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Review of the Year 2024 – The Fourteenth Annual Chrisparkle Awards

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Greetings again, gentle reader, to the glamorous showbiz highlight of the year, the announcement of the annual Chrisparkle Awards for 2024. This year was a record-breaker for me in that I saw 254 productions throughout the year – three more than last year; and that’s an awful lot of shows! Eligibility for the awards means a) they were performed in the UK and b) I have to have seen the shows and reviewed them in the period 10th January 2024 to 4th January 2025. Are you all sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin!

 

The first award is for Best Dance Production (Contemporary and Classical)

This includes dance seen at the Edinburgh Fringe, however none of the top three comes from that prestigious festival! These are the top three:

In 3rd place, the informal collection of dances by stars of the future in Birmingham Royal Ballet BRB2, Carlos Acosta’s Classical Selection, at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, in May.

In 2nd place, the powerful Romeo and Juliet performed by Northern Ballet in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in September.

In 1st place, the irrepressible Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, performed by New Adventures at Sadlers Wells, London, in December.

 

Classical Music Concert of the Year.

We saw three classical concerts this year, all by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal and Derngate in Northampton. The award for the best goes to their Film Music Gala in November.

 

Best Entertainment Show of the Year.

This means anything that doesn’t fall into any other categories – for example pantos, circuses, revues and anything else hard to classify. Here are the top three:

In 3rd place, our local pantomime, Cinderella at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, in December.

In 2nd place, the extraordinary spectacular extravaganza that is Robin Hood at the London Palladium in December.

In 1st place, the outstanding and uniquely successful Snow White at the Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield, in December.

 

Best Star Standup of the Year.

Last year this award was combined with the Comedy Crate/Screaming Blue Murder award, but this year the committee decided to return to its previous practice of splitting them in two. So here are the top five performances by Star Standups in 2024:

In 5th place, the effortlessly compelling humour of Sarah Keyworth in her My Eyes Are Up Here Tour, at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, in September.

In 4th place, the daring and groundbreaking comedy of Omid Djalili as part of the Mixed Bill Megashow at the Royal and Derngate in April.

In 3rd place, the return of the OG PC comedian par excellence, Ben Elton in his Authentic Stupidity Tour at the Royal and Derngate in November.

In 2nd place, the utterly hysterical and always reliable Sarah Millican in her Late Bloomer Tour at the Royal and Derngate in January.

In 1st place, a comedian with a unique place in the nation’s heart, Guz Khan in his Live Tour at the Milton Keynes Theatre in January.

 

Best Comedy Crate/Screaming Blue Murder Standup of the Year

In 5th place, the experienced and consummate comedian Richard Morton (Screaming Blue Murder – March)

In 4th place, the fabulous Maisie Adam (Comedy Crate Edinburgh Preview Weekender – July)

In 3rd place, the total superstar that is Jen Brister (Comedy Crate – March)

In 2nd place, the evergreen and always deeply creative, Paul Sinha (Comedy Crate – September)

In 1st place, for the second year running, the comedy powerhouse that is Tom Stade (Comedy Crate Edinburgh Preview – July)

 

Best Musical.

I saw fourteen musicals this year, by far the majority were revivals, which just goes to show how difficult it can be to find a new musical! Seven made the shortlist and here’s the top five:

In 5th place, a show that’s just going to grow and grow over the years, Titanique at the Criterion Theatre, London, in December.

In 4th place, a superbly enjoyable production of a favourite show, Hello Dolly at the London Palladium, in July.

In 3rd place, a show that has become synonymous with the kindness of the human spirit, the touring production of Come From Away at the Curve Theatre, Leicester, in March.

In 2nd place, the amazingly successfully revitalised Oliver! at the Festival Theatre, Chichester, in September.

In 1st place, despite a couple of criticisms of its updating, there is no finer musical than A Chorus Line, at the Curve Theatre, Leicester, in July.

I must make an honourable mention of the wonderful Our Little Hour that ran for three nights at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, in October. It’s impossible to compare it with the other huge productions here, but it fully deserved its five stars from me!

 

Best New Play.

Just to clarify, this is my definition of a new play, which is something that’s new to me and to most of its audience – so it might have been around before but on its first UK tour, or a new adaptation of a work originally in another format. Just like last year, we saw eighteen new plays this year, but I only awarded five stars to two of them; I’m definitely getting stricter in my old age!

