I LOVE a farce, and this is one, written by Sandy Wilson, has lots of very good music, the kind you want to sing along with. Written in the early 50's, it is very 'Roaring Twenties,' sometimes hilariously funny and always tuneful. This group has an exceptional chorus too, and with strong leads in Gillian Biffetti, Laura Swinburne, Tom Morris and Maurice McShane, colourful costumes, and sometimes colourful directing by Kevin Thornhill, the mixture is just right.
Heather Hepple is very good as the French Maid, with the best French accent this side of France. Perfectly cast, she has lots of work to do, linking the show together. In contrast, the pupils from Madamme Dubonnet's Finishing School in Nice are very BBC English, fresh, alive and young.
There is so much talent here. Tony is well played by Tom Morris, in a quite seductive manner, and Ruth Southwick's portrayal of Maisie is word, note and dance perfect - you can she is enjoying it. This chorus has a fine line up of clever and talented young men and women. Lord Brockhurst, a would-be gigolo, is pursued relentlessly by his long suffering wife, played by Mavis Thornhill - as usual, word perfect. The duet, beautifully sang by Gillian and Laura is the most wonderful sound. Tom just gets better and better, and Maurice I'm sure, can play any part well. Of course the usual mix-up of partners magically resolves itself, as all the best farces do. I didn't like the film of The Boyfriend, but this show is very good indeed.
