Made In Dagenham

It’s not very often that I’ve felt the need to begin a show review with a superlative but after watching Burton Musical Theatre Company’s production of ‘Made In Dagenham’ on Friday evening, I have no option. So here goes … WOW!!!

I have seen many amateur theatre productions in my time, but this had to be one of the absolute best and from start to finish, a packed audience at Burton’s de Ferrers Academy were treated to an evening of musical theatre at its very best.

As the show begins, it’s a typical start to the day at the O’Grady household in downtown Dagenham where Rita is trying to arouse her husband Eddie and get their two children off to school. On arriving for work at the Ford factory, she finds out from her fellow workers in the car plant’s upholstery stitching room that their pay grade is being dropped. Very quickly the battle lines are drawn and Rita steps up to lead her friends as they stand together in a major showdown with the might of the giant car manufacturer.

And stand together they did, all acting, singing and dancing to the highest standard and embracing the humour of the show to perfection. From the tongue-in-cheek wit and energy of the manually working men on the shop floor to the camaraderie and banter between the sewing machinists in the stitching room, the 36-strong company performed brilliantly. The show includes a wealth of bright musical numbers which, just like the landmark Ford Cortina Car being manufactured in Dagenham, were delivered with full throttle! 

As Rita O’Grady, Stacey Summers was simply superb. She gave a heartfelt and meaningful performance, very cleverly drawing us into her world as a caring and doting mum, a good wife and a willing yet slightly reluctant spokeswoman for her fellow workers in their fight for equal pay. She was funny, determined and above all genuine and sang beautifully, with great strength and feeling in every number.

Zac Lewis gave another memorable performance as Rita’s husband Eddie. Very much the sincere and devoted hard-working husband and father, at first he showed genuine loyalty and support for his wife’s leadership, but at other times found it difficult to cope with the pressures of life married to someone whose priorities had clearly changed. Zac sang with great expression and his rendition of the tear-jerking ‘The Letter’ was a highlight of the evening.

Whilst talking about Rita and Eddie, I should also make mention of their two children, Graham (Mack Jordan) and Sharon (Victoria Dabrowska) who both showed great promise in their roles.

Another very strong performance came from Karen Hambleton as the formidable Labour Party Employment Minister, Barbara Castle. Maybe at first sight a bit of a battleaxe, she genuinely had the factory girls’ interests at heart and was determined to find a solution to their problems. Her rendition of ‘Ideal World’ was a real showstopper!

Equally comical was Melvyn Edwards’ portrayal of the bumbling Prime Minister, Harold Wilson, who had the audience in fits with his distinctive and very well delivered West Yorkshire accent and quips about the Scilly Isles. In particular, his scenes with Karen Hambleton were hilarious.

Rita’s co-workers in the sewing room - Beryl (Alex Davison), Clare (Stefania Gandola), Sandra (Daisy Feeney), Cass (Lauren Brown) and Connie (Sam Walker) all added to the fun and each gave superb individual performances.

As Monty, the long serving union shop steward, Joe Bromfield did his best to champion the cause of the female staff with the management and showed great sincerity in his love for Connie.  Alan Lowe, as the gritty and strong-minded  Factory Manager, Mr Hopkins, portrayed his character with great style and panache as did his wife (Lisa) played by Jules Lowe. The arrival of Oly Wright as Tooley, Ford’s brash and arrogant American boss, added another wonderful dimension to the show, especially in the opening of Act Two’s ‘This Is America’. His accent was spot on and his cheer leaders were fantastic!

The overall design of the set was well suited to the 1960’s era with four high windows and a raised level at the back with steps down to the main stage platform. This provided a clever backdrop to most of the scenes and with the imaginative use of trucks and props we were effortlessly whisked from one location to another including the Ford assembly line shop floor and the stitching room, complete with authentic work benches and sewing machines. A giant clock glided in from both sides to provide the background for several scenes including Barbara Castle’s office where the use of very plush furniture added to the overall feel of Westminster opulence. All this was managed seamlessly with great skill by an obviously highly efficient stage crew.

The huge variety of costumes used in the production were all perfectly in style for the late sixties from the shop floor workers’ overalls emblazoned with the Ford logo to the dancing girls in ‘Cortina’ all, dressed in dazzling silver outfits.

Nowadays the availability of led intelligent lighting provides a huge step forward in stage presentation but only through careful and highly detailed programming can it be effective. ‘Made In Dagenham’ was masterfully lit from start to finish. The sound too was of excellent quality; no mean task when there’s 36 radio sets to control.

But my final comments, and probably the most important, must go to Director, Sharon Plummer, Choreographer, Sian Plummer and Musical Director, David Blackwell for their outstanding talent and sheer professionalism in staging this production to the very peak of theatrical standards. It was truly brilliant in every aspect and how lovely it was to enjoy the might and glorious sound of a full live orchestra which sadly we rarely see or hear in amateur productions nowadays.

Thank you Burton Musical Theatre Company for inviting me to your production and for your generous welcome and hospitality. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of being in Dagenham and am already looking forward to ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ in the Autumn.

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