Eric (David
Graham) has heard that his local amateur dramatic society Basford Amateur
Dramatics (BAD) is short of men for its Christmas production and imagines that
this must mean there are several women involved, so he decides he should get
himself a part in order to enjoy their company – and maybe more!
The production
is “Murder At Middleport Manor”, written, produced and directed by the over-enthusiastic
and rather camp Rupert Brownlow Smallwood (Lawrence Russell) and starring local
lass Twinkle (Carly Cook). Eric’s long-suffering wife Bev (Laura Sheppard) is
also in the cast. When it gets to the first rehearsal we learn that the
rehearsal space has been double-booked with a rock and roll band. Neither group
is prepared to give up the space so a compromise is reached: band members Ray
(Harvey James), Steve (Jack Pinder), Alan (Alan Howell) and Pongo (Lewis Williams)
join the cast on condition that the production becomes a musical.
Eric’s
Christmas Turkey is stuffed with gags (see what I did there?) and they come
thick and fast as the cast learn their parts and put the show together. Some of
these are golden oldies, such as when Alan reveals that tomorrow is the
anniversary of his birth and is asked “which year?” the response is “every
year!”. Some are more 'sophisticated', as when Twinkle is lamenting the poor
quality of the men she meets: “all the men I meet are like toilets – vacant,
engaged or full of crap!”. Of course, the attractive young Twinkle becomes the
object of desire for several of the male cast members and this becomes a
recurring theme throughout the show. Who will “get the girl”? You’ll have to
come and see for yourself, no spoilers here!
People don’t
just come to see Eric’s shows for the gags though, the superbly-performed '60s and '70s hit songs are a big part of
the draw. Howell’s joyful rendition of Electric Light Orchestra’s “Mr. Blue Sky”
just before the interval was a stand-out for me and possibly even better than
the original. To give you an idea of the band’s quality and breadth of
repertoire, the first song after the interval was the Beatles’ “Sergeant
Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” complete with flawless harmonies – this isn’t
an easy song to perform well.
After the
interval, it is 'Murder At Middleport Manor''s first night, with a few changes
to the advertised cast. Miss Baskeyfield, the octogenarian female lead (whom we
never actually see) is double-booked covering for a lap dancer so Twinkle has
to double-up as Lady Cheddleton’s daughter and a French maid; meanwhile the
part of the detective Inspector Gardget has somehow ended up being taken by
Eric. Poor Rupert is worried that the performance will be a disaster. Of course
it will!
Everything that
can go wrong does. Props are missing, characters enter from the wrong side of
the stage, lines are fluffed, sound effects are out off cue. The effect is
hilarious, even as the characters are being murdered one by one. The Inspector
of course is clueless despite one of the prime suspects turning up after each
murder with a potential murder weapon in hand. This is skilful acting which
relies on careful timing and an ability to get through some very funny material
without corpsing. Well, almost without corpsing…
The cast
somehow make it to the end of the production, following which – to cheer
themselves up – they all head off to the after-show party. This is, of course,
the cue for everyone to get up and dance while the band entertain us with more '60's hits. The male band members are decked out in multi-coloured Paisley
blazers, white polo-necked sweaters and brown flares while Bev and Twinkle are
in rainbow-coloured dresses. The audience – many of whom are reliving their
youth, some have even come in '60's dress – are enjoying every minute of it,
clapping, swaying, joining in choruses and dancing in the aisles. This is
entertainment at its best, and you don’t have to be able to remember the 1960s
to appreciate it. That said, if you have the kind of little child who might
suddenly ask “mummy, why did everybody laugh at the name Wayne Kerr?” it might
be better to leave him or her at home!
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