Sooz Kempner in Doodle The Musical at the Waterloo East Theatre, London
Doodle The Musical continues at the Waterloo East Theatre, London until 28 January.
Star rating: two stars ★ ★ ✩ ✩ ✩
The Second World War is raging and we’re somewhere between Dad’s Army and Secret Army in a show which, directed by Jonathan Moore with book and lyrics by Jonathan Kydd, could have been a cheerful antidote to Joe Wright’s new, highly-acclaimed film The Darkest Hour. Its premiere coincided with Doodle’s press night.
Top brass get intelligence that the Germans are planning a fearsome new attack. Barnes Wallis (Reggie Oliver), inventor of the doodlebug in real life, is kidnapped by the Germans and persuaded to invent the new weapon for them. He is having a quasi gay relationship with a robot named Trevor.
Meanwhile back, in Blighty, an assassin named Smiley, who always works naked and has a massive (prosthetic) cock is gearing up for work. And a (mostly) British group, deliberately chosen for their inexperience and incompetence, are heading to France to sort out the Germans. Yes, it’s that sort of show – brave, bonkers and a bit pointless.
By far the best thing in this ensemble show is Sooz Kempner as Weaver. She is the only person in the cast with a singing voice. She uses it to powerful effect (music by Andy Street) as the woman who is constantly put down by the men but eventually triumphs. Her eyes are fiercely expressive and sheis arresting on stage.
Also pretty good is Luke Farrugia, as Sam Kydd, the insouciant youngster who, an aspirant showman, wants to play the comb and paper or spoons at every opportunity.
There are, amongst the laboured muddle, also some quite neat stereotype cameos such as Sebastian Kainth as David Niven and Conor Cook as the irrepressible Deadman.
Moments of physical theatre such as the aircraft sound effects at the beginning and the whole cast doing a dramatic shuffle are slickly directed too.
But sadly this is a show with far more flaws than strengths. Musical theatre requires people who can sing and here we have a line-up of ten actors, nine of whom are weak singers.
The lowest point is Paul Croft’s bungled, mumbled patter song. Diction is generally not great in this cast, besides which many of the songs are swamped by the recorded accompaniment.
Images are projected onto a backcloth during the action. The pretence that we’re watching a grainy 1940s film is quite fun but many of the shots which follow add little to the show.
Two dancers float on and off stage at various points in the action. They’re competent enough but completely superfluous. The show is cluttered enough already and they make it worse.
Then there’s the length. This material simply does not justify two and three quarter hours. Perhaps it was under rehearsed. Maybe it’s a “show in development” (although there is no hint of that in the advertising).
Either way, if it’s to realise any potential it has Doodle needs a great deal more work and pruning by at least 45 minutes.
Susan Elkin
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