In 5th place, Apphia Campbell’s incredible one woman play inspired by the life of Nina Simone, Black is the Color of my Voice at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in February.

In 4th place, Mike Poulton’s riveting adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s novel about Mary Boleyn, The Other Boleyn Girl, at the Festival Theatre, Chichester, in May.

In 3rd place, the thrillingly unusual and highly entertaining account of the Rolling Stones, Marianne Faithfull and the young Nigel Havers, Charlotte Jones’ Redlands, at the Festival Theatre, Chichester, in October.

In 2nd place, a terrifying look at modern day democracy, David Edgar’s The New Real for the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, in October.

In 1st place, Emma Rice’s stunning, heartwarming and endlessly fascinating adaptation of Hanif Kureishi’s The Buddha of Suburbia for the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in April.

 

Best Revival of a Play.

I saw twenty-two revivals, leading to a shortlist of eight, and here’s the very closely fought top five:

In 5th place, the RSC’s laugh-a-second production of Shakespeare’s Merry Wives of Windsor at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in June.

In 4th place, the immaculate acting and characterisations in Pinter’s still immensely powerful The Caretaker, at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in June.

In 3rd place, the joyful inventiveness of the RSC’s sensational Twelfth Night, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in December.

In 2nd place, the RSC’s literally magical production of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in February.

In 1st place, the captivatingly hilarious and outrageous production of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, for the National Theatre at the Lyttelton Theatre, London, in December.

As always, in the post-Christmas season, it’s time to consider the turkey of the year – and whilst it very nearly went to the ambitious but falling-short-of-the-mark Spymonkey’s The Frogs at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, the most disappointing production I saw all year was the RSC’s Othello at Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Now we come on to our four categories specifically for the Edinburgh Fringe. The first is:

 

Best play or musical – Edinburgh

I would normally have included musicals in with the “Best of the Rest” category, but I feel it is more appropriate to include them in the “Best Play” category. We saw 90 productions of plays and musicals in Edinburgh this year, 13 of them got 5* from me, and here are the top 5:

In 5th place, Sarah Cameron-West’s self-performed hilarious and memorable journey through heartbreak and beyond, KAREN (Underbelly Cowgate)

In 4th place, another extraordinary one-woman play, about how a celebrant can become triggered by their work, Catafalque, written by Amy Conway and produced by Scissor Kick (Summerhall)

In 3rd place, a hilarious play that made you look at a familiar story from a completely different direction, Galahad Takes a Bath, written by Jojo Jones and produced by Juggler’s Mistake (Zoo Southside)

In 2nd place, a moving and superbly structured musical based on a true story, Our Little Secret: The 23andMe Musical, written by Noam Tomaschoff and Ryan Peters and produced by Russell Citron (Gilded Balloon Patter House)

In 1st place, the brilliantly created, extremely funny and superbly performed look at living with Climate Change, Weather Girl, written by Brian Watkins (Summerhall)

 

Best Individual Performance in a Play or Musical – Edinburgh

As always, an impossible choice, and it’s as close as close can be. Nevertheless, here are the top five:

In 5th place, Lucas English for The Shadow Boxer (TheSpace @ Niddry Street)

In 4th place, Forest Malley for Galahad Takes a Bath (Zoo Southside)

In 3rd place, Jennifer Vuletic for MILF and the Mistress (TheSpace @ Niddry Street)

In 2nd place, Julia McDermott for Weather Girl (Summerhall)

In 1st place, Noam Tomaschoff for Our Little Secret: The 23andMe Musical (Gilded Balloon Patter House)

 

Best Comedy Performance – Edinburgh

A change from previous years, where this category was entitled Best Stand-up Comedy Show; this now includes sketch shows and otherwise undefinable comedy performances! We saw fifty-five comedy shows this year, but only six received 5* from me, and here are my top five:

In 5th place, boldly going where angels fear to tread, Garry Starr with his Classic Penguins show (Pleasance Courtyard)

In 4th place, the clever combination of brilliant comedy with a touch of sadness, Tom Greaves with his Fudgey show (Assembly Roxy)

In 3rd place, the irresistibly engaging Josh Jones with his Put a Sock in It show (Monkey Barrel at the Tron)

In 2nd place, the innately funny Robin Grainger with his beautifully structured Refurb show (The Stand Comedy Club 2)

