February 2008 - Flash, Bang, Wallop!
Imperial Productions presents
Flash, Bang, Wallop!
a celebration of musicals through the decades
Saturday 23rd February 2008, 7.30pm
at the London Oratory School, West Brompton.
Review by Ellis C. Pike
It is an interesting time for Imperial Productions. Under their new name and re-branded image, they still maintain faith with the original agenda of the society formed twenty-nine years ago to produce a “diverse programme of rare, unusual, overlooked or forgotten works, and encourage creative and innovative interpretations and performances”. It could be argued that this noble ambition is harder today than it has ever been, as companies, both professional and amateur are finding it increasingly hard to lure audiences away from their freeview channels and computer screens to come and delight in live theatre. How then is a company of performers to persuade an audience, and for that matter their own performers, to take a chance on a little known or challenging work? The obvious, but unsatisfactory solution for most companies is generally to resort to the most popular musical fare, which may be relied on to pull in some sort of audience no matter how undiscriminating they may be.
Imperial has had the courage to buck that trend, though it has caused them to constantly walk the tightrope between ruinous and unjustified audience indifference and surprising and revelatory success. One can point to a number of shows that languished in obscurity, but which have been championed by Imperial and have subsequently been taken up by the likes of the ENO and the West End. So what was one to expect from an archly named production that purported to be “a celebration of musicals through the decades”? Was it selling out to a litany of ‘your favourite songs from the shows’? No it most certainly was not – it was as much an evening full of surprise, delight and revelation as one could hope for.
Yes there were some old favourites, such as the very funny ‘Brush Up Your Shakespeare’, the tinglingly lovely ‘Make Our Garden Grow’ and the title piece ‘Flash Bang Wallop’. However, interspersed amongst these were little gems, which fell fresh, new and unknown to the vast majority of the ecstatically appreciative audience. Some of these pieces were simply neglected but delightful numbers from better known shows, however others… well, where does one stumble across a show such as ‘Urinetown’?
What made the evening rush by were the assured and enthusiastic performances from a cast that ranged from many superb new faces to Imperial to… well, old stagers like Sally Donegani. It would run to several pages if I were to sing the praises of all the soloists, however some performances afforded particular delight. Amongst these were the stylish and attractive voice of Emily Berrington, Jenny Perry’s stratospheric singing, and the delightful stage personalities of David Swain and Matthew Smith. Jennifer Woodward provided gutsy passion with a strong singing voice whilst Jen Wiper’s assured sexiness also lit up the stage. I have seldom heard the more regular performers such as Pam O’Brian, Paul Schoonenberg, Colin Fleming, Alan Doherty and Lorna Perry sing better. Mention must also be made of the wonderful Alex Young whose comic talent enables her to get her biggest laughs with the smallest of facial expressions. All the other performers (sorry for not mentioning you by name) played their part in making this a very tight ensemble piece.
The same is true of the seemingly faultless band under Wendy Norman. Playing from the back of the stage they were always sympathetic to the singers and worked together with a cohesion which would suggest that they had been playing these pieces for weeks. And here is the most remarkable thing, because this sleek and stylish show was put together with the minimum of rehearsal. The biggest accolade must therefore go to Producer, Director and Choreographer Dale Bassett in his directorial début with Imperial. This may not have been the most polished show Imperial has ever staged, but the pace, the energy and the style were indicative of a director of considerable talent.
Imperial Productions gives the impression of moving forwards with a real sense of purpose. To do this it must attract and retain new young performers with the talents that were so well showcased by ‘Flash Bang Wallop!’. If they can continue to do this then the society will be in superb shape for future success.
About the Show
Company members old and new come together for this enthralling revue celebrating musical theatre throughout the decades, from the 1920s to the present day.
The repertoire is exciting, varied and almost guaranteed to have something you know, and something you don’t! The show is directed by Dale Bassett with musical direction by Wendy Norman, and features songs from ‘classic’ musical composers (Kern, Porter, Rodgers, Gershwin) through to more modern popular writers (Kander & Ebb, Sondheim) and some very contemporary works (William Finn, Jason Robert Brown) – so there really is something for everyone.
Come and join us for this voyage of discovery and what promises to be an extremely entertaining evening.
We are very keen for this event to act as an opportunity for past, present and new members to get involved with the group, so even if you're not taking part, please come along for a fun evening and find out what we're all about.
The show is currently in rehearsal, on Tuesday and Friday evenings in January and February. Please note that there is a £10 show fee payable by cast members
Tickets £10 in advance; £12 on the door.