Arrivaderci Nyon
There's always a bit of a let down feeling when a show ends its run, but those involved in Me and My Girl should go
away with a warm glow from what was definitely the best Spring Show this year.
The whole show was superb and it would be unfair to mention any particular performance... So what follows is just
my own fond remembrances of a great show. One thing that struck me was the breadth of style in the music - Noel Gay,
learning his trade at the start of the 20th century and writing this score in the 30s, must have been exposed to influences
ranging from G&S to Cole Porter by way of Noel Coward with a bit of proto-jazz thrown in too. The result was a
selection of toe-tapping tunes and soaring scores that stayed in my head for a week.
Another striking aspect of this show was the depth of the female characters: The Duchess of Dene was the engine-room
of the plot as she strode the stage steering the other characters towards their destiny. The scheming Lady Jacqueline,
who was always willing to switch her allegiance and affection to whoever seemed most likely to inherit the ancestral
pile was a worthy foil - and couldn't that blonde lassie sing a bit...
The female lead was the delightful Sally who would have sacrificed her love for Bill so as not to dispossess him
from his inheritance. Luckily, with the help of Deus ex Machina, Sir John, a scheme was hatched by which so won him
back and we got to see her sing and dance some more.
In any romantic comedy, a crucial element of the suspension of disbelief hinges on how likely it looks that the leading
lady would actually fall in love with the hero. This show was particularly well-cast in this regard and, if I were
Sally's real-life boyfriend, I'd be keeping an eye on that lad who played Bill Snibson.
Among the other ranks, the characterisations were superb, from the jaunty family solicitor who would launch into
song at the merest excuse to the eloquently verbose PC Plod to the sepulchral butler who seemed to glide around the
stage without moving his legs.
Then there was the duracell-powered aristocratic waster, Bolingbroke. With his energetic, loose-limbed performance,
wacky accent and rosy cheeks he reminded me at times of another aristocratic stage character - but where was Ray Allen?
The stage business was excellent with my favourite being Bill Snibson's hilarious deflating vermin cloak.
The old adage about never appearing on stage with children or animals should be extended to include croquet equipment.
On the night I attended, the script evidently called for Lady Jacqueline to whack a ball into the wings. Inevitably,
what with croquet not being exactly a popular sport in County Waterford, the ball took a fade, skelped of the sight-screen
and rebounded in the direction of the orchestra pit. A David Seaman-like save from one of the butlers was the only
thing which prevented the hefty ball dropping in on the lead cellist.
And what a great set, too! The car that converted itself into a pile of luggage would've impressed James Bond while
the portrait gallery of ancestral beings who came to life for one of the shows more operatic numbers hinted at some
slick back-stage organisation. How the bishop got down the ladder in that cassock, I'll never know.
In the chorus numbers, the stage was filled with a colourful throng of swirling dancers while a cohort of lusty voices
dominated the auditorium. The Lambeth Walk in particular, which closed Act 1, rolled on in wave after wave with each
repeat of the chorus revealing another layer of choreography and musical arrangement.
It is in numbers like this that the strength of amateur theatre shines through. Because our cast are willing volunteers
who require no pay, we can pack the stage with a throng of talented and capable chorus voices, and so can attain superb
levels of energy and volume. A professional production, on the other hand, has to count every paid chorus member and
cannot match us in this department. This was GAOS at its best.
One last word; I was particularly impressed to see many talented newcomers on stage - I hope they enjoyed the famous
GAOS camaraderie, met lots of new friends and continue to participate in the many activities of the Society - Wilkommen,
Bienvenue, Welcome!
THE STORY
BILL SNIBSON is the newly found heir to a great nobleman's fortune and title. But Bill was raised in Lambeth, in
London's East End, and needs to be ejercated in order to fulfil his role as the Earl of Hareford. His new family,
and in particular Sir John Tremayne, are not at all convinced that Bill can be made into a gentleman but Bill's aunt,
the Duchess, is sure she can bring him up to scratch. She is abetted in this by her fortune-hunting daughter Lady
Jaqueline who drops her current fiance, the Honorable (but empty-headed) Gerald Bolingbroke, as soon as she realises
that he will no longer inherit.
While not terribly resistant to gentrification, Bill does draw the line at abandoning his girl friend, Sally. Sally
feels strongly that she will only drag him down, and loves him too much to want to ruin his chances of becoming an
aristocrat. She tries in every way she can think of to demonstrate to him how unfitted she is to be a Countess, but
Bill would rather give up his new life than lose her. In desperation, she runs away.
Bill follows Sally to Lambeth but is told by her landlady that she has gone away. Sally then receives a visit from
Sir John, who has a brilliant idea ...
THIS SHOW is full of very well known musical numbers by Noel Gay (Leaning on a Lamppost, The Lambeth Walk, The Sun
has got his Hat on, etc.) For the very successful West End and Broadway run in the 1980s, the original script was
revised by Stephen Fry.
THE MUSIC
You may find the music online and listen to it as well as purchase the CD.
