THE BOYFRIEND

by Sandy Wilson

Presented by
Lancaster Red Rose Amateur Operatic Society
at
Lancaster Grand Theatre

Reviewed by Jane Sunderland

Saturday 17 March 2007
2.15 p.m. (£7.00), 7.15 p.m. (£8.50)

Julie Andrews in Ken Russell's screen version of The Boyfriend

It may not be starring Twiggy or be produced by Ken Russell, but Kathleen Kenyon and Val Goulding’s Lancaster Red Rose AODS production of The Boy Friend makes for a thoroughly enjoyable night out, whether or not you have a friend or relative in the cast.

Written soon after the end of World War II, and set just after the end of World War I, it tells the simple story of the carefree and hedonistic pupils at Madame Dubonnet’s (Eleanor Manning) finishing school in Nice.

Polly Browne (Emily Schofield), one of the school’s rich ‘young ladies’, falls in love in the shortest of times with delivery boy Tony (Paul Knowles). Except that she pretends she is the school secretary, and he conceals the fact that his parents are a certain Lord and Lady Brockhurst.

So even though Polly and Tony sing “All we want is a room – in Blooms – bury”, accompanied by some beautifully crafted miming, the fact that they will end up with far more than that is just … the icing on the cake! But you can’t take it too seriously….

The production is nicely hammed up, French accents and all, with national stereotypes exploited mercilessly. As well as “A Room in Bloomsbury”, familiar songs include “I Could Be Happy With You”, “It’s Never Too Late to Fall in Love” and “Poor Little Pierette”: one of the things that makes a musical enjoyable is finding you actually do know some of the music. And there were good strong renditions of these and the other songs by Eleanor Manning, Emily Schofield, the energetic Vanessa Whittle (Maisie), Kate Ashton (Dulcie) and Geoff Houghton (the philanderer Lord Brockhurst), who must be singled out for being a talented actor and singer.

Given that this is an amateur show, any criticisms are minor. Inevitably, the small stage was at times a little crowded. The costumes were far more impressive than the rather conventional sets (though the third one, the Carnival at the Café Pataplon, does not disappoint). And the words were not always as audible as they should have been. But, overall, this was a very neat production.

If I had to choose the slickest scene, it would be that where Lord Brockhurst is envying the very different elderly stiff-upper-lip Brit Percival Browne (Michael Dowthwaite) for Browne’s (missed) opportunity to swim in the Mediterranean with his beguiling old flame Madame Dubonnet – a headteacher to boot! The wide age-range of actors is used to excellent effect, and almost everyone dances the Charleston. Catch it if you can.

© Jane Sunderland 18/3/07

Related links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boy_Friend

Reviews of other productions:
www.dailyinfo.co.uk
www.londontheatre.co.uk

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