Stepping Out

When Richard Harris's wife persuaded him to visit one of her dance classes little did he realise how much of a good thing he was on to. He instantly recognised the dramatic potential in a group of disparate would be dancers coming together to attempt to produce a coordinated performance. First performed in 1984 "Stepping Out" was immediately hailed as a comedic mini-masterpiece. Several world tours, a film and a musical adaptation later it remains as fresh now as it was over 30 years ago. True some of the references do smack of the era it was written in but we can easily gloss over those. 

Sam Smith, making her debut as a director after over 20 years on the amateur stage, had signed up a remarkable troupe of actors. They looked the part, they acted the part, they danced the part and they presented a most enjoyable performance, much appreciated by the full house on this Saturday night. The play follows a tap dance class from their initial clumsy attempts over around five months of intense rehearsals depicted over 9 self-contained scenes. As time passes we get to know the characters a little. A strength of the writing is that we never know too much. We are presented with possible situations but it is left largely to our imagination to ponder what really is going on in their lives. This adds immensely to the enjoyment of those watching and was handled with a knowing hand by the director. No one character was allowed to absorb more of our interest then any other, which could so have easily been the case if the actors had not been so well handled. A case in point is Mavis's announcement of her pregnancy. We have been told enough of her life to realise this is something of a challenge for her. But in the next scene, all has been resolved and the pregnancy has disappeared. 'Oh, really!' we say and then start thinking about how it has been resolved. Each of their characters has examples of their backstories but the point is that none of them is allowed to be dwelt on. We can surmise in the car going home.

As Mavis, Sue Chadwick was immaculate in her portrayal of the instructor. Never putting a foot wrong, while encouraging the others to do the same, she gained our affection from the beginning and held it throughout. Her part is the axle from which the spokes, her class, extend. Sue's emotional control was utterly believable. She realised she had a duty and a responsibility for her class beyond that of tutor and was convincing in the execution of her portrayal, almost straying into that wonderful realm where we actually believed that she was not playing a part at all. Robert Crane as the sole male student also gave us a remarkable Geoffrey. Again the writing is on the actor's side. For all his clumsiness and lack of confidence, he is not, in essence, a comic character at all. The trick for any director is to get the actor to depict him as someone we all know and appreciate for their idiosyncrasies. Robert had the face for the role and used it to great effect. I particularly liked his spotted underwear by the way. Jenny Whiteside, Kelly Steed, Jean Croft, Stephanie Zak, Lesley Haworth and Wendy Watson all played their distinctive roles with equal skill. They moved naturally, they knew where to be on stage in relation to each other without ever upstaging and were outstanding in producing finely crafted people who we could instantly understand and empathise with. Ladies, you were marvellous. This was ensemble playing at a very high level. I must again mention the director. To achieve such overall completeness takes an understanding of the stage, (and what it can do to the minds of those watching) of a sensitive patient mind. And so to Mrs Fraser. What a role! Geralyn Lambert did just enough not to totally steal the show! Her timing and pointing of her lines were beyond excellent. And how we all enjoyed the finale. Yes, we all knew it was coming but I do not think anyone in the audience was prepared for what was delivered. The entire company, including Mrs. Fraser, entertained us to a tap routine worthy of any musical theatre production.  Do you see what I did there? By saying that I had forgotten you were all actors. What greater praise can I offer!

Congratulations to the company for staging a production of absolute integrity. And thank you to the wonderful Cath and Brian for their warm welcome.

PRM.

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