AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: Stepping Out - PADOS Studio Theatre, Prestwich. Manchester.

This was my first visit to PADOS's own studio theatre in Prestwich. PADOS - that's Prestwich Amateur Dramatic and Operatic Society - normally present their larger scale shows at The Met Theatre in Bury, but their plays (of which this is the first I have seen), are performed at their home base in the centre of the town which bears their name! It's a very small building, unprepossessing, on the corner of two residential streets, it doesn't look anything like a theatre from the outside, in fact one even wonders if the building is large enough to accommodate one at all. But we all know that appearances can be deceiving, and once inside, there is not only a reasonably sized stage with backstage area, a comfortable auditorium with raised seating, but there is also a small bar too. It's a bit like the tardis! 

The set was exellent. 'Stepping Out' is set in a hired-out Community Centre hall, which, for one evening a week, is the domain of an adult tap dancing class. Here then, we were shown a typical paint-peeling-at-the-edges kind of weariness to the set, whilst a piano was set at one side, and the changing areas off to the wings. 

The tap dancing, despite being an important part of the play, and fournishes us with the play's finale; isn't actually the main focus. This disparate group of women - and one man, Geoffrey - all have their own reasons for coming to the tap class, and all have their stories to tell. It is the dynamics of revealing these characters and their stories which takes talent. Director Alexander Cohen brought most of these out nicely, not giving away too much to begin with, and building the characters up as their stories became fuller. One thing I didn't quite understand though was the decision to delocate the play from London. Despite a couple of the cast doing well with their London vowels, and a reference or two to 'Pineapple' (a dance studio and dancewear outfitters in London); there were also more than a couple northerners in the play, and a distinct reference to Alderley Edge. This simply didn't make sense. 

Cohen's decision to keep the play firmly set in the 1980s however was a sensible one, as much of the dialogue is very contemporaneous and wouldn't be appropriate today without much rewriting. Much of the comedy is derived from racial stereotyping and body-image, which simply wouldn't fly if written today. 

Susan Glover plays the nicer-than-nice failed professional dancer Mavis who takes these classes, and her backstory is revealed with skill in the middle of the play, giving the group a new way to assess their teacher. The pianist, Glenda Fraser, was played this evening by Shirley Harrison, who displayed a incredible skill in comedy timing, hitting her character firmly on its head. The group of 8 adults who take this tap class, all very adept in bringing out their characters and their relationships / dynamics within the group, were excellently observed. Moments of hilarious comedy were nicely juxtaposed with a more serious piece of pathos, all sensibly portrayed. I especially enjoyed Lucy Michaliszyn's underplaying of the quiet and reserved Andy, and her interplay with Geoffrey. Also of note was Sara Brockway's Sylvia, whose character could quite easily have entered the realms of grotesque, chav, and OTT, but in Brockway's hands it remained focused, real, and very funny. 

The play and story is all about the characters, and these were secure and grounded at all times by all, with the comedy being brought out nicely. However, the tap dancing went from appalling (deliberately so) to performance standard in the blink of an eye. I feel there should have been at least a hint of a gradual progression of not only gaining confidence in the steps but the actual ability of performing them. Even with seconds before the performance, the group were still dancing as if they had never worn tap shoes in their lives before. And it was also a little confusing to find that the actual show performance dance was not the same choreography and music that the group had been practising throughout the weeks and months prior to it. Again, this didn't really make any sense to me. The end tap dance was, nevertheless, nicely choreographed and enjoyable.

Criticisms notwithstanding, this was a highly enjoyable production, intelligently performed with craft and zeal by 10 skilled amateur actors, and the play runs until Saturday 2nd July.

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 26.6.22