that wasn’t howling with laughter at this point. Martin Kelly, as King Rat, was inventive. I loved his steam-punk-style rat costume and the lighting every time he entered the stage was chosen well. He had an excellent evil cackle which again engaged the audience in plenty of booing and hissing. Alison Hasler made a lovely Scottish fairy. She looked the part in a beautiful light-up costume and her lines were clearly delivered so that the rhyming verse flowed well. Tommy the Cat (played by Lauren Bates) was loveable and, despite not having many verbal lines, Lauren managed to portray the cat’s character and personality. Andy Hall had the tricky job of playing, not only Alderman Fitzwarren, but also Horatio Fitzwarren. There was a clear difference between both characters, and he sang his songs well. The Empress of Egypt was performed by Angela Mayall, and she sang her song ‘Dancing Queen’ beautifully. I personally thought the harmonies in this number between her and the ladies in the ensemble were the best in the show, and I loved the costumes! Direction was brought out the best of the piece. I know a lot of the show had been tweaked to suit the society and audience so this made for an enjoyable show. The performers moved through the audience and the song choices were right to get the audience singing and dancing along. In ‘Sweet Caroline’ towards the end, I feel sure there wasn’t a single arm in the room not swaying along! The staging was minimal, but what was used alongside the commitment from each and every performer meant that every scene was believable and clear. One of my favourite scenes, set and props wise, was the underwater scene just after Jack, Dick, Caroline, Tommy and Horatio have been flung off their ship. The use of cardboard fish, shark costumes and blow bubbles really did create a hilariously silly scene. The ensemble worked well. They supported the principals well with the vitality and vigour required and many had opportunity to appear in smaller roles. Dan Fielden joined the principals to perform a spoof magic performance as the characters tried to escape their fate, and this was side-
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