The NODA report is in….Congratulations everyone! Hinchley Manor Operatic Society - ACORN ANTIQUES - 20th May 2014 This hilarious spoof by the mighty Victoria Wood is not an easy musical to play and requires the actors to pitch the characters just as the author intended. It was soon clear that the director Maggie Bradshaw had taken great care to stay true to the original portrayals in this production. The opening street scene was a simple set featuring a parade of shop doorways, the central one being the antiques shop owned by sisters, Miss Babs and Miss Berta. Miss Babs was played with great flair and skill by Maeve Barnes, the character throughout staying totally faithful to the original concept. Once in the shop - another splendid set- lacking in antiques as befitted the spoof, we met Miss Berta, another fine performance given by Valerie Carr, whose duet with Miss Babs was well sung. Enter Mrs Overall with the famous macaroons. To be compared to the wonderful Julie Walters and not suffer by comparison is quite an achievement. Bernice Baker relished this peach of a role and was a delight throughout the show. The macaroons song was put over with verve and great stage presence. Michaela Stewart as the cruel Bonnie, aimed to replace the antiques shop with a coffee shop. It later transpired that she was the third sister, all daughters of Mrs Overall. She deserves high praise for the truthful and at times touching portrayal of this difficult role. Mr Cliffords anthem was put over well by Ken Smith who played the man with amnesia realistically, gaining the audiences sympathy. Alas, poor Miss Berta, he forgot that he was all but engaged to her. Hugh and Mimi, two work experience teenagers with attitude, were played with relish by Zak Negri and Paige Fayers respectively. Neil Dicker was convincingly heartless as Tony, the loan shark aiming to take over the row of shops. He also played the postman. A rich and well portrayed assortment of shopkeepers, customers and members of the local Manchesterford amateur operatic society added to the humour. All acquitted themselves well. Principal among these characters were Miss Furlong (Gill Varon), Christine (Jenny Dicker), Mr Minchin (John Stanley-Smith), Lucy (Carolyn Green), Mr Watkins (Graeme Long), Derek (Chris Malone), Miss Willoughby (Lisa Guerriero), Miss Wellbelove (Sandra Mortimer), Bev (Kay Colston), Debra (Allison Whittle) and Evelyn (Suzanne Green). The Old Small Print with Tony accompanied by Bev, Deb and Evelyn and Gents Duet between Mr Watkins and Derek were well handled. The dream sequence featured the sisters late father (Tony Townsend), a young Mrs Overall (Kelly Neilson) and Bonnies a adoptive mother (Abi Wingfield). Unusually there were three choreographers mentioned in the programme, all of whom also took part in the show, namely Lisa Guerriero, Linda MacDonald and Kelly Neilson. Much of the choreography was extremely energetic and polished. Credit goes therefore to all three ladies. I particularly liked the company numbers Manchesterford and Shagarama. Costumes by an in-house team under coordinator Kay Colston were appropriate and some were extremely elegant, in particular Miss Babs and Mrs Overall (delightfully dowdy) were just right. Musical director Ana Lopez who played keyboards handled her five piece band with sensitivity, modulating the sound where necessary and always supporting, but never drowning, the singers as is sadly so common in amateur musicals. Lighting in the experienced hands of Richard Pike added much to the atmosphere. I would have liked to have seen more deliberate bungling of lines and shakiness of the set, as in the spoof original that the author created so beautifully. They were there on occasions but I was left wanting more. The programme was one of the better ones I have seen lately, being highly informative with a comprehensive portrait gallery of the cast and fun rehearsal photos. This was heartening to see, as was the full page devoted to NODA. One gained an unmistakable impression that HMOS are a highly organised and ambitious company and I congratulate them on their hugely enjoyable evening and for the attentive welcome Sue and I were accorded.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 16:27:44 +0000
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