Me and My Girl

Northallerton took us back to the 1930’s for their Autumn production and it was a delight to watch a Society bring back a classic, in its traditional format but with lots of little twists and a bright fresh approach.

The story is based around a young Cockney lad Bill who is suddenly thrust into becoming the new Lord of Hareford surrounded by more traditional relatives determined to transform him into a suitable heir and break up his relationship with his sweetheart and fellow Cockney Lass, Sally.

The Society were very lucky to have welcomed along a new member Jake Mason to take on the lead role, Bill. A charismatic character, full of energy and swagger with tremendous dance ability and vocals and he was a delight to watch in this show. His Cockney accent never dropped and his timing, facial expressions and ability to interact with his co-stars were faultless.

I really enjoyed watching his relationship with Sally, played by Adele McNally throughout the show. They gave us a wonderful picture of care and love without it once looking strained and they made the perfect on-stage couple. Adele was able to demonstrate such great emotion in her lines and vocals which was a joy to watch, her solo of Once You Lose Your Heart. She had perfect stage presence and most important was truly believable in her role.

Normally in 2 leads you will find they have great vocals, dance ability or stage presence. Well, these 2 leads had it all and by the time they were reunited the whole audience breathed a sigh of relief.

There were several family members determined to break up our Love Duo, most notably The Duchess played with great force by the wonderful Andrea Atkinson.  Concentrating on transforming Bill into a worthy Gentleman, Andrea gave us a lovely fiery, stuck-up characterization whilst also able to display her great vocals in Song of Hareford with a lovely group of backing singers – The Ancestors played by members of the male ensemble.

Also determined to break up Bill and Sally was Lady Jacqueline, brutally dumping her Fiancé Sir Gerald in the 1st scene and keen to win over Bill for his title and wealth. Kim Boagey was absolutely fantastic in this role; with a stunning vocal ability she played this role to perfection and was the perfect seductress – the number You Would if You Could was hysterical as she terrified Bill with a wonderful routine between the two of them.

Other family members found themselves caught up within this awkward family situation all being monitored closely by the family Solicitor, Parchester, very well played by David Ferry. Often in the background in scenes he came to life in the number suitably titled “The Family Solicitor”, a very funny number which would appear time and time again.  

It was great to see James Cornick back in another principal role. Playing Sir John he was a perfect foil for the Duchess, wonderfully hen-pecked by her he found himself stuck in the middle of the feud. He brilliantly displayed his softer, and often drunk, side as he sought to help Bill win back Sally. The number Love Makes The World Go Round also showed us that James not only has great acting ability but can still work the stage and shake his hips when needed.

Other key members of the family included Andrew Cunningham as Lord Battersby with Heidi Bradley playing his wife, Ian Smith was Sir Jasper Tring being wheeled around the stage by almost every cast member and Phil Bargewell playing the very needy, wimpy and bullied Sir Gerald. All members of the family played their characters perfectly and interacted around the stage incredibly well.

Other members of the ensemble took on numerous roles and were heavily involved throughout. The servants, really well led by the very upper-class Butler Charles, played brilliantly by Will Jackson. There are far too many to mention individually but collectively they came together brilliantly, the vocals and harmonies were as always very slick, demonstrated especially in the numbers An English Gentleman and the Act Two opener, the Sun Has Got His Hat On.

One element that really shone through in this production was the fantastic dance routines in the show, perfectly suited to the era these were wonderfully choreographed by Nic Jenkins and it was a delight to see not only the whole cast in great sync, especially in the huge number The Lambeth Walk where the whole theatre was brought to life, but she also had individuals showing off their tremendous ability. The opening number of Act Two was a joy to watch and I was hugely impressed by Phil Bargewell leading the number and the routine adding to the great stage presence and characterization he had displayed throughout.

Northallerton always bring us a great musical experience and under the great lead of Trevor Wilson and his reliable orchestra of twelve it created a wonderful sound for the whole evening.

The show had great little touches throughout, (step ladder routines/talking statues/singing real life portraits), and the vision and direction of Paul Laidlaw must be applauded. Reading the programme and his vast experience it now makes sense. The show moved at a great tempo with good scene changes and the staging was perfect so appreciation must be shown to the large team working backstage. Costumes were bright, vibrant and perfect for the era of the show and the set was well constructed and perfect for the Forum stage.

Thank you to Northallerton for a wonderful evening, you have hopefully shown other Societies to not be afraid of taking on the classics as they can bring huge enjoyment to an audience, just as you did to me tonight.

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