Alex Young and Ryan Pidgen in Me and My Girl at the Chichester Festival Theatre. Picture: Johan Persson
Me and My Girl continues at the Chichester Festival Theatre until 25 August 2018.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
This season’s productions at Chichester have not met with the usual acclaim from other critics, although they have been well received by audiences and by this reviewer.
Not surprisingly there has been speculation over the choice of Matt Lucas for the lead role of Bill Snibson, in the first of this year’s musicals. Will he be an inspired choice or a star name mistake?
Unfortunately, I am unable to provide the answer as indisposition meant that Lucas had to miss press night. Having seen a throat specialist he had been advised to rest his voice. A huge groan came from the audience when Daniel Evans came on stage to make the announcement.
This disappointment made for the stuff of theatrical dreams as up stepped understudy Ryan Pidgin who, with just a few hours of rehearsal that afternoon, wowed the audience. His performance was stunning and seamless. He earned the show its fifth star.
This 1930s old-fashioned musical employs a plot that has cockney Snibson inheriting a title of Lord Hareford along with the family estate, his tussles with the gentry and his fight for his true love, Sally Smith.
The show received a new lease of life in 1985 when Robert Lindsay and Emma Thompson starred in a revival which incorporated a book revision by Stephen Fry with contributions from Mike Ockrent. And now Chichester’s artistic team headed by director Daniel Evans have given it a new lick of paint.
Musical director/supervisor Gareth Valentine has introduced some new arrangements that give scope for choreographer Alistair David to devise several exciting routines.
In ‘The Sun Has Got His Hat On’ the music progresses through swing to Latin American, giving the dancers a medley of dance styles. While the cast has a great time with ‘The Lambeth Walk’ – the Cockneys’ strut soon turns in to an exhilarating tap dance routine which is contrasted with the more sedate and stylish version performed by the gentry.
A bold idea is having ‘Leaning On a Lamp-post’ segueing into a nightmare ballet a la American in Paris with musical echoes of Paris and Venice and Gershwin’s America.
Lez Brotherston provides a striking set of a substantial frontage to the stately home that opens up for internal scenes. It is supplemented with projections and lighting designed by Tim Mitchell.
Evans’ direction produces a production that is slick and fast moving, although at times the humour comes across as heavy handed. There are malapropisms and puns galore which soon lose their appeal. He handles the large cast well and gets from them ensemble playing at its best.
The strong cast has Caroline Quentin as the domineering Duchess of Dene, adding singing and dancing to her acting skills. She has great fun in ‘Song of Hareford’, hoofing it up with dancing suits of armour.
Clive Rowe delivers a delightfully aristocratic performance as Sir John Tremayne, long-time admirer of the Duchess, while Bill’s sweetheart Sally is in the safe hands of Alex Young.
One moment she is leading a lusty knees-up, next sweetly singing tender ballads.‘Once You Lose Your Heart’ is a real eye moistener.
Siubhan Harrison adds glamour as the saucy scheming temptress, rival to the frumpish Sally. As the obligatory silly ass, Dominic Marsh gets the balance right. But it is Jennie Dale (Parchester, the solicitor) who steals scenes whenever she appears. She is superb in ‘The Family Solicitor’, a Gilbert and Sullivan style number that morphs into a frenzied, jazzy tap dance.
At the curtain the audience rose as one to deliver a thunderous ovation that reflected their admiration for the understudy’s performance as well as their appreciation of the rest of the cast.
Barrie Jerram
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