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Burley Players Burley Village Hall January 2004 Mother Hubbard, played to perfection by Chris Duell, engaged the audience immediately, partly due to some wonderful facial expressions that might best be described as elastic. Together with her son Hughie and daughter Polly, played superbly by teenagers Rebecca Trotter and Coralie Chapman, and Dandy the dog (Veronica Johnstone), the audience was transported from a cramped English village to the wide open prairies of America. The atmosphere soon resembled a cross between an old fashioned western and a musical such as Calamity Jane. The appropriate musical numbers that enhanced the scenes were sung and danced with gusto, with the junior chorus proving an equal match for their adult counterparts, particularly in the precision of their dance routines. There were also strong characterisations from other principals, particularly Val Chapman (Tex Laramie), Gerry Kendall (Old Tumbleweed) and Richard Pratt, who gave a dastardly performance as Matt Vinyl and had the whole audience hissing spontaneously. With the addition of superb comedy routines, beautiful costumes and vivid sets, it was hardly surprising that the one word echoing around the departing audience was ‘brilliant’. Linda Kirkman Courtesy of the Bournemouth Daily Echo |
