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Greasepaint Impress As They Stage First Show At Town HallSweet Success In Town Debut
They make a successful transition from the Shepshed stage to the town with a pacy production of this lively, yet bittersweet Cy Coleman musical which is jam-packed with memorable numbers. Julie Easter steals the show with an excellent portrayal of Charity Hope Valentine - the dance bar hostess who is desperate to break away from her sleazy lifestyle. She slips effortlessly into the role in much the same way as she did as Audrey in Christchurch Theatre Club's 'Little Shop of Horrors'. Any professional actress would have been proud of her performance which, at times bristled with energy yet never failed to capture Charity's vulnerability and deep lying insecurity. Numbers like If My Friends Could See Me Now and the poignant Where Am I Going? endeared her to the audience and showed what a talented actress she is. But Sweet Charity is not a one woman show - far from it. Excellent support is given by the rest of the principal players who do not seem fazed to be playing second fiddle. Joy Marsden (Nickie) and Jane Thomas (Helene) play Charity's soul mates very strongly. Both act as perfect foils to their dizzy counterpart and contribute to some of the memorable numbers of the evening - Big Spender and There's Gotta Be Something Better Than This. Mark Chinnery (Oscar) overcomes his fear of heights to capture Charity's heart, Adrian Dobson (Herman) makes a good hostess bar boss, Keith Reynolds (Vittorio Vidal) is in fine voice and Sam Fountain (Daddy Brubeck) has his hippy followers in the palm of his hand. Shane Perry's tight direction ensures the show runs at a lively pace. The orchestra under Alicia Haw's musical direction is very strong - and someone called Julie Easter is choreographer! Special mention must go to the stage hands whose swift scenery changes allow the show to carry on at its steady rate. On Tuesday Greasepaint proved what a strong company they are and showed themselves to be a worthy addition to the town's thriving amateur scene. Nick Gilbert
Copyright © Greasepaint Productions - Last modified 15/06/2003 |
Greasepaint Productions have arrived in Loughborough if
Tuesday's opening night performance of "Sweet Charity" was anything to go by.