me during the early evening to warn me of heavy traffic. I like the venue at Hornchurch, it’s a great building and a lovely auditorium with a good clear view from all the seats. The set was clever with levels representing different locations throughout the play. In the centre were large industrial looking doors that were used for the Ford factory.  

The play began with an introduction to the life of the main character Rita O’Grady, played by Louise Byrne; Rita is a woman of her time, managing family and work and seemingly quite content with her life. Louise played Rita really well, she was instantly likeable, with great diction and a singing voice with wonderful tone. Eddie O’Grady, Rita’s husband, was played by Simon Bristoe, an equally believable character, he portrays a kind hearted man who works hard for the family he loves. Simon also had a strong voice and the relationship of the couple with its ups and downs was held throughout the play. The O’Grady children were played by Tobias and Eliza-Belle Barton. They were confident and secure characters, both with good voices. I particularly enjoyed Tobias’s performance in the school.  

In the opening number the ensemble looked great in their period costumes, the choreography was good, as it was all through the show, and the music was fabulous. The voices were consistently good with clear harmonies and incidentals.  

We are introduced to more of the cast when Rita and Eddie go to work at Ford at Dagenham. Eddie is a Dagenham boy on the assembly line and Rita a Dagenham girl machining car seats.  The girls in the assembly are Rita’s friends and each of them had clear characterisation. Sandra was the glamorous, flirty friend played by Jess Pether, Clare was played by Sarah Porter and she was a giggly, dim friend who had trouble vocalising how she felt much to the amusement of the audience. Cass was the clever one with aspirations to be an airline pilot played by Maisie Threadgold-Smith and Beryl was the brash, foul-mouthed friend played brilliantly by Mandi Threadgold.  

In the Factory the union steward Monty was played by Martin Harris and the shop steward, Connie, played by Diane Hills. Diane’s rendition of ‘Same old Story’ demonstrated great acting skills and a beautiful voice. 

The plot reflects real life events of 1968 when the women of Ford strike for equal pay and how Rita reluctantly takes on the role of representing the women at the Trade Union Conference when Connie is struck down with cancer. Although this responsibility has a detrimental effect on her family, Rita is strong and helps influence the Unions and the Labour Government resulting in the Equal Pay Act of 1970.  

There are so many nuances in the relationships, some great interactions and some fabulous performances that there are too many to mention. The loyalty between friends, the missed opportunities and the power dynamic between men and women. 

Rita makes a friend in the wife of the factory boss and is encouraged to be the voice for all women because of that relationship. This relationship is established in the school that their sons are attending and they unite over the way their sons are being treated there. This is another example of both the strength of the women, and the misogynistic nature of the establishment. Gemma Ackred portrays Lisa Hopkins (the MD’s wife) well, with a well observed character.  

‘This is America’ was our introduction to Tooley, the US Executive. This number saw David Pridige lead the ensemble with American soldiers with guns, Cheerleaders, a marching band and a backdrop of a huge American flag. The American executive plots to stop the women from succeeding in their strike action by laying off the men at Dagenham, putting pressure on Eddie and his friends.  

There is also the launch of the new Ford Cortina and Sandra is lured into modelling by the offer of money putting the cause of the women at risk.  

Jamie Fudge plays both Harold Wilson and Chubby Chuff, the club comedian, and displays some great characterisation in both roles. Kerry Cooke plays Barbara Castle with great characterisation and a strong clear voice. The politicians are well observed and although they were ostensibly comedy characters, the irony of the power they held during that time in our history, and their human attributes is stark. There are parallels between the political climate of the late sixties and seventies Britain and today; people are struggling to pay their bills and strikes are frequent but now due to the sacrifices of people like Connie and Rita women have equal rights. 

We laughed at the sexism displayed by the personnel director (Jon Keeler) and the discussions of the production managers in the factory but actually this was real life, in living history, and just a few miles from where this play was being performed.  

Every character looked and sounded great, their accents were those Essex accents that were heard in the sixties and the characters could easily be our friends and relations. 

At the end of the play Eddie and Rita are reconciled and we see a woman who has managed to change the course of history and has bridged gaps in politics, class and in love.  

Technically, scene changes were slick and many were covered by clever choreography linking scenes, Lighting was good. There were some hiccups with microphone pick-ups and I did wonder why the smoke machine was used so frequently.  

On the whole, I left the theatre entertained, impressed by the musicality of the cast and crew and feeling proud of the characters who changed our country for the better. Thank you for inviting me to see this show, Shenfield is a group of very talented performers and I wish you success in your future productions.

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