Guys & Dolls - Hessle Theatre Company

Chris Holmes as Nathan Detroit (L) & RIchie Donaldson at Big Jule - for more photographs see HTC Facebook Page

On Friday last week, Keith and I went to watch this musical show at the Hull New Theatre. It was a first time for both of us, although Sally, who we went with, had appeared in it a few years ago with another society and she recommended it. We were not disappointed. Having no prior knowledge of a show can sometimes be much better since you have no pre-conceived ideas of how it should be staged, who should play certain characters etc. Even though there was a synopsis in the programme, and I read it before the show began, I still was a tad confused until the characters actually appeared on stage. The synopsis had too many characters and different story-lines for me to grasp all at once, but that didn't matter once the show began.

Here's a more concise version, as shown on the Hessle Theatre Company's website recently:

In the twilight world of gangsters and their molls, Nathan Detroit is losing his grip on the institution of the floating 'crap game' (the dice gambling scheme he runs that switches venue to avoid detection by the local police) and is desperate to find the money to pay for the only location he can currently get his hands on. To seal the deal and quell the tempers of the gangsters who are gathering in town and keen to 'shoot crap', he bets his buddy, Sky Masterson, a thousand dollars that Sky will not be able to take a local Salvation Army girl, Sarah Brown, on a date to Havana.

Meanwhile Nathan, engaged for fourteen years to cabaret artist Miss Adelaide, is struggling to keep her demands for marriage at bay, whilst she continues to battle with the symptoms of an incessant psychosomatic cold that plagues her all the time she is waiting to go down the aisle...

We've seen Hessle TC performing several times over the years, and they always put on a very professional production, despite the majority of their members being amateur and having no formal training. We look out for realism whenever we watch a live performance, whether it's musical or a straight play, and I would say that 99% of the performers achieved this. Having many years of experience in amdram ourselves probably makes us more aware of how hard it is to achieve such a standard - we are limited in our theatre due to the size of it, so cannot compare in any way with such a large company. However, we still strive to be as professional as possible and I can only hope that we give our audiences as much pleasure as Hessle gave us last week.

Onto the show itself. The opening scene was a visual feast. What impressed me more than anything was how well choreographed it was. The whole company were in that scene, in Times Square in New York. I didn't know who to watch, as everyone was moving at the same time, but it was all very carefully planned and seamlessly put together - big congratulations to Martin Beaumont, the director and choreographer.

The musical numbers weren't all to my liking, although none were on my hate list either! I think I was particularly impressed with the song sung by Terry Halliwell who played Sarah Brown's Grand-father, Arvide Abernathy - his number "More I Cannot Wish You" was very moving and he had a lovely tone to his voice. It was really good to see Richard Skelton in the role of Sky Masterson - the love interest of Sarah Brown. He used to be a member at Bilton Amateur Dramatic Society, and was in the same first play I was in there 23 years ago! Back then, I think he preferred singing to acting, but to see him on stage on Friday, you wouldn't know - he was equally impressive with his acting and singing ability. His American accent was faultless, too.

I liked the comedy portrayed by Russell Fallon in his characterisation of Nicely Nicely Johnson - he even raised his speaking voice a pitch to add to that comedy element, and obviously enjoyed spending much of the time eating!!! He was central to one of my favourite scenes, the song ""Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat", and you can see a clip of it here:



What impressed us so much about that particular number was not just the way it was choreographed, which was effective in itself, but the way everyone knew exactly what they were doing and when - not one person was out of sync, and they changed positions throughout, too - credit to everyone involved with this number!

The actress playing the part of Adelaide, Sarah Lazenby, was stunning. Her acting skills and singing voice put together were first rate, and I really enjoyed her performance throughout - particularly in her solo piece, "Adelaide's lament".

