Made in Dagenham

Made in Dagenham “The Musical” based upon the 2010 movie of the same title. The musical follows the same heartline as the movie focusing on the character Rita O’Gardy as she is catapulted into the role of spokesperson for the 1968 Ford Machinists strike. The story based on the real-life accounts from the 1968 Strike, which resulted in the “Equal Pay Act of 1970”, offers a good deal of emotional substance as we observe “A Busy Woman”, Rita O’Grady, try to fight for her right to equal pay while supporting her family. The O’Grady family really are the pivotal point of this show, a family affected by Rita’s decision to make the worker’s strike a priority, a husband that feels betrayed and abandoned by his wife and now finds himself in the role of mother and father, and two children who are set in the middle of a family breakdown.

It was evident from the outset that this show incorporated a massive team effort, the chemistry between the cast brought this production to another level, this really gave the production something very special and magical.

The director, Lisa Griffiths, had a very clear vision for this production, staying true to the objective of story and its characters, ensuring that all the emotion was punched through to the audience and the real message of the piece delivered. Her flair to direct great comedy was very evident and every innuendo fell to the audience’s lap, never was an opportunity missed to deliver the pun/joke. The attention to detail within each scene, the slickness and planning of each prop was executed perfectly and served a purpose. Choreography by the same lady, was nicely adapted to suit the era and that of the ability of each performer.  Excellent movement of the sewing machines throughout the factory scenes, this is a credit as a space so small to work within, the girls did a great job. Lovely touches in “Made in Dagenham” added nice layers of comedy and it also helped set-up some characters personalities perfectly.

Musical Director, Bethany Dilworth, in her first role as Musical director has set her standard very high. She placed heavy demands on her cast and achieved a great sound. The opening numbers bounced off the stage and had some great balanced harmonies. This followed through the production and a personal favourite being “I’m Sorry I love you”, as the male harmonies where on point in this number. There were a few very minor tuning issues at times, the boys school number (set on the roster) was pitchy and stood out as it wasn’t at the high standard of the other numbers, it was better in it the reprise. It must be mentioned that a fabulous band sat in front of the stage and gave a strong performance, however there did appear to be a slight unbalance with the band and stage. At times, the band were lounder than those on stage and the underscoring needed a more delicate touch. I loved this score and felt the technical vocal ability that Bethany brought to the cast really helped them get the very best from every number giving great light and shade and allowing the feeling of each number to come through nicely.

Rita O’Grady, Jean Carter, played a lovely heartfelt role and possessed a great natural talent for this character’s story. Great comedic timing, she also had a heightened ability to draw us in to her world. Jean played the role of a doting mother, a somewhat disappointed wife and a wonderful friend with good balance, giving us just enough in every scene. Her chemistry with on-stage husband Barry Dilworth was very believable, they worked very well together. Vocally, Jean  lacked some power behind her but managed her solos well and really acted through them to tell the story. So often, we forget that we are telling a story through song so I personally appreciated her delivery of each number as I felt part of her journey.

Eddie O’Grady, Barry Dilworth, played the loveable husband who finds himself in a difficult position, does he support his wife’s execution of the strike or does he stand firm with his male co-workers? There was a great development of this character, which seems to have a greater personal journey in the production. The character created by Barry allowed us to have a clear empathy for Eddie and see his frustration with his wife. A grand performance achieving every level this script had to offer him. The vocal quality of this performer was excellent, with much light and shade, a beautiful tone and great belt notes helped make his emotion apparent.
Beryl, portrayed by Vicky Dilworth, gave the most rounded performance playing the role for all it was worth and hitting every swear word that exists. Hilariously funny she gave so many laugh out loud moments. This lady was always acting, reacting and generally a great support in scenes, she kept the loud mouth attitude even when she wasn’t speaking. A highlight being the stealing of the sherry glasses, it didn’t distract from the main objective of the scene but we could clearly understand they type of lady she was. Although she had little to sing solo her high belt was excellent when required. A strong performer who is a sheer joy to watch.

Connie Riley, Tracey Barham was played as rather quiet and down-to -earth lady. One could see why the company chose her as they could certainly pull the wool over her eyes. She gave a nice performance overall, I would like to have seen a bit more character come through in her song. She had a nice vocal and I feel could have be stretched bit more.

