Me and My Girl

A slice of good old English, Music Hall-style theatre was the latest offering from WODS.  Me and My Girl originally dates back to the 1930’s and originated now classic songs such as ‘Leaning on a Lamppost’ and ‘The Sun Has Got His Hat On’. Given a brush up and a polish by Stephen Fry in the 1980s, this version is full of farcical fun, and represented another triumph for this talented group.

The show tells the tale of Bill Snibson, a Cockney boy from Lambeth who unexpectedly finds himself the heir to Earldom of Hareford.  But to inherit he must pass a test of suitability, administered by his new relatives, who are in no mood to welcome this upstart to their family.  Even worse, he is expected to reject his girlfriend Sally, who is not judged to be an acceptable bride for a man in his new social position.  But the love between the pair is stronger than the forces trying to pull them apart and finally, with a little help from a rogue aristocrat, they win the day.  It’s a hugely entertaining story, and one that the cast took to with relish.

One of the delights of seeing a Society over a period of time is watching performers graduate from supporting roles to leads.  Making the jump effortlessly this time was Dan Hooper, who played Bill Snibson with all the requisite charm and energy.  Alongside him, as his titular Girl, Sally, Al Linforth provided a perfect foil, full of vivacity and capturing the emotional dilemma facing the character with great skill.  They sang beautifully together, and executed a lovely little tap sequence during the song ‘Me and My Girl’ – very exposing to do that all on their own!  And how refreshing to see a play anchored by two characters who are fundamentally good people, wanting to do the right thing. 

Alongside our two fishes-out-of-water was a rogues’ gallery of entitled posh fools, brought to life most entertainingly by a capable group of actors.  Front and centre were Sarah Gilhooly as the prim Maria, Duchess of Dene, and Andrew Rawle as Sir John Tremayne – a character with an interesting arc that sees him journey from resenting Bill and Sally to becoming their greatest supporter.  These were two great comic performances, their upper-class snobbery providing a perfect contrast to the wholesome Bill and Sally.

Lynsey Beckley had a whale of a time as maneater Lady Jacqueline Carstone, who sets her sights (unsuccessfully) on Bill – in particular in the very saucy, seaside postcard style number ‘You Would if You Could’.  And Toby Edwards was very funny as a delightfully camp Gerald Bolingbroke, always carrying his teddy bear, Brideshead style.  Neil Waghorn, Sophia Stephens and Gary Kimber also made great contributions as Lord and Lady Battersby and the wheelchair-bound, ear-trumpet-wielding Sir Jasper Tring.  

Mention must also be made of Chris Holloway’s family lawyer Herbert Parchester, whose G&S style song ‘The Family Solicitor’ – complete with a great little dance – was an early highlight and guaranteed to raise a laugh every time he attempted a reprise.  Completing the principal cast was John Sansome as Charles the Butler, who achieved a lot by means of his facial expressions alone! 

The ensemble cast of twenty-one filled a variety of roles, from below stairs servants to tennis playing toffs to pearly kings and queens, and did so with gusto.  Great professionalism was on display throughout – especially during a couple of early sound glitches, at which no-one on stage batted an eyelid!  There were some very entertaining group numbers, including and the opening ‘A Weekend at Hareford’ (in which a motor car was ingeniously dismantled) to the tennis-themed ‘The Sun Has Got His Hat On’, which started the second half.  And of course, ‘The Lambeth Walk’ is a gift of a group number which absolutely got both barrels from the entire cast! 

The play was ably directed by Simon Atkins – perhaps the best compliment I can pay is that the 90-minute first half didn’t feel anything like that length, so well was the energy and pace kept up.  Congratulations too to Musical Director Shelia Boniface and Choreographer Rachel Price, who kept the show light and lively throughout.  I particularly enjoyed the panto-style history lesson of ‘Song of Hareford’ – very cleverly and amusingly done.  ‘Leaning on a Lamppost’ also featured some really nice dancing.

The show played out before an impressive backdrop of Hareford Hall which opened out like a book.  There were nice little settings in the kitchens and local pub, although I did find it a bit distracting when these were being cleared during some of the musical numbers – Sally’s movingly sung ‘Once You Lose Your Heart’ lost a bit of impact as a result.  Costume was to a good standard and the many costume changes (some in the ensemble must have been constantly changing!) were seamlessly managed.  Well done to the whole technical team.

My congratulations to all at WODS for a most entertaining evening – great singing and dancing, and a lot of laughs – what more could one ask for?  I understand that WODS President Mike Astles is stepping down from the role – what a great show for him to go out on!  Well done all, and I looked forward to seeing you again soon!

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