Pal Joey

One of the many pleasures of visiting this society’s productions is that I know I am going to see something that I haven’t for a good while and a show which is, nowadays, rarely performed by amateur groups.  This production was no exception and suggested that many societies are missing a trick, especially when so many have a shortage of men.

The Frank Sinatra film excluded several numbers from Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart’s original 1940 production and, if we are to compare, there is much more for Ladies to do.

Here, night club performer Joey Evans was played by Tom Astbury.  There are several words that can describe the character – manipulative, loser, cocky and charming amongst them – and Tom gave us these but the charmer in him would, I think, have made him a bit more likeable than he showed us.  This therefore could have been that attraction that drew the Ladies to him including wealthy Vera Simpson and innocent and vulnerable Linda English.

Vera was really well portrayed by Georgie Samuels whose rendition of ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’ was excellent and nicely summed up her affair with Joey.  She was certainly the controlling half of the pairing who were good in their duet ‘Den Of Iniquity’.

Pippa Mundey was a very good Linda, immediately showing how much she fancied Joey, although that liaison was not suitable for her.  ‘I Could Write A Book’, her duet with Joey, was excellent as was ‘Take Him’ with Vera.  Keagan Lee Jones was a super night club owner, Mike Spears, and another cracking cameo came from Chris Curtis as crooked Ludlow Lowell, who was out to blackmail Joey and Vera.  He was nicely supported by Rebecca Kelly-Evans as Gladys Bumps, the club’s lead singer who dislikes Joey and schemes with Lowell.

I enjoyed Nathan Mundey as Victor and it was super to have some tap dancing in his ‘Do It The Hard Way’ with Gladys.  More pleasure was had with the wonderful opening to Act 2 – ‘The Flower Garden Of My Heart’ – involving the tremendous voice of Andrew Clay as Louis and the club dancers.  Great fun which the audience loved.  Sarah Cox was also a stand-out as reporter Melba Snyder in her strip number ‘Zip’.

Good use was made of the raised areas each side of the stage which were home to the eight club singers and also used as additional entrances and exits for the central performers.  The set, lighting and costumes were really good and I must mention the superb sound made by the three keyboards comprising The South Street Strutters under the direction of, and including, MD Alex Weatherhill.  I’ve also enjoyed reading the informative programme!

All in all, a great evening’s entertainment.

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