I have been reflecting on the show all weekend, and it's not often that a production has such an impact, but this one certainly did. The attention to detail within the direction was evident throughout - one moment I will never forget is the scene in the Mission when all the gamblers are looking in through the window for quite some time before any of the characters in the scene realise. They are almost stuck to the glass, as if they've been paste on from the outside, and it had a really comical effect. I loved the way the signs lit up in Times Square, the backdrop for the underground tunnel with all the pipework etc, and the shop fronts such as the Barber's shop window and the Tailor's shop. It all added to the atmosphere of the production and must have taken a lot of time and effort to create (I'm assuming it was created by Hessle and not hired in, actually - but even so, the scenery was excellent).

I thought Chris Homes played a superb role as Nathan Detroit, and I did wonder if he actually does walk like that in reality or if he just created a perfect stoop for the part! His facial expressions were clearly visible even from where we were sitting in row "O" - no opera glasses required for his acting, that's for sure.

I was also mightily impressed with the "Big Jule" character, played by Richie Donaldson. I don't know how he managed it, but I've never heard such a deep voice in my life. Perhaps he just naturally speaks in a deep tone, but for this character it was perfect and every time he spoke or sang, I was mesmerised!

If I could remember the show in detail (and not just bits of it that stand out) I would write more, but as it is I will just say that I am so pleased Sally suggested we went with her, and that we were entertained from start to finish. I did not want it to end, it was that good. Oh, I also loved "Luck Be A Lady" - the singing and the choreography were both top notch.

I look forward to their production of "Oklahoma" which is their next big show I believe.

Hessle Theatre Company have a website where you can read all about their history, see photographs of past productions and even apply to be a member if you wish: Hessle Theatre Company

Annie -the musical, by Beverley Musical Theatre

Last night Keith and I went to the New Theatre in Hull to see an amateur production of Annie - mainly because our 10 year old grand-daughter, Matheea, was playing one of the orphans. Bearing in mind the fact that Annie is one of our least favourite musicals, we were pleasantly surprised at how much we did enjoy the performances.

We were particularly impressed with all the children, who put so much effort into their parts when they were on stage and really held your attention. One young girl was outstandingly good. 10 year old Mia Stocks played the part of Annie with such an engaging style I almost forgot I was listening to one of the songs I cannot bear to listen to when she sang "Tomorrow".  Her singing was superb, she had very good stage-craft skills, her American accent was better than some of the adults in that it was faultless, and I could understand what she was saying. She also had range, which is unusual in one so young - her emotional scenes were just as credible as her joyous ones. I look forward to seeing her perform again. Her smile was infectious.

To be brutally honest (which I am, often) I did not like the choreography much - the adults in the chorus were not all putting in as much effort as they could have, which detracted from the ones that were, and overall spoiled the effect. 

Miss Hannigan's character was suitably evil and the audience seemed to enjoy the portrayal given by Jackie Cox.

Several members of Hull Musical Society, of which I am a member, were also in the show last night, and I was impressed with the performance from Jane Bradley as Lily St Regis - the woman who pretends to claim Annie as her own daughter in order to get the reward money, along with Daniel (Rooster) Hannigan. Jane is very good at playing ditsy characters with great aplomb, and last night was no exception. Equally impressive were Ian Start as President F D Roosevelt, Russell Fallon as both the Policeman and a member of Rossevelt's Cabinet, along with the other cabinet members Steve Aylmer and Peter Martin.

There were a few occasions when the action did not flow as smoothly as I would have expected, and I got the impression that it was under-rehearsed with the adult section - certainly, compared to their production of South Pacific last year, there was a marked difference in the whole production.

The scenery was excellent, courtesy of Scenic Projects Ltd, and really helped to create the atmosphere. All the costumes were well done - I would never have guessed that the orphans all did their own costumes, they certainly co-ordinated well. Costume changes were slick wherever required, scene changes were all well done and the musical accompaniment was just right.

The dog, Pepper on the night we went (called Sandy in  the show) was adorable.

One or two members of the chorus really stood out for me - Debbie Lee who was one of the Boylan sisters singing on the Bert Healey show and I found myself drawn to watching her as she was so animated and obviously enjoying the whole show. In the Children's Chorus, apart from the obvious and biased opinion that our grand-daughter Matheea Ellerby shone, I believe the girl playing the part of Molly (Millie Morris) really did stand out.

