The Pajama Game

This happy show with a great feel good factor is  a simple story of a workplace romance in a Pajama Factory. It is a good musical rather than a great one though does not detract from this production featuring a number of creditable performances.

The show is a story which focuses on industrial unrest, with action largely set in the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory. The workers, agitating for a seven-and-a-half cent pay rise, are cursed with a bullying, skinflint boss, a fanatical time-and-motion man and a new supervisor who promptly falls for the bolshie union rep in charge of the grievance committee. Needless to say, true love doesn’t run smooth but turns out just dandy in the end.

Hines (Jack Gayler) took command of the stage from his first entrance and with Mabel (Liz Bird) delivered a show stealing duet in ‘I’ll Never Be Jealous Again’. Sid (Michael Hastings) was an assured Superintendent vocally strong with ‘Hey There’ and delightful with Babe (Louise Walton) in ‘Small Talk’ and ‘There Once Was a Man’.  Their stormy relationship coming to a head with a strike for a pay increase, setting off the conflict between management and the workers. Most of the whole company pieces were energetic and pacey, strong vocally and in stage movement including ‘Seven and a Half Cents’, ‘Once a Day’, and ‘Hernando’s Hideaway’

‘Steam Heat’ featuring Gladys (Cara Brimmell) and the boys grabbed the audience’s attention as a piece of highly attractive stage craft. Other notable performances came from Hasler (Stuart Howell), Mae (Emily Davies) ,Poopsie (Laura Johnson),Brenda ( Sandra Murrell) and Prez the highly talented Daniel Sanders who is always guaranteed to deliver a great artistic performance.

The set was an effective one without a huge fussiness as members and supporters each made their contribution to the production with loan of ironing boards and sewing machines to provide a real factory environment in this more modern production. Lighting enhanced many scenes though some of the dialogue at times was not always as a sharp as it could be. That said it was a most entertaining production which was enjoyed by the audience and thanks to the society for their warm welcome and hospitality.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.