In 1st place, the incredibly inventive and outrageously funny Emma Sidi with her Emma Sidi is Sue Gray show (Pleasance Courtyard)

 

Best of the rest – Edinburgh

From a shortlist of eight, here are my top five:

In 5th place, the amazing magic and entertainment of Pete Heat: Bogus (Pleasance Dome)

In 4th place, the terrific cabaret combination of Frances Ruffelle and Norman Bowman in The Scot and the Showgirl  (Pleasance Dome)

In 3rd place, a true tour de force by Sarah Louise Young in I Am Your Tribute (Voodoo Rooms)

In 2nd place, fantastic music delivered with a message for the world, Janie Dee’s Beautiful World Cabaret (Pleasance Dome)

In 1st place, and I still don’t know why she hasn’t been given her own chat show, the incredibly entertaining Mhairi Black: Politics isn’t For Me (Gilded Balloon at the Museum)

Unlike last year, I didn’t award any Edinburgh shows the dreaded One Star review. However, there are still several contenders for this year’s Edinburgh turkey, of which I feel I must draw to your attention two; FUFC (TheSpace on the Mile) had a powerful message about prostate cancer but was poorly written and acted, and almost the opposite, Nerine Skinner’s The Exorcism of Liz Truss (Just the Tonic at the Caves) boasts a brilliant impersonation of Liz Truss but dull material that goes nowhere.

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical.

Time to get personal. Here’s the top five:

In 5th place, Jenna Russell as Irene in Hello Dolly at the London Palladium in July.

In 4th place, Georgina Onuorah as both Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, in December, and as Lois in Kiss Me Kate at the Barbican Theatre, London, in July.

In 3rd place, Kat Ronney as Rose in Titanique at the Criterion Theatre, London, in December.

In 2nd place, Molly Lynch as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady at the Curve Theatre, Leicester, in December.

In 1st place, Imelda Staunton as Dolly in Hello Dolly at the London Palladium in July.

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Musical.

Here’s the top five:

In 5th place, David Seadon-Young as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady at the Curve Theatre, Leicester, in December.

In 4th place, Marley Fenton as Danny in Grease at the Royal and Derngate, Northampton, in May.

In 3rd place, Jordan Luke Gage as Cal in Titanique at the Criterion Theatre, London, in December.

In 2nd place, Layton Williams as Seaman/Iceberg in Titanique at the Criterion Theatre, London, in December.

In 1st place, Simon Lipkin as Fagin in Oliver! at the Festival Theatre, Chichester, in September.

 

Best Performance by an Actress in a Play.

Seventeen in the longlist, and six in the shortlist, and here’s the top five:

In 5th place, Apphia Campbell as Nina Simone in Black is the Color of my Voice, Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in February.

In 4th place, Martina Laird as Rachel Moss in The New Real, The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon, in October.

In 3rd place, Freema Ageyman as Olivia in Twelfth Night, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in December.

In 2nd place, Jodie Whittaker as The Duchess in The Duchess, at the Trafalgar Theatre, London,in November.

In 1st place, Sharon D Clarke as Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest, at the National Theatre Lyttelton, in December.

 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Play.

Twenty-one in the longlist and ten in the shortlist, each of whom could easily deserve the award, However, here is the top five:

In 5th place, Luke Thompson as Berowne in Love’s Labour’s Lost, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon in April.

In 4th place, Hugh Skinner as Jack in The Importance of Being Earnest, at the National Theatre Lyttelton, in December.

In 3rd place, Ncuti Gatwa as Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest, at the National Theatre Lyttelton, in December.

In 2nd place, Ian McDiarmid as Davies in The Caretaker, at the Minerva Theatre, Chichester, in June.

In 1st place, Mathew Baynton as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, in February.

 

Congratulations to the winners, commiserations to the losers and thanks for your company again throughout the year, gentle reader. Here’s to another year full of artistic excellence!

Review – Hello Dolly! London Palladium, 17th July 2024

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Thinking back on some of the stand-out critical notices relating to some of the big opening nights in theatre history, one of my favourites is Walter Kerr in The Herald Tribune on the opening night of Hello Dolly in 1964: “Don’t bother holding on your hats… you’ll only be throwing them into the air!” – I may be paraphrasing here, but you get the picture. A big night, with a big show, fronted by a big star – that’s the secret of Hello Dolly. Over the years, it’s been synonymous with the likes of Ginger Rogers, Betty Grable, Phyllis Diller, Ethel Merman, and, the Dolly of them all, Carol Channing. And now there’s a new star to add to this dolly mix – Imelda Staunton.