I don't think I will ever love the show itself, as the music tends to grate on me rather than grow on me, but due to the casting of Mia Stocks as Annie, this production certainly helped to "lessen my dislike" shall we say!

Matheea was going to watch the show this afternoon, and it will be the final performance for her and the rest of the cast this evening. After that, Matheea will be performing with the Junior Section at Bilton in the summer, in a production of The Emperor's New Clothes.

Bilton Amateur Dramatic Society - latest production

In exactly two weeks I will be taking on another role in a production of "Life Goes On" by Adrian Hodges. Performed by Bilton Amateur Dramatic Society, East Yorkshire. My role is that of a woman named Joyce, who has recently been widowed. The character at first appears to be coping with the loss of her husband remarkably well, and her personality is quite a strong one. It transpires, however, that she is really missing him and needs to find something to do with her time. Despite the night of passion she shared with her husband's brother on the night of his death, it isn't love that's on her mind, but a business proposal.

Playing this part has been great fun - even the rather embarassing moments when I have to kiss Mike Hawxwell, who is many years my junior and one of the first members of the Junior section I run at BADS! He refers to me as Aunty Helen, so it's a pretty strange experience for him, too - particularly when his real-life girlfriend (also in the play) and his Mother (prompting) are watching it all unfold! However, we seem to get through it in a reasonably professional manner and have only had the giggles on a couple of occasions!

Much harder to cope with at rehearsals are the expressions on the face of Andy Jowett, who plays my dead husband (there is one scene in which we view the time leading up to his death, which I find funny every time.). Andy only has to look at me in a certain way or say a line every so slightly wrong and we both have to really fight to stop the laughter taking over - even to the point where I can't look at him until I've recovered!

It's also really nice to be working with one of our Youth section members for the first time - Amy Fletcher. She's reliable and accomplished for her age, so it's a real pleasure to be on stage with her. She has fitted into the adult section with ease, so we are hoping this isn't the last play she takes part in!

Finally, the newest member at BADS is Kay Humphries - she's Mike's girlfriend as I mentioned earlier. She is a very "natural" actress and has a sensitivity to her acting which is admirable. I have a feeling she will get a good review when the critic from N.O.D.A. comes to see it!

I can hardly believe it's only two weeks away now, we seem to have been rehearsing for months (well, we have,actually!) without thinking about how far away it is. Hopefully the weather will not be too bad during play week, as that can sometimes put people off coming to watch!

If you click on the title post, it will direct you to the Event on Facebook giving details on how to book for this production.

That'll Be The Day - Concert

Last night we went to the Hull New Theatre as part of my husband's birthday gift - I'd got tickets to see a musical show called "That'll Be The Day" which promised to be a combination of nostalgic rock & roll numbers and some great comedy. We had a meal in the theatre cafe prior to the show commencing at 7.30, which made the evening just a bit nicer, somehow!

The show has now been running for 25 years and is a really popular show with many people watching it over and over again. I don't think we will be watching it again - it's well performed and did make us laugh, but not enough to want to go again. The thing that neither of us really likes is "audience participation" and, even though it wasn't mandatory, when the rest of the audience stand up when told to, you feel like you must, too! To be fair, most people were loving it, waving their arms from side to side, jiving in the aisles etc, but I would just rather sit in my seat and enjoy it, so that's what we ended up doing. Some might think we are miserable for doing so, I would just rather make my own mind up about such things!

I have to admit to crying at one point, however - simply because the Buddy Holly song "True Love Ways" always sets me off on an emotional journey back in time. My uncle used to play this on his guitar and sing it, and he died in 1990 whilst living with our family.

There were several impersonations and "TV clips" from bygone years played on the screen at the rear of the stage in between the costume changes - all were very good. I loved some of the women's costumes!

The show didn't finish until 10.30pm and I would recommend it to anyone who likes 50s/60s and early 70s rock and roll.

They have only just started their tour season for this year, but all the dates can be found on their web-site: That'll Be The Day