West End Now!

Trowbridge Amateur Operatic Society, Arc Theatre, Trowbridge

Wednesday 26th May 2010 

It must be very difficult for a group used to performing on the vast spaces of their local Civic Hall stage to have to then consider using a much smaller space for a couple of years during a refurbishment programme. However the choice of Blitz!, a play with music rather than a musical, allowed them to do just that seamlessly.

The production was in the very capable hands of Phil Courage and, as is always the case with his productions, the attention to detail and standard of acting stands out. I have both worked with Phil on musical productions and witnessed his work from the audience and what always impresses me, and this was no exception, is the way each and every member of the cast acts and reacts throughout the show. An example of this was during the letter reading early on in this production when all members of the ensemble were trying to eaves drop on what was being read. The animation throughout the stage was evident and totally believable and this set the standard for this production of Blitz!

Leading lady, Jacs Brady as Mrs Blitztein, was a joy to behold throughout. Her acting and singing was of the highest calibre. Her accent was maintained throughout the performance and never once was her dialogue lost. Her tender moments were poignant and her comedy moments very funny indeed and delivered with expert timing. In particular her relationship with Alfred Locke was one of the highlights of the show. However it was her delivery of ‘So tell me Jack’ that really brought the house down on the night I was present and received the longest and loudest applause of the evening.

Peter Grant as Alfred Locke also must receive praise for his performance. Here was an experienced comedy actor, squeezing every ounce out of the part, who lit up the stage whenever he appeared. I’ve already mentioned his outstanding relationship with Mrs Blitztein but equally good was the hilarious double act with Clive James as Ernie Nearmiss. These two reminded me of Statler and Waldorf from the Muppets or Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse playing those two miserable ‘old gits’. They epitomised I’m sure the spirit of community, as did the whole production for that matter, during those troubled years. I must say however that I did feel from time to time the ‘cockney accent’ was lost by Peter and a ‘west country’ accent was to be found on occasions.

Dora Bishop’s presentation of Carol Blitztein was outstanding, particularly in the second half when playing the character after having been blinded. Her singing voice is quite beautiful and her movement smooth and graceful. I felt Dora really got to grips with the emotions of this character and delivered them with perfection. Playing opposite Dora Sean Andrews, as Georgie Locke, was relaxed and confident in his delivery. His singing voice was most pleasant and in particular his duets with Carol were well received by an appreciative audience on the Wednesday night I was present. The way in which he was fighting between the views of his family on the one hand and his love of Carol on the other, particularly after she was blinded, came across very accurately and I congratulate Sean for sustaining this throughout the production.

Paul West, as Harry Blitztein, played this ‘jack the lad’ role to perfection. His laid back approach to authority shone through his presentation of this role and his close relationship with Georgie was never lost. It was evident, from his performance; the dilemmas that people were forced to contemplate during those war years.

With Blitz! being a real team effort and company show it would be unwise to single out too many individual members for special praise as the whole cast performed ‘as one’. However I would like to make mention of Sarah Hanks as Elsie. Her involvement was most noteworthy as the part time girlfriend of Harry. In particular her rendition, with others of course, of ‘Leave it to the ladies’ and ‘Down the lane’ were two musical highlights of the show…….and who can forget her undressing down to her underwear during Act One (oh how I wish they’d bring back stockings and suspenders when after reaching the ‘giggle band’ you knew you were laughing!). Those I’ve mentioned by name were aided and abetted by a company full of life and total involvement. The general singing was, as we’ve come to expect from this group, of the highest quality. Obviously with it being such a small playing area the choreography was somewhat limited. However in the few areas it was possible I thought it was handled sensibly. In terms of use of the stage the only point I thought when size did matter was in the opening scene when it all looked a bit crowded, maybe accurate for the period but it did inhibit some principals from getting from ‘A to B’. I was particularly impressed with the ‘Who’s this Geezer Hitler’ number which built brilliantly throughout, both in terms of singing and lighting.

The costumes for this production were most appropriate and impressive and in keeping with the period, the only exception being one of the soldiers whose shirt was out and therefore a distraction from that particular piece in the show. The properties were well handled throughout and this was particularly impressive with so many needed on a very small set with limited space I’m sure backstage. One has come to expect high quality sets from Phil Courage and this was no exception. The stage was used to its maximum and I was particularly impressed how the orchestra had been ‘hived off’ in a bricked area as part of the set and the way the set parted in act two to depict the interior for the wedding scene. Lighting and sound effects were generally good although I did feel the sound effects, particularly early on, drowned out the singing and some of the libretto at times. Whilst the lighting was generally good I did think the children weren’t lit particularly well in their opening number which was a great shame. Other than this one part of the show the lighting was very good indeed. The computer images were a bit like a curate’s egg from my perspective insomuch as I didn’t think they worked particularly well in the first half when the blaze was shown against the brick wall but did so much better when used in Act Two. The ‘end’ of Act One didn’t really work for me either with the soldiers being shown against a white backdrop in silhouette. I believe I know where (and why) this idea came from (Coup de theatres award from last year’s Rose Bowl Awards) but on this occasion I’m not sure it quite worked as the audience was too close. Make-up and hair/wigs were very much in keeping with the period and I congratulate those responsible. The smoke machine was too noisy I feel and therefore I’m not sure the end result it provided was worthwhile with this distraction.

I must finally make mention of the children who were an absolute delight. They really lit up the stage whenever they appeared. Their rendition of ‘Mums and Dads’ was undoubtedly a highlight of the show. What was particularly impressive was the discipline of these children, and I saw the Blue Team on Wednesday night but I’m sure the Red Team was equally good, and the acting the whole time they were on stage. Well done children you are all stars of the future.

May I say how impressed I was with your decision to associate yourselves with the ‘Help for Heroes’ charity for this production? All in all a very good production that took you on a rollercoaster of emotions and provided a very accurate rendition of life in the Blitz!

Andrew Carpenter
NODA SW Regional Representative