There aren’t many shows that you look forward to for five years, but Imelda Staunton was announced as the new Dolly last decade, with the big show set to take place at the Savoy Theatre (if I remember rightly) in the summer of 2020. But we all remember what happened in the summer of 2020, when politicians partied whilst the rest of us lived in isolation. Plans for joyous events like a revival of Hello Dolly obviously had to be shelved. Fortunately, you can’t keep a good Dolly down and in 2024 it’s finally come to fruition on the glorious stage of the London Palladium.

It’s a simple story of simple folk; curmudgeonly half-millionaire (we are talking about a long time ago) Horace Vandergelder has engaged the services of matchmaker Dolly Levi to find him a wife. Horace runs a Hay and Seed merchants, where his underlings Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker have no lives of their own and no time to themselves. But one day, Horace must go to New York to meet a potential new wife, and Cornelius and Barnaby decide to shut up the shop and go to New York for an adventure of their own. Dolly also has plans up her sleeves – engineer it so that she marries Horace, and if Cornelius and Barnaby can also meet and fall in love with a couple of New York girls, that would be a day well spent. Rest assured, it’s a happy ending with four weddings in the finale!

Hello Dolly benefits from a – largely – superb score by Jerry Herman and a surprisingly funny book by Michael Stewart; no wonder that original Broadway run lasted for 2,844 performances. As well as the memorable title theme, you’ve got the stirring Before the Parade Passes By and Put On Your Sunday Clothes, the witty It Takes a Woman, Elegance and So Long Dearie, the emotional It Only Takes a Moment and Ribbons Down My Back – and the irrepressible Waiters Gallop. The only song that strikes me as being completely outdated and probably worth skipping is Dancing, where Cornelius discovers, lo and behold, that he can dance. Ten years earlier, Salad Days did it better with Look at Me (I’m Dancing). There’s only so far you can indulge that whimsy.

As I was watching the performance of Ribbons Down My Back, I remembered how much I hated that song when I was younger; slow, ponderous and thoroughly boring, I thought. I hear it now and I relish in its gorgeous swapping from minor to major and its subtle lyrics that tell you so much about the character of Irene without making it obvious. Sometimes musical theatre is wasted on the young! That use of a song, to get deeply into a characterisation, is also beautifully realised in Before the Parade Passes By, which is where Dolly realises this is probably her one last chance to return to the world of the living; and – more frivolously – It Takes a Woman, which tells us so much about Horace’s misogyny and thorough laziness!

You already knew that the London Palladium is a massive stage, and you need huge sets to make the maximum impact. Rae Smith’s design is pretty successful on this count; I really admired the use of the streetcar in Before the Parade, giving a wonderful sense of movement on the stage, and the vital sweeping staircase at the Harmonia Gardens restaurant is tasteful and stylish rather than gaudy and glitzy. And that is the watchword for the whole production; taste and style predominate over the brash and brazen. And that’s very suitable for our new Dolly, Imelda Staunton, who is a pint-sized powerhouse rather than a domineering, in-your-face life force like Carol Channing. This production feels very slightly toned down to accommodate Ms Staunton’s interpretation of the role; much more toned down than Ms Channing, but then even Brian Blessed is more toned down than her.

This thoughtful, realistic Dolly comes to the fore most clearly in the famous restaurant/Hello Dolly scene halfway through the second act. Previous Dollies have relished the thought of performing the big number, and come out on stage, all guns blazing, ready to deliver a rip-roaring good time. Ms Staunton pares the performance back, to bring out all Dolly’s insecurities about returning to a place where she had such good times in the past – but it’s been so long now, she’s lost her confidence and her stride, and she doesn’t even know if they’ll be happy to see her again. So at least the first half of this scene concentrates on exposing her fears and gradually seeing her return to her usual self as she realises she’s been accepted back. It’s a very bold way of performing this song, but completely in keeping with the book and the characterisation.

I have one little cavil about this production: the stage movement and choreography relies too heavily on using the revolving stage to present characters walking purposefully from one side of the stage to the other, only to pause, so that they return to where they were before and then resume walking. It works brilliantly at first, but then it gets tedious; and by the time they were still using it in So Long Dearie, it was really annoying me! Less is more!

