Presented by Queanbeyan Players
Director: Judith Colquhorn
Musidal Director: Matt Greenwood,
Choreographer: Belinda Hassall
Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre till 5th November.
Reviewed by Bill Stephens
“Me and My Girl” is a charming musical with no deep messages but lots of funny one-liners, some double entendre and a delightfully catchy score by Noel gay which includes “The Lambeth Walk”, guaranteed to inhabit your mind for days.
The storyline revolves around a young cockney barrow-boy, Bill Snibson, who inherits a title, and a fortune, on the condition that he renounces his fiancée, Sally Smith, to marry someone ‘more suitable’.
As Bill Snibson and Sally Smith, Patrick McLoughlin and Ruth Albertson-Kill are an attractive pairing, bringing charm, likeability and pleasant singing voices to their roles. They receive enthusiastic support from the large cast which includes Peter Dark, wickedly funny as the bibulous Sir John Tremayne, Liz de Totth as the imperious Duchess of Dene, Gary Collinson as the nerdy Hon. Gerald Bolingbroke, and especially Georgia Pike, whose scene-stealing performance as the glamorous gold-digger, Lady Jacqueline Carstone, is alone worth the price of admission.
Though rather basic, the set design provides ample space for Belinda Hassall’s well staged production numbers, enhanced by colourful 1930’s inspired costumes, and the accompaniment of the enthusiastic, if uneven, band conducted by Matt Greenwood.
With more experience, first-time director, Judith Colquhoun will learn how to avoid having her actors mask each other during scenes, and how to get full value from their laugh lines, meanwhile this delightfully cheerful production provides a very pleasant theatrical experience.
An edited version of this review appears in City News October 27th - November 2 edition.
