Made In Dagenham

I was surprised to note, from the programme details that the first professional performance of this musical was only in 2014.  It is a mark of the excellent standard of local AmDram that LODS had been given this premier so soon after the show was first produced.

One of the skills of a good director is to get the performers to ‘create’ their character and then live it through the show.   Director Helen Sharpe has this ability and, supported by a strong production team and a cast of strong performers, she has succeeded in bringing this Essex story to life.

Every one of the Principals produced a strong performance.  Laura Hurrell played the lead, Rita O’Grady, and we were with her from start to finish. Her performance has been described elsewhere as a ‘Tour De Force’ and I have to agree, I don’t think I can better that description.  She was ably supported by a cohort of extremely talented ladies.  Sarah Gallucci (Connie) a nicely judged performance.  Jo Whitnell (Beryl) whose coarseness was well tempered by some extremely funny moments.  Emma Elliott (Sandra) with a perfect portrayal of an ‘Essex’ Girl.  Kathy Ward (Clare) delivering some beautifully timed dialogue and Kristy Moyse (Cass) always supportive.

Anthony Bristoe, playing Rita’s husband Eddie, was perfect in the role, demonstrating the first signs of New Age man trying to find the uneasy road between loving his wife and being one of the lads.  Simon Sharpe (Monty) gave another strong performance and Louise Henderson and Barry Jones both delivered well observed performances as Barbara Castle and Harold Wilson respectively.  Neil Lands played Ford factory manager, Hopkins with exactly the right characterisation and Zoe Berry played his wife, the ‘posh’ Lisa, with conviction and style.

The Ensemble worked very hard with many of the men doubling or even tripling parts.  LODS are blessed with a significant number of men in the cast but, even so, they had their work cut out!  The choreography was good and the cast were well drilled to perform.

The costumes were perfect, right for the period and with great attention to detail.  Which brings me nicely to the back stage crew, clearly Helen’s influence but I cannot remember when the back stage crew blended so well into the production.  They changed costumes almost as often as the cast, always being in the appropriate dress for the scene they were changing.  The main scenery was shown as projected back drops and this was a significant lesson in how to use projected scenery with great effect.  What did have to change, with great frequency, were the small trucks, chairs, desks, tables, bars etc.  The transitions from scene to scene were done smoothly and with almost no interruption to the flow of the show.  Consequently, the pace was well maintained throughout. 

What was particularly worth noting is that all the moveable props and scenery were sourced by the company.  It’s very easy to hire in a set of scenery, put it up and that’s it.  Creating it from scratch deserves a credit.  The lighting and sound were excellent, with some good use of mood lighting and the band produced a good supporting sound.

What more can I say, the standing ovation from many in the audience said it all.  

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