One thing you can certainly say about this production is that it sounds stunning throughout. Nicholas Skilbeck’s 21-piece orchestra produces exquisite arrangements and performances that fill the auditorium and make your toes curl with pleasure. And everyone’s voices, from Ms Staunton down to the members of the ensemble, are pitch-perfect and harmonise with genuine beauty. Jenna Russell can always be relied upon to deliver a superb performance, and here she gives us a playfully spirited Irene, ready – like Dolly – to take an unexpected leap into the unknown. Harry Hepple is another excellent song and dance man who brings enthusiasm and excitement to the role of Cornelius, leading the terrific Elegance quartet and delivering a powerful It Only Takes a Moment. There’s excellent support with great comedic performances by Tyrone Huntley as Barnaby and Emily Lane as Minnie, and Emily Langham steals every scene with her bawling performance as the eternally miserable Ermengarde.

Andy Nyman gives us a rather likeable Horace Vandergelder. In fact, I wondered if he could be more of a misery-guts and more terrifying to his staff. You get the feeling that Mr Nyman is so completely delighted to be performing this role at the Palladium that he forgets to be grumpy! When he finally becomes bowled over by Dolly’s charms, no one is the slightest bit surprised. And the cast is led by the brilliant Imelda Staunton, using every breath of her stunning voice to full effect, emphasising the comedic way in which Dolly wraps everyone around her little finger to do precisely what she wants them to do, but also tapping into the character’s uncertainties and internal monologues to give us a Dolly with depth, more than just the traditional glamorous showgirl.

A great night’s entertainment which sends you home with the warm glow of Feelgood Factor 50! It’s on at the Palladium until 14th September.

Five Alive, Let Theatre Thrive!

Review – Hello Dolly, Leicester Curve, 30th December 2012

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This was our first ever visit to the Curve Theatre in Leicester. To be honest, it was actually the first time I’ve been to Leicester at all. Mrs Chrisparkle had been there for work once and so wasn’t quite as enthralled at the prospect as I was. Problems on the M1 meant we had to take the slow country route through deepest Leicestershire, which was very pleasant by the way, and we therefore arrived much later than anticipated, thus reducing my orientation tour of the city to about half an hour. Never mind, there’s always another time. Mind you, the parking experience didn’t help.

We arrived at the NCP Car Park next door to the theatre, and wended our way up its narrow lanes and tight corners until we found a useable space – cramped, but useable. Never in the field of human parking endeavour has anyone managed to make such a performance out of reversing into a parking space. Mrs C had to get out and guide me back and forth about seven times. I even had to hurl myself out of the car in a fit of rage to gauge precisely what tiny dimensions I had at my disposal. Eventually I could park no more and let the car stand at whatever position I had finally achieved. At that point we realised that the car park ticket which you collect on the way in, and which you use to pay on the way out, had gone missing. Where could it possibly have gone? I kid you not, gentle reader, we spent the best part of half an hour ransacking the car, lifting mats and carpets, setting the iPhone to torch mode to peer into its darkest recesses, flipping through map pages, searching the glove box, etc etc and etc, until eventually the ticket made its appearance in the most ridiculously inaccessible and remote position, curled up and wedged inside the metal runners that allow the passenger seat to move. I think it’s fair to say that we were both, officially, the biggest pair of prize plonkers ever to have attempted to use a car park.

The Curve itself is pretty stunning in many ways. Shaped from the outside – you guessed it – like a curve, it’s an arresting piece of modern architecture in an otherwise rather drab quarter. There are a number of bar and café areas, a fairly good supply of seating, helpful staff and a (necessary with those charges) scheme for paying only £3.95 at the car park. One very thrilling dimension, that we only saw as we were leaving, is an open side wall to the theatre where you can see the stage from the wings, as it were; where all the costumes and prop tables are stored and it’s a fascinating glimpse into the backstage world of the theatre. What of inside the auditorium? Well, on the up side, the seats are reasonably comfortable, and from our position in Row J of the stalls, you had an excellent sightline to the stage. There was also hugely generous legroom, so you could really stretch out and get comfy. It’s a very wide proscenium arch, which gives the impression of the auditorium being somewhat shallow, even though it goes back to Row V. On the downside, it’s a little undecorated and featureless inside, which makes it feel a bit municipal, a bit soulless. But on the whole I would say it’s a jolly fine venue and one I’m glad to add to our repertory.

