No 43 -- 1995 Edited by Michael Walters
Lady be Good was first produced in New York in 1924 with Fred Astaire and his sister Adele as Dick and Susie. According to Ganzl it has received two professional productions in London, in 1926 (again with the Astaires) and in 1968 (with Lionel Blair). The book was by Guy Bolton and Fred Thompson, both English born in the same year, 1884. Bolton had collaborated with Wodehouse on a number of stage shows and with Paul Rubens, that very English musical comedy composer, on Nobody Home (1915). Thompson was involved with George Grossmith junior in the 1913 production of Eightpence a Mile, and with such successes as The Bing Boys are Here (1916). All this is a roundabout way to explain why the book of Lady be Good leans so heavily on the English musical comedy style. Both Bolton and Thompson would have known the style well, and would have written in it before. The rather thin plot, besprinkled with often irrelevant songs (such as "Swiss Miss"), clearly put in to exploit the talents of "stars", is a clear hallmark of the English musical comedy, but Lady be Good lacks the quaint old-fashioned charm of that genr which was already out of date by 1924, and more or less lacks its humour.
Gershwin's music is another thing. It is worth the effort of putting it on. The show has little else going for it, except the Geoids production. Mark Pullin worked wonders on that tiny stage and he and MD Tudur Eames had assembled a cast all of whom seemed to be suited to their respective parts (it has not always been so with Geoid productions), and gave a performance (also owing quite a bit to the choreography of the Slater twins), which flattered the show, and (as no doubt did the original performers) made it appear better than it really is.
Who could resist the infectious charm of Orla Kennedy and Sandy Kennedy (not related) in the Astaire roles, unquestionably Sandy's finest performance to date. Ian Glenister as Bertie had the quaint scattiness of an English musical comedy anti-hero, quite in the George Grossmith jr tradition (the part could have been written for Grossmith, but I don't think it was), and Martin Orrell made the most of the rather meagre opportunities offered to Jack Robinson.
Jeff Doorn had not, perhaps, quite the size of voice necessary for the title song, but his delivery of dialogue, particularly the fast-talk sequences, was masterly. John Handley as Jeff White, crooned wonderfully through this dramatically irrelevant role, and Sue Ludwig as Daisy was suitably exaggerated. All the other parts well well taken.
Needless to say, Kevin McRae contrived to shine even when only in the chorus. His dance as a waiter with Melanie clinging to his leg, was irresistible, as was his later exit, nearly colliding with a doorpost. The three musicians were superb, but occasionally too loud, and sometimes drowned the singers.
I hated the newly painted black interior of the auditorium, which made the place look like a sleasy nightclub. The programme contained a couple of errors in the list of past productions. There is no such opera as "YeomAn of the Guard" nor is there a show called "The Country Girl", its title is "A Country Girl".
MICHAEL WALTERS
Web page created 26 July 1998