Yours

‘YOURS’ ... a musical play, written by local playwright David E. Davies, directed by Pamela Foy and performed at Merchant Taylors School, Crosby by Waterloo and Crosby Theatre Company.  

The storyline is set during World War II, highlighting the appalling bombing of Bootle (The Bootle Blitz),  the terrible loss of civilian life ( second only to London) and the effect that it had on not only families, friends and loved ones, but on communities and the city itself!              
I must complement Mr Davies on his storyline and the issues dealt with.  Having spent the best part of 40 years working in Liverpool and Bootle, first as a police officer for 30 years and then as a City Council employee, I spent many hours chatting with residents, many of whom actually went through The Blitz. Some of the story lines covered in the play brought memories flooding back of real life events told to me by residents.
Congratulations also to Pamela Foy for directing this huge cast of thirty seven - eight to eighty years old, around a very busy stage, coupled with 25 scene changes and a number of late ‘drop outs’ and replacements and to Claudia Molyneux for her choreography.  I thought they did a great job in bringing it all together.
At the centre of the storyline was the Maguire Family, mum, dad, two daughters and a son.  The eldest daughter Shirley, played by Alexandra Edgar, is in love with a neighbour Paul Rimmer, played by Anthony Pennington.  The story tells of the distressing affects that not only war, but religious beliefs, had on their lives and the turmoil it caused to their respective families and friends.  War becomes a reality, the family then need to deal with, evacuation, conscription, loss of life and property, uncertainty, change, air raids, bomb shelters along with general stresses and strains of life which was felt not just in Bootle, but across the country as a whole!
With so many in the cast, it’s impossible for me to highlight everyone individually, so can I first of all congratulate the entire cast, crew and society members on their effort and commitment in bringing this piece of local history to life. When such a large cast is brought together with such a busy piece of theatre, the essential element needed to make things work is togetherness and teamwork.  This happened here in abundance! It was obvious that everyone played their part(s) to the best of their abilities and one can’t ask anyone more than that!
Alexandra Edgar was, for me, the outstanding performer in this production. Her characterisation of Shirley was really good throughout; her singing voice excellent and her ability to show off the differing emotions that followed her life and that of her family and friends was really good.  She was supported really well by Alex Sinclair who played her father Mick and by Jenna Watkins who played her mum.  The chemistry between the three actors was excellent.  
Three scenes stuck in my mind for mention  ... the opening encounter with the Maguire Family and their differing values over religious beliefs.  It really was played well and was very believable. The second, the scene in the ‘air raid shelter’....  the scene was emotional and well acted.  The third and final scene of note was the return of Paul.  The use of the auditorium to ‘bring him home’, through the audience, was really well staged and very poignant.  
The stage was divided into individual areas which worked quite well, but, because of the amount of scenes, I did, on occasions, feel slightly confused as to where we where! If the individual areas could have been lit independently, then this would have helped. Having said that, I really must give credit to Colin Wilson (Stage Manager) and his crew (plus the help of cast members) for their efforts in dealing with the 25 scene changes all completed by good old fashioned pushing and pulling which was carried out with great aplomb. The stage furniture used was appropriate and worked well and the props and costumes were appropriate to the era.  The use of projected pictures was a brilliant idea, adding a further emotional layer to the production. The sound was OK, but there were times, especially after a scene change, when the sound wasn’t quite there!  Sound and lighting are so important to any production ... you always want more or something better, but, unless you know the capabilities of the desks, the equipment and the budget, then constructive criticism can sometimes be totally inappropriate (You can only work with what you have or what you can afford).  
And just one final note...loved Ian Dunning and his dual role as Musical Director and Army Sergeant...it just worked!  Dressed for the entire show in Army Uniform, you could tell that he enjoyed every minute of this production.  His rapport with the audience was brilliant; from ushering the audience to their seats before the production to leading the ‘community singing’ at the end!  Well done sir!
Thanks again for all your efforts, and as previously stated, you should all be so proud for bringing this local story to life.  I hope my comments in no way offend anyone!
Thank you so much for inviting us, for taking us on an emotional trip down memory lane and for your hospitality throughout, it was very much appreciated. We look forward to seeing you for your next production.

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