Me & My Girl

Cockney rhyming slang at its best and worst was seen and heard in abundance in this revised Stephen Fry and Noel Gay musical performed in entertaining tone and style.

Bill Snibson (Jonathan Southall) as a likable character proud of his barrow boy roots bounded on to stage learning of his elevation to the aristocratic world as Earl heir to of Hareford. His girl Sally ( Millie Jessup) being introduced by the once costermonger as his “Earless!. and ultimately transformed from East End girl to society lady. Both performed quality performances singing and dancing their way through some magical music and slick dance routines.

The society set of Sir John (Alan Southall) Maria the Duchess ( Paula Evaes), Lady Jacqueline ( Louise Walton) performed well as they came to terms with the new Lord and Master, as did Parchester “as the family solicitor” (Keiran Quinn )  and a highly accomplished performance from The Hon Gerald Bolingbroke ( Michael Hastings) complete with a cut glass English accent.

The landed gentry despite all efforts to educate the newcomer to aristocratic life fail of course through a series of comic scenes during this happy show and toe tapping music including “The Sun has got its hat on”, Me & My Girl”, “Love Makes the World Go Round” “Leaning on the Lampost” and a delightfully choreographed and executed “The Lambeth Walk” one of several ensemble numbers which ended the first and second acts with pulsating energy of very good quality.

A very well costumed engaged and supporting chorus of guests, servants, ancestors’ cockneys and dancers gave depth to this production enhancing the show. In particular “Song of Hareford”   featuring a muti character stage walk singing the family motto “Noblesse Oblige” wearing a splendid array of ancestral costume.

Scene changes were made with a little background noise given the set challenges and for such a wonderful score the band could have benefited from a broader orchestration. That said this was a thoroughly appealing and enjoyable production which left the audience smiling and tempted perhaps to do “The Lambeth Walk “on the way home

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