Wiltshire Times IT must be 30 years, maybe more, since I used to lie on the dining room carpet listening to my collection of children's seven-inch records. One featured Hans Christian Anderson's The Ugly Duckling. Little did I know that as an adult I would be watching a musical based on this childhood favourite. Honk, The Ugly Duckling, written by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, was brought by the society to The Arc Theatre, Trowbridge. This musical is packed with fun and laughs, which were delivered by the cast with obvious enjoyment and enthusiasm. This performance had many highlights, including a brilliantly funnily choreographed formation flight of the geese. Particular mention I also feel must be made of the birth of the ducklings. This was achieved with believability and feeling by the young cast members. This production was festooned with strong and notable performances throughout the cast. Craig Fisher as Ugly grew with self-assurance throughout the show. This can be seen in two ways, as the growing stature of this young actor, but also the development of the uncertain ‘ugly duckling’ into the self-assured swan. The moment when Ugly first took to the stage as a swan was spine-tinglingly effective, reminiscent of the final scene of Billy Elliot. Joan Francis as Ida and Pete Grant as Drake were a strong double act who, between them, delivered some classic one-liners, not all of which were picked up on by the audience. Gareth Lloyd was brilliant as Cat in a role that seemed to straddle both good and evil. I found it interesting that Cat seemingly received a bigger cheer than Ugly. This show required some cast members to take on dual roles. Phil Courage was a case in point. He was fun-lovingly great, almost Toad of Toad Hall-like, as Bullfrog yet moments later he appeared majestic-like as a member of the Seasons Choir. Mari Webster was not only a member of Seasons Choir but also she played Penny, the love interest. This was a well-rounded, well polished performance of professional standard. Neill Cadmore
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