Spring Spectacular

It was a case of cabaret night at Tadcaster as we were treated to a varied selection of song and dance, so much that the content was divided into three sections.  There were medleys involving more or less the full company, give or take the constraints caused by costume requirements for items on either side – and there were certainly many colourful examples of the Company’s wardrobe on display.   In between we heard solo items from most of the members of the cast, some duets and some lively items to allow the dancers to display their talents.

I know from experience that it is always difficult to find suitable items to inject any comedy material into evenings such as this and here the section set in a French café was an attempt to do so.  I liked the way in which “I remember it well” was divided between four couples rather than it being the usual duet, whilst a lesser known Kander and Ebb song from their show “The Rink” entitled “Chief cook and bottle washer” was an excellent vehicle for the mysterious “Mrs Eau” to bring a smile to our faces.   

The Company seems to be experiencing the problems suffered by many at present, in that the six gentlemen were outnumbered by more than 3:1. To make matters worse, on the night I attended a touch of laryngitis had afflicted one of them so that we were deprived of his solo, although he bravely carried on through the remainder of the programme.  Clever choreography and programming helped to overcome some of this imbalance but another problem, that of attracting larger numbers in the audience is less easy to solve.  So much work and effort had been put into this production that it really deserved greater support.        

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