#1
Posted: 10/6/10 at 2:55am
Two and a half hours of musical comedy bliss at the Union Theatre. The show itself creaks a little, its topical references now pretty obscure and many of its jokes falling flat, but thanks to a committed cast the story truly works and the songs, of course, are to die for.
Anna-Jane Casey is everything Ella Peterson has to be - she sings beautifully, she dances - and there's a lot of dancing - and she is utterly lovable. Everyone she meets in the course of the show calls her a "miracle" and she is. But Gary Milner as Jeff Moss, the playwright in need of rescuing, is her match. A charming leading man who can also sing and dance - their vaudeville routine in Just in Time is a show-stopper.
Director Paul Foster and choreographer Alistair David provide a smart fast-flowing production that not only highlights the big numbers - Just in Time, The Party's Over, Long Before I Knew You - but brings the lesser songs - Hello, Hello There, Mu Cha Cha, Drop That Name - to vigorous life as well. The ensemble is terrific as is the four piece band.
The Union seems to be reconfigured every time I go there and this time the seats are all to one side of the room leaving maximum space for the dancing. I have to say I sat in the front row with a goofy grin on my face for the entire evening. It's the morning after now and the grin still hasn't faded. See it if you can.
Anna-Jane Casey is everything Ella Peterson has to be - she sings beautifully, she dances - and there's a lot of dancing - and she is utterly lovable. Everyone she meets in the course of the show calls her a "miracle" and she is. But Gary Milner as Jeff Moss, the playwright in need of rescuing, is her match. A charming leading man who can also sing and dance - their vaudeville routine in Just in Time is a show-stopper.
Director Paul Foster and choreographer Alistair David provide a smart fast-flowing production that not only highlights the big numbers - Just in Time, The Party's Over, Long Before I Knew You - but brings the lesser songs - Hello, Hello There, Mu Cha Cha, Drop That Name - to vigorous life as well. The ensemble is terrific as is the four piece band.
The Union seems to be reconfigured every time I go there and this time the seats are all to one side of the room leaving maximum space for the dancing. I have to say I sat in the front row with a goofy grin on my face for the entire evening. It's the morning after now and the grin still hasn't faded. See it if you can.
Faced with these Loreleis, what man can moralize!
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