Yank

Take a cast of 11 men and 1 lady and you have an evening of superb theatre.   

Yank – A World War II love story of a scared U.S. midwestern man who gets drafted in 1943 and becomes a journalist for Yank magazine. 

Stephen Duckham brought this little known Zellnik brothers show to The Talisman Theatre, for its UK amateur premiere, which was appreciated by full house audiences. Stephen could not have picked a better show for The Talisman.

Yank – commences when a young man in present day San Francisco, finds an old journal in a junk shop and starts reading it.

We learn the story of Stu (Aaron Gibson) who gets drafted into the US army in 1943 and joins C Company.  He wonders how he will get on with the rest of the guys in the company but unlike the rest he falls in love with a fellow private named Mitch (Ash Spall) and the feeling is reciprocated. The friendship leads to a kiss on a train.  Stu then meets Artie (Kevin Wing), a photographer with Yank magazine, the army magazine.  Artie pulls some strings and gets Stu an assignment being his journalist.  They go off around the world on assignments but ten months later they meet up once again with C Company and decide to do a piece on them which brings Stu and Mitch back together and the love story continues.

Aaron and Ash led the company well and played their roles from the heart.  They were well supported by Kevin as Artie plus the remainder of the cast.  Everyone sung well and the choreography, arranged by Aaron, was executed well.  Joanne Cheung as Louise, (and playing all the other female characters) sung well and had some quick changes and  carried these out with style.

Scene changes were slick and hardly noticeable. 

Costumes looked good and were in keeping with the era.  The set and props were simple but effective with the sliding door at the rear of the stage from which the actors and actress made most of their entrance and exits.  This together with effective lighting gave just the effect that the director required and wowed the audience. 

The orchestra, led by Rosemary Gowers, located off stage, sounded good with the balance being just right so as not to drown out the action on the stage. 

Well done to all concerned.  Great Production.   

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