ALL power to Theatre 2000’s elbow for giving local people the opportunity to see Peter Nichols’ semi-autobiographical ‘play with songs’ which scored a resounding success in the West End in the late 1970s but has rarely seen the light of day since.
The story follows the adventures of an ENSA-type concert party as they travel around Communist-torn Malaya and Singapore during 1948, unwittingly and tragically getting caught up in the war through their Sergeant Major’s double-dealings.
Whilst Albert Brown’s production was strong on humour and pathos, I felt it almost played down the approaching menace that was so important to the denouement, and in doing so missed a vital dimension. Additionally, a tendency on the part of several of the cast to speak too quickly or in unfamiliar accents caused some of the humour to go unheard.
But, those niggles apart, there was so much to enjoy. The musical numbers, with their numerous double meanings, were great fun (sorry, this is a family newspaper. I can’t explain) and there were some wonderful characterisations - I particularly liked Simon Leaton’s slightly helpless Eric Young-Love, Max White’s bible-bashing Major Flack and Philip Redgrave’s deliciously camp Captain Terri Dennis. And the privates on parade were just – well, you should have seen them for yourself.

Linda Kirkman
Courtesy of the Bournemouth Daily Echo