“I thought this was going to be about Hello Dolly”, I hear you mumble. And so it is. I’ve only seen the show once before, back in 1979 when I accompanied the Dowager Mrs Chrisparkle to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to see Miss Carol Channing in the role. She had a smile that stretched a mile – Miss Channing that is, not the Dowager. She was a dab hand at the comic business – I particularly remember how funny she was in the scene where Dolly insists on finishing her meal whilst everyone else is awaiting her in court.Impossibly stagey and camp as a row of tents, she was just brilliant. She had the physical presence – and let’s face it, age – to suggest Dolly’s back catalogue of life experience; and an accent of pure Yonkers. Possibly because they were the same age, the Dowager looked on her as something of a role model, and it was a rare day that she didn’t find time to quote something about “snuggling up to your cash register” or “lose some weight, Stanley”. So I was very interested to see how Janie Dee, an extraordinarily versatile actress, would appear as Dolly.

She’s very different from Miss Channing, but she’s also extremely good. Her Dolly appears much younger – which feels slightly wrong to me – but she is so winning and cheeky in her disposition, and her instant rapport with the audience is so overwhelming, that she absolutely assumes the role with natural conviction and spreads around the inherent joy of the show, much as Ephraim Levi told us you had to spread around manure. She’s good hearted and gutsy – and can sing beautifully, which comes as a splendid bonus. She looks great, and well deserves Horace Vandergelder’s “wonderful woman” compliment at the end. There really appears to be no end to Miss Dee’s talents.

Horace is played by Dale Rapley, who gives a really good supporting performance; terrifically underplayed, for example, during “So Long Dearie” where he allows Dolly completely to overwhelm him. He’s got a good singing voice too – and gives a super, comic performance of “It Takes A Woman”. Again he feels a lot younger than I would expect Vandergelder to be; you wouldn’t have thought he would need a matchmaker to set him up with a choice of widows, at his age he should still be able to set his own agenda. Nevertheless it’s still very funny when he goes on his date with the lovely Ernestina – Kerry Washington superb as a voluptuous canary lookalike – and his eventual match with Dolly seems perfectly right.

I’d not seen Michael Xavier on stage before – he plays first underdog Cornelius – but I’m not surprised he’s been nominated for all those Olivier awards. He has an amazing voice; loud, clear and expressive, perfect for this kind of show, and he brought great colour and likeability to the role. As second underdog Barnaby, Jason Denton had just the right level of believable goofiness, and the pair of them made excellent suitors for their two ladies.

Laura Pitt-Pulford is a marvellous Irene. It’s not that exciting a role, to be honest, and I remember in my youth whenever I played the soundtrack album, her song “Ribbons Down My Back” was always one I would skip. But I have to say I have never heard that song sung so beautifully as it is here by Miss Pitt-Pulford. For me, she made the song sound fresh but also wistful in a way that had always passed me by before. I would happily go back just to see her perform that song again. Ngo Ngofa’s Minnie Fay is full of fun, rather cute, and she and Barnaby will be a lovely couple.

Of course, what everyone remembers and awaits is the Waiters’ Gallop followed by Dolly’s staircase appearance and the huge number that is “Hello Dolly”. Expectations of this scene are so high that maybe it’s inevitable that there’s a slight sense of disappointment. The dancers are great, no question – and it’s also delightful that they used so much (if not all?) of Gower Champion’s original choreography (all that thigh patting and wavy hands in the air stuff); it’s just that the Curve stage is so wide, that I did not feel they occupied the area enough. This is a production with high values – the costumes are terrific, the sets are effective, even the props seem really good quality. The band are incredible and produce a superb sound. There just needed to be something else that gave the waiters’ scene an extra impact. Maybe they simply needed another six dancers – or a smaller stage. It’s still a really enjoyable scene and it went down very well with the audience, but I wanted just a soupcon more oomph. The cinematic style backdrop which suggested changes of scenes was also a little too small to have great impact, but the sets – and one’s own imagination – more than make up for it.

The performance we saw had a few minor odd moments – Dolly’s handbag seemed to have a life of its own – getting left behind here, suddenly appearing there – and I am still not sure Dolly said hello to the correct Stanley – my powers of lip reading suggest Stanley said something to her