Me and My Girl

41 young people, supported by a 10 piece orchestra, took to the stage to transport us to Hareford Hall, the ancestral seat of the Earl of Hareford - with the occasional foray to Lambeth – where we were introduced to a plethora of aristocrats, their servants and salt-of-the earth cockneys. The large ensemble got the evening off to a great start with a delightful “A Weekend at Hareford” and the ensemble singing and dancing in the company numbers such as “An English Gentleman”, “The Sun Has Got His Hat On” and of course the rousing “Lambeth Walk” were excellent. Finlay Swan as cockney Bill Snibson, the recently found heir to the Earldom, took to the part as to the manner born with good strong acting, singing and dancing and spot-on comic timing both verbal and physical as shown in the “You Would if You Could” duet and in the library scene with the Duchess where he wrestles with the tiger skin rug! As his girlfriend, Lambeth born Sally Smith, Cassia Colquhoun was outstanding. She and Bill did indeed seem to have chemistry that you knew would see them conquer all that was put in their way and their singing and dancing in the “Me and My Girl” and “Hold My Hand” duets were excellent though for me her superb voice was shown to its best in her reflective solo “Once You Lose Your Heart”. Grace Cowie looked every inch the “wha dare meddle with me” Maria, Duchess of Dene as she tried to mould the rough-round-the edges Bill into a suitable heir – how she managed to keep a straight face in the library scene with Bill was testament to her acting skills and her strong singing voice came to the fore in the “Song of Hareford” number with the Ancestors. Alistair Dornan as Sir John Tremayn, Maria’s long unspoken love interest, gave a strong performance as he plucked up the courage to declare himself – some of it of the “dutch” variety – and showed he too had good comic timing in the “Love Makes The World Go Round” number with Bill. Millie Rose Scott as eye on the prize Lady Jacqueline Carstone made her intentions clear in the strongly delivered “Thinking of No-One But Me” number and in the hilarious “ You Would If You Could” as she tries to seduce Bill. Dawson Horsfall as her chinless cousin and suitor the Hon Gerald Bolingbroke added much to the humour of the piece especially when he took the lead in the Act 2 opening “The Sun Has Got His Hat On”. Edward Hughes as Herbert Parchester was every inch the repressed lawyer but his rendition of “The Family Solicitor” as he flung off his inhibitions was one of the highlights for me. Strong support was given by Gideon Smith (Sir Jasper Tring), Heath MacInnes (Charles the Butler), Liam Cook (Lord Battersby), Olivia Skye Gray (Lady Battersby) and Marilyn Bob-Manuel (Mrs Brown). The orchestra under the baton of Kenny Hossick made a rich sound and the sound balance between the musicians and the singers was excellent. Good use was made of the multi-level set with the scene changes being handled quickly and discreetly and so never impeding the flow of the action. Costuming was colourful and appropriate to the era and characters and mention must be made of the wardrobe assistance in how they handled Bill’s many quick changes! Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this joyful production to the stage – it certainly was deserving of the standing ovation received!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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