Me
and My Girl
April
23 - 26
The Oxford Playhouse
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By
Claire Daxter
Me
and My Girl follows the standard formula for a good ol' musical
comedy. There's a "happy ever after" love story, a loveable
rogue taking on the stuffy establishment plotline and musical numbers
which you can't help humming along to.
Nevertheless,
the Musical Youth Company of Oxford brought an impressive freshness
and enthusiasm to the show.
The
cast of 60 is slickly choreographed and universally entertaining.
I was particularly impressed with their voices. Louise Cobb is terrific
as Sally Smith, with a mature and expressive voice worthy of the
West End.
With
the humour revolving around slapstick gags, and jokes which are
mostly groaners, the pace could have slackened but strong lead performances
never let this happen.
Alex
Williams as Bill Snibson has brilliant comic timing and seemed completely
at ease with the intricacies of cockney rhyming slang, having a
laugh, sorry, "bubble bath", with the audience from start
to finish.
There
were also great performances from Howard Grater as the superbly
camp "toff" Gerald Bolingbroke, and David Wilson as family
solicitor Herbert Parchester - a gem of a part which was made even
funnier by Wilson's inspired dance routine.
It
was ambitious - 60 young people, all singing, all dancing, and all
clicking spoons聟.it could have been a nightmare (or, as Bill
would say, "a right old Weston Super Mare"). But it was
the young company's enthusiasm that made for a very entertaining
show.
The
chorus seemed to gain strength with every thigh-slapping heel-stamping
musical number....and as we reached the final rendition of the Lambeth
Walk I couldn't stop my fingers clicking and my toes tapping. Well
worth the bread and honey!
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