No 45 Autumn 1997 Edited by Michael Walters
Chapel End have moved venue from the charming but inaccessible Lloyd's Park Pavilion in Walthamstow, miles from the nearest station, to a rather faceless hall in Chingford, slightly further out of London, but within easy walking distance of the station. I didn't discover the latter fact till I got there. I set out with no clear idea of where the place was, but assuming that as the hall's address was Station Road, it must be near the station. I fortunately chose the right direction in which to start walking, and soon found the hall with five minutes to spare!
The production was basically traditional with departures. The sets and costumes (uncredited) were attractive. Some of the principals had George Cook fans (including a sun-and-moon fan for Yum-Yum), but most of the mens' chorus used rather strange and inferior substitutes. Nanki-Poo made his first entrance accompanied by two coolies who carried a plush chaise-longue. This reappeared for the wooing scene with Yum-Yum and then vanished. It seemed rather wasted effort. During the "come-over-here-where-the ... can't-hear-us" scene, Ko-Ko and Pooh-Bah had a routine of physically carrying each other across the stage. This, too, seemed a rather pointless exercise. There was one encore for "Here's a how de do" in which Ko-Ko used the "broken" fan. One interesting restoration was the second verse of "Hearts do not break" but unfortunately, just at this moment a couple of very small boys at the back of the hall chose to become rather restive, and I was unable to listen with sufficient concentration to determine whether or not the second verse really worked in performance.
Cyril Foley was a splendidly pompous and seedy old Mikado, rotund and rumbling, with a waddling gait, and a mouth which curled down at the corners iresistibly reminiscent of Les Dawson. The laugh was subdued. Jo Schneider was an unremarkable Nanki-Poo. Alistair Rainey gave a frenetic interpretation of Ko-Ko. He was eager, exuberant, and with an energy level that would have done credit to C.H. Workman. But one felt he'd have been better employed in a production of Me and My Girl. He wasn't Ko-Ko in a month of Sundays, but he was always interesting to watch and listen to, never dull, and he delivered his lines with insight and intelligence. Vincent Daniels caught the character rather better as Pooh-Bah, though he wasn't fat, and this made the traditional joke of sitting down and making the ground shake rather redundant. Christine Peters was a Yum-Yum full of charm; Denise Bridge as Pitti-Sing sang in a broad accent for her opening number, and thereafter abandoned it. (Why?) Sarah Killick was a strong and authoritative Katisha. Graham Offord conducted the orchestra (also uncredited) with care.
MICHAEL WALTERS
Web page created 25 July 1998