A pair of turkeys? We’ve got 150 people coming and Jesus isn’t one of them!
Anyone who loved Alan Bennett and Malcolm Mowbray’s 1984 film A Private Function will be glad to find lots of references to some of its wittiest moments happily resurfacing in this affectionate musical retelling, originally produced for the West End stage by Cameron Mackintosh and seen here in its first revival in this regional tour.
Gilbert Chilvers is a mild mannered mobile chiropodist. The mobility is provided by his bicycle, whilst his socially climbing wife Joyce would prefer it to be in a more upward direction. In post-war austerity Britain he’s trying to find a shop in the parade to build his business, and in the process they discover plans that the town’s bigwigs have for a very select Private Function to celebrate the wedding of Princess Elizabeth.
Finding himself and Joyce excluded from the guest list, Gilbert plans to abduct the unlicensed pig that is being secretly raised to provide a festive pork roast. Cue Betty, the ill-fated, blue-eyed porker of the title, and we have the makings of something bordering on musical farce.
The book, adapted by Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman, has pared the plot down to its primary colours and provides a vehicle for the frothy, tongue-in-cheek music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. Andrew Wright’s Choreography has some surprising high-kicking routines, affording an opportunity for a few flashy costumes to contrast against the homespun post-war look of most of the show. A cunningly designed set by Sara Perks transforms from scene to scene with seamless panache.
The large and multi-skilling cast have honed their performances to the point where it all works like a well-oiled machine. Haydn Oakley’s tank-topped Gilbert is clearly played with Alan Bennett in mind and he has a resigned haplessness that provides a great foil to Amy Booth-Steel’s relentlessly ambitious Joyce, while both of them are occasionally overshadowed by the figure of “Mother Dear” who lurches back and forth from battleaxe to bumbling in a very funny portrayal from Sally Mates.
Tobias Beer is suitably maniacal as the paintbrush-wielding meat inspector Wormold, while Kit Benjamin’s Machiavellian Dr Swaby and Matt Harrop’s Porcophile Mr Allardyce provide some madcap humour.
Unsurprisingly though, it is Betty who manages to steal the limelight. While the character was originally created at the Novello Theatre as an animatronic creature, this new production takes a low-tech but ultimately more delightful approach created by Sarah Wright, who is currently to be seen animating some of her other creations up the road at the Everyman in Dead Dog in a Suitcase. Betty is brought to life at the Playhouse by her handler Lauren Logan, making her professional debut and now able to add the new-found skill of puppetry to her CV.
With a four piece band (three of whom hail from Liverpool’s own Institute for Performing Arts) augmented by some onstage instrumentalists, the production overflows with enthusiasm and good fun under the direction of Daniel Buckroyd.
This is the sort of fare more often seen entertaining visitors to London and of a style that rarely reaches the Playhouse. It is light of heart, fleet of foot and full of charm, and it makes a perfect cheerful and entertaining close to the summer season.
This regional premiere touring production is co-produced between Mercury Theatre Colchester, Salisbury Playhouse, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse, and it is on the last leg of a seven venue tour that has also taken in Ipswich, Norwich and Oxford.
It continues at Liverpool Playhouse to 2nd August and seats are selling fast.
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