New Victoria Theatre, Woking – until 30 March 2019
Reviewed by Becky Doyle
3***
What an absolute shame and disappointment that this show was. It took until half way through the second half before I started to actually enjoy myself. The story took too long to get into, and quiet frankly I was bored and wishing for the interval. The second half had a little more umph and I found myself 20 minutes before the end actually getting into the story and enjoying it.
Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all-bad. The music was catchy and the singing was what you would expect from the cast. There were fantastic singers amongst the cast, to name a few; Karen Dunbar (Cora), Rebecca Storm (Chris) and Phil Corbitt (John). Clearly the story is that of great sadness followed by that of comedy and love. Though what I missed was that feeling of being there and feeling what the actors were feeling. I never felt the emotion of grief, sadness, or emptiness only that of time passing and not a lot transpiring.
The last 20 minutes of the show was where the show came to life, and where the calendar was created. There were laughs and cheers from others in the audience and it was clear that other audience members were loving the show. There was a sense of fun when the creativity of ladies strategically placing items such as iced buns, balls of wool, and trophies were played out whilst the audience clapped and moved along to the music.
The younger actors in the show were fantastic; Isabel Caswell (Jenny), Tyler Dobbs (Tommo) and Danny Howker (Danny) played their parts brilliantly. Danny in particular had the audience in stitches after he witnessed his mum whip her top off and scream “Can you see my nipples?” he truly had you understanding the life of a young school boy who had suddenly been horrified by what he saw on the Yorkshire hills whilst falling for a girl your mother didn’t approve of.
To conclude, the show had its highs and lows. For me there were not enough highs and I felt a little deflated and disappointed when leaving the theatre. However, saying this the cast received a standing ovation and other audience members within a full theatre appeared to enjoy the show.