You Rang m'Lord?

What a proud moment for Sprowston Parish Players to be given the opportunity to present the UK premiere of You Rang, M’Lord?. Originally written for television by Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft, the play has been adapted for the stage by Roy Gould and David Croft’s daughter, Penny Croft. Roy worked closely with David Croft on Hi-de-Hi!, “You Rang m’Lord?” and Oh Doctor Beeching! All of these followed the huge success of “‘Allo ‘Allo “and often featured performers that appeared across multiple titles. Both Roy and Penny were present in the audience for this final performance. As the final bows were taken, it was lovely to see them both so delighted to see their adaptation brought to life from TV to stage.

One of the most difficult things to deal with when adapting a TV series to the stage, is the often short scenes and transitions to another scene and setting, which is accomplished seamlessly at the editing stage for a TV production. Add in the technical issues of starting from scratch by performing in a church that has no stage, Sprowston Players took to the task and the result was amazing. Stretching the full width of the church, a split set and stage with extensions either side had been assembled, with a centrally placed lounge of the Meldrum home, featuring a fireplace, sofas and accessories, their dining room downstage right, and the servant’s kitchen downstage left. Costumes, props and décor was generally good, including what looked like a real safe brought on at the end of the production, a heavy weight for the stage crew to manoeuvre!  A special mention should go to the young backstage crew, who were fantastic throughout the production, working with military-type precision during the scene changes. Dressing them as members of the household staff was an excellent idea, helping to maintain the theme and immersion throughout the performance. Nice touches with real toast at breakfast time, and liquid in glasses for the alcohol. It would have been nice to have seen tea being poured from the teapot into cups, but this is a very minor observation.

The cast that had been assembled were all good, not a prompt in sight and some excellent individual characterisations. Izzie Porter, as Ivy Teasdale, played in the TV series by Su Pollard, was uncanny in resemblance, voice, accent, and mannerisms. Ciaran Fallon’s repertoire seems unbounded, with yet another tremendous performance as the overlooked-for-promotion butler, James Twelvetrees. The ongoing bitterness and barely contained anger towards his former conniving fellow soldier, Alf Stokes, who secures the Head Butler position instead, was portrayed brilliantly. Luke Fairweather, as Alf, had a sizeable script to deliver, which he handled with confidence, capturing Alf’s self-serving nature.

I particularly enjoyed Dom Rowell’s performance as boot boy Henry Livingstone. Dom demonstrated excellent comic timing and was responsible for many of the evening’s biggest laughs. Corinna Laughton, as Blanche Lipton, and Toni Morina, as Mabel, completed the kitchen staff and both delivered strong, well-observed characterisations.

The upper-class household were equally impressive, with Gavin Kemp once again delivering a fine performance as Lord Meldrum. His interactions with his younger brother, Teddy Meldrum (Mark Ward), as he attempted to curb Teddy’s amorous pursuits of the female servants, were particularly amusing and generated plenty of laughter.

Diane Goldsmith, as the eccentric Lady Lavender, Lynsey Evans, as Cissy, and Becky Harris-Cook, as Poppy, completed the remaining members of the upper-class household, each contributing effectively to the overall success of the production.

Supported by a strong cast throughout, including a delightful cameo from director Carol Rowell as the shady pawnbroker Mr Fisher, this was a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable production that the Sprowston Parish Players should be proud of.

My congratulations to Co-Directors Carol and Izzie, and my thanks to everyone at Sprowston Parish Players, for providing such a wonderful Sunday evening’s entertainment.

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