April 26th & 27th 2002
The 'Prohibition'
era is brought to life in this musical show, evoking memories (if you
can remember that far back and happened to be looking for a drink in America
at the time!) of Speakeasies, illicit booze, gangsters, big hats, slappers
and great cars!
Marjorie Inman has put together a collection of song and dance routines
from a variety of writers and musicians, including Steven Sondheim, George
Gershwin and Cole Porter.
Our guest Musical Director Mark Wilkinson leads the cast in his first appearance for OLT
A Musical Extravaganza!
Produced by Marjorie Inman
at
Otley
Civic Centre
Cross Green
Otley
As the show displays a
distinct lack of drinking, we thought we'd better supply a licensed bar to
jolt our audience back into the modern world!
The ticket price of £7.50 also includes a tasty supper at the interval.
Just keep an ear out for the Keystone Kops - they may take this Prohibition
thing a bit too seriously...
Cast members:
Ruth Birkett
Gill Coverdale
Jean Dreze
Caroline Marston
Joanne Newton
Val O'Hare
Joan Birkett
Pat Lamb
Marjorie Inman
Dot Stevens
Anita Lamb
Lisa Long
Lyn Marshall
Margaret Marston
Meg Morton
Krystyne Pitts
Margaret Taylor
Sylvia Thompson
Nicki Wilyman
Graham Chadwick
Bruce Chalmers
Peter Coverdale
Robin Inman
Phil Marston
Steve Millward
David Payne
Graham Stevens
Mike Waring
Kevin Collier
The
Band
Musical Director & Keyboards: Mark
Wilkinson
Keyboards: Wayne Pollock
Drums: Colin Byrne
Crew Members
Production Assistants:
Jane Simpson, Charmian Thomas, Mike Waring
Costume Design and creation: Jean Dreze, Krystyne Pitts
Choreography: Ruth Birkett, Gill Coverdale
Lighting: Andrew Jackson, Sandie Smith
Sound: Jim Ranyard, Peter Breaks
Stage Manager: Ray Hope
Set Design, Construction & Dressing: Fred Wells, Ray Hope,
Joan Birkett, Wendy Lodge
Catering: Jeanne Chadwick, Maureen Bruce
Front of House staff: Charmian Thomas, Lee Wells and the OLT team
Hall Design: Jane Simpson and the OLT team
Bar: Nick Simpson and the OLT team
In a town such as Otley,
famed for its licensed premises, it's a strange choice to put on a show about
a 'dry' period of history, but judging by the delighted reception afforded
by the packed audience on Friday night, Otley Little Theatre pulled it off
with a vengeance. With an amateur production of this kind there's always a
mixture of those who can, those who think they can and those who simply enjoy
being in front of an audience but on this occasion all-embracing enthusiasm
and the experienced eye of producer/director Marjorie Inman ensured that the
joins weren't visible.
Act 1 consisted of a succession
of songs and dances from the shows, with Phil Marston's "Broadway Melody"
and Meg Morton's "Summertime" outstanding, and in the Interval we were treated
to an excellent "American Style" meal served by the cast. But it was after
the break that the show really took off. No sooner had we finished eating
and settled down to watch the portion set in a Speakeasy than proceedings
were "interrupted" by a raid by rival gangsters brandishing machine guns.
Another interruption, this time unscripted, occurred when a couple of temporary
electrical failures took out the lights and the orchestra but in true theatrical
tradition the performers didn't skip a note or a step and were rewarded with
tumultuous applause by the audience, who entered into the "Dunkirk spirit"
of the incident.
Ruth Birkett's wonderfully sultry "Tallulah" set the tone for the rest of
the evening before the Vaudeville section included an all-too-brief comedy
double act between Graham Chadwick and Krystyne Pitts and the former co-performing
a poem with Kevin Collier, in his guise of the Speakeasy's owner "Fat Sam".
The show ended with a couple of real "tours de force". Three mature strippers
(Marjorie Inman, Patricia Lamb and Dot Stevens) explained the nuances of their
trade to a "new recruit" (Caroline Marston), then Joanne Newton, the possessor
of a marvellous voice, gave us the moving "Everything's Coming Up Roses".
The Finale, including a reprise of the "unplugged" bit, allowed us to show
our appreciation, not least for Gill Coverdale and Ruth Birkett's innovative
choreography.
According to Kevin Collier's informative and quirky programme some fifty people
were involved in the production, and they can all take pride in a job well
done.