Barbara Castle, Lisa Griffiths, one of the most accomplished performers in this production, there is no doubt that there was some serious research done in achieving the robustness of her character. This lady has a talent to be seen even when she was at the back of the stage, wonderful stage presence and completely in control of her role. The gestures and poise were very much in keeping with the character accompanied by a terrific vocal bonded her character perfectly.

Sandra Beaumont, Neeve Dilworth played a very sassy role, beyond her years. A confident performance as the dolly girl who engaged so well with her fellow cast and created some great chemistry on stage. Neeve has a very strong voice with a lovely tone, but needs to take care of the upper belt register, on this occasion there were some tuning issues on the belt (more down to vocal strain I feel). A fine performer who truly committed to the role.

Clare, Em Fairhurst, visually beautiful on stage and instantly draws you in. She played the stereotypical dumb blonde very well. At times, she was very funny but a good deal of her comedy was missed due to diction. This was evident throughout her song as it was difficult to grasp what was being said.

Cass, Jenny Dowden, brought good energy to the stage and added to the chemistry between the women. A strong actress who was always in the moment.

Monty, Simon McCarthy, a nice presence on stage, he offered a lovely quality as the Union rep. There were some nice moments created by Simon in his scenes where Connie was present. He was suitably repulsed and nerved by the characters Clare and Sandra. I would have liked more from him in the hospital scene.

Sharon O’Grady & Graham O’Grady, played by Sophie Butterworth & Harry Thompson, we must speak about these as a pair as they worked so well together, what wonderful little actors who had all the confidence required for their roles. Their vocal ability in the opening number “A Busy Woman”, a rather difficult number on timing, was really a credit to Bethany Dilworth, they were perfect. Harry Thompson also processes a raw talent for comedy and is equipped with a stellar voice.

Lisa Hopkins, Emma Benson, had a rather lovely English accent which supported her role perfectly. Her demeanour and gestures were excellent and clearly established her as a middleclass lady of the era. A great contrast to that of Rita O’Grady, these pair worked very well together. Lisa’s determined nature was portrayed very well by Emma Benson. A great performance.

Mr Hopkins, Jon Kennedy, played the male chauvinistic, sexist role well. A slight fear of the upper establishment and a grovelling personality made for the creation of a funny character.
Harold Wilson, Joey Wiswell, well another cracking comedic performance, his creation of this very blunt, say what you see attitude was excellent and he clearly defined the chauvinistic elements in this musical.

Mr Tooley, Chris Roberts, this character carried a good deal of similarities to those of Donald Trump, his opening number “America” was funny and cringe worthy for all the right reasons. In parts, there was a sound struggle and pitch issues but Chris carried this role very well.
Players performed many roles and were required to draw new personalities in each scene, no easy task. Luckily, this production had so many wonderful characters brought by experienced players, Andrew Marsh gave the Cortina Man the essential cheesiness required, he also created a nice character in that of Sid, a tea drinking foreman. Danny Murray, Alex Hayden, Matthew Swann and Chris Blake had a rather large collection of supporting characters between them, a passing remark of an audience member was “how many parts do these guys have?” They added so much to the piece and really gave 100% to each different role. The ensemble members remained committed and engaged throughout, reacting in each scene, I am glad to say there were no vacant faces.

Sound was good on the most part, but maybe some consideration needs to be made to achieve a more even stage/pit balance. This was really the only issue as never was a que missed by the technicians. Lighting plot was good with some lovely spot moments, lovely during “The Letter” song. It was slick and nobody ever found themselves in darkness- Well done!

Costumes & wigs were excellent and what detail we were treated too. Each character’s personal costumes were very much suited and embellished the characters a little more.  These certainly added to the overall visual aspect of the production.

Staging, credit to be given for the team who were responsible for designing and building this working piece. With such a demand from the script for scene changes the team created a piece that was both functional and effective. The clever fold out dining table at the Hopkins home worked so well, the hidden compartment under the roster level allowed for slick scene changes. The cast worked hard alongside the crew to ensure that the scene changes were exceptionally managed, this allows the show to move at a great pace.

Overall, this production set a great standard. It embodied everything you would expect from a British made musical, a heart and a soul. This cast and crew worked as a unit to deliver a most memorable evening one which will stay with me for some time.

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