Strike up the Band - Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Lovely CHEESE! 

This was a bizarre show. The premise was unusual, the plot ridiculous and the tone inconsistent. I enjoyed it very much, but can understand why it has been a 'lost' Gershwin musical until now. There were many bemused murmurings at the interval and the murmurers didn't return to see the second act.

Basic plot: Horace J. Fletcher, the owner of a successful cheese factory in America, declares war on Switzerland over a trivial trade issue. Subplot: two (kind of three) love stories. It's set in 1927. There were several references to Donald Trump, whom Fletcher (played by Richard Emerson) resembled uncannily in terms of outlook and attitude. Maybe the plot wasn't that far-fetched after all...😬

One of the reasons why I enjoyed this was because I liked the songs, and the singing was superlative. I could have listened to Charlotte Christensen (Anne Draper) all day long. Her delightfully 20s blue tunic was good too. I also enjoyed the tap dancing joyously executed by Sammy Graham.

The character/performance that 'made' the show was George Spelvin (David Francis), the spy (at least, I think that's what he turned out to be in the denouement). I'm not sure whether it was the script, Francis's characterisation, or both, but the humour he brought was a different kind of humour to the show's dominant punny/word-play humour. It was weirder and more surrealist, and I found it and him laugh out loud funny. His character pretended to be several different people and they were all hilarious.

The tone of this oeuvre was inconsistent. It was 80% comedy - and really, really ridiculous comedy - but some it was supposed to be taken seriously by the audience, namely the burgeoning romance between Joan Fletcher (Beth Burrows) and Jim Townsend (Paul Biggin), and Townsend's various acts of integrity and heroism. But in the context of a risible plot (featuring a spurious cheese-related war fought by employees of a cheese factory, soldiers enjoying said war, yodelling), you couldn't take anything seriously. I have no problem with a ridiculous plot (see: Comedy of Errors, The Mikado) but I do have a problem with jarring, implausible changes in tone.

The bit that came closest to genuine pathos was the scene on the boat returning from Switzerland, in which Fletcher and Mrs Draper (Pippa Winslow) shared mildly affectionate feelings for one another, while struggling with seasickness.

Next: Don Quixote

An American in Paris - Dominion Theatre

Paris

As a big fan of George Gershwin, I was excited to finally see An American in Paris, fresh from Broadway. I listened to the orchestral composition 'An American in Paris' MANY times during my teenage years, along with 'Rhapsody in Blue'. [Yes, I was a cool teen. My Gershwin CD was, I think, the first CD I ever bought.] So it was interesting to experience this piece in the context of a musical.

Set in France immediately after the second world war, An American in Paris follows the fortunes of three artistically-inclined young men who become friends, and fall in love with the same woman, a talented ballet dancer. The plot wasn't hugely sophisticated, but it wasn't Julian Fellowes-level predictable, either. It was kind of like a more upbeat, less fantastical version of The Red Shoes - with songs. Both oeuvres being about a love of dance, following your dreams, and romance, and both containing a 'show within a show' ballet. [But yes, apart from that, they are completely different.]

An American in Paris was an extremely easy to watch, fluid, absorbing, uplifting, beautiful show. Flowing like a pure, calming, glittering stream, it was exuberant but somehow more restrained than most musicals - I suppose because of the style of music (the composition 'An American in Paris' plus Gershwin brothers' songs) and dancing (there was a lot of ballet). My favourite pieces were 'I Got Rhythm', 'I've Got Beginner's Luck', which included umbrella twirling and unbelievably rapid costume changes, and good old show tune 'I'll Build A Stairway to Paradise'. And of course, the climactic ballet number, which featured modernist costume and set designs. 

The sets were detailed and gorgeous - lots of impressive Parisian buildings, bohemian cafés and avant-garde 1940s interiors. One of the things I loved about this show was the graceful and creative way in which the performers themselves carried in the props and manoeuvred the sets into place; for example, someone twirling onstage carrying a chair above their head. The props team must have been very on-the-ball in this show, making sure everything was to hand. The costumes were wonderful and there were costume changes aplenty. Elegant New Look-style dresses abounded. Finally: I love the name Milo for a woman.

photo credit: Luc Mercelis Paris, Place Vendôme via photopin (license)

Next: Pygmalion