When The Lights Go On Again

My invitation to Morley's Autumn production asked that I might attend wearing clothes from the 40's era ( try to stop me! ) for an evening of nostalgic memories -  and there was no shortage of these! Although I was born after the War, it was still at the forefront of my family's minds - any get-together had to have war stories, battles won and sadly, people lost. This musical play, although at times not always historically correct, contained a lot of the popular themes of that era. Michael Kirkby, Director/Choreographer and David Hann, Musical Director, overcame the glitches to present an excellent and well-paced production. I particularly enjoyed all the scenes depicting various aspects of life on the Home Front during those hard times - the 'Queue' sequence, where housewives (especially 'Grandma') gathered to gossip and wait patiently for their rations - and the 'Camp Concert', where a dispirited Sergeant Major tried to put his hopeless raw recruits through their paces. All the principals acted their parts with humour, pathos and conviction and the company performed in a typical 40's fashion. The scenes 'Over the Garden Wall' and 'Air Raid Wardens' nearly brought the house down with  facial  expressions and 'double-entrendres' - such fun!

The production was not without it's sad moments - the young couples exchanging letters to each other and singing songs from the period were particularly poignant - I feel I must mention 'Alice Parker's' heartfelt letter to her missing son and her sobbing rendition of 'Have Yourself a Merrry Little Christmas' as a truly moving scene which even had an old cynic like me reaching for a hankie. The production finished with 'Fred Parker' leading the Company in patriotic songs.

As always, the unsung heroes backstage supported the cast excellently. I noted that Tina 'Tacker' Riordan (Wardrobe Mistress) had handed her pinking shears over to June Herron for this production, but the effects were 'seamless' as the costumes were authentically correct in all respects - I love to see the right shoes and accessories. Hair and make-up were also of a very high standard. The Stage Management team were efficient, the set neatly constructed, lighting and sound of the highest quality. The Society should be proud to present this production in this important 70th Anniversary year of the ending of the War.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.