Me and My Girl

After the huge success of “Legally Blonde” and “The Addams Family”, both modern musicals, it must have felt a bit of a risk to stage a show dating back to the 1930s and very much of its time in subject and style.  The Musical Youth Company of Oxford chose to give their production of “Me and My Girl” a contemporary twist, but this tale of love across a great divide still resonates, even if the Harefords have drifted inexorably from Old Money to New, and the Pearly Kings and Queens of yesteryear have given way to the Lambeth Posse.  Far from undermining the original, this bold but respectful updating breathed new life into the musical, so Noel Gay’s much-loved melodies and Stephen Fry’s witty book came up as fresh as paint.

The Company’s resident director is very skilled at blending elements from different eras and genres into a coherent whole.  Here we had Charleston steps seguing into Street, the portraits of Hareford Hall rubbing shoulders with the graffiti in Lambeth, the formal wear of the stately home sharing the stage with the padded gilets of the posse, and the crisp accents of the upper classes going head to head with a beatboxer.  Somehow it all works.  The plot isn’t very substantial – South London boy inherits ancient title but sticks by his girl – but the Company ensured that the story was told at a cracking pace and a show running at 2 hours 40 minutes simply flew by.  Principals knew their lines and cues thoroughly, and dealt with ellipses confidently.  The frequently witty dialogue wasn’t laboured, and the sheer density of the humorous lines kept the audience highly amused.  Above all, the energy of much of the choreography, most notably the “Lambeth Walk”, was breath-taking in every sense: the speed and accuracy of the steps was of the highest standard.

The tight and talented orchestra performed all of its functions with distinction: getting the evening off to a flying start with a jaunty overture of show tunes, providing sympathetic accompaniment for the excellent soloists, and powering the big, up-tempo ensemble numbers. The synergy between orchestra and company was evident in how the orchestrations perfectly complemented the onstage action, and in how details in the orchestration – such as pizzicato strings or percussion effects – were picked up in subtle movements, such as sharp head turns, in the company.

I was expecting to be impressed, but this production exceeded even my expectations.  I know just how many people and how much effort is required to stage a show like this, but when everything comes together so stylishly it must surely make it all worthwhile.  The programme featured items on the professional successes of past MYCO members as well as information about the outreach work undertaken by the company: under the Company resident directors’ inspirational leadership, I can only imagine that the catalogue of distinguished alumni and energised local young people will continue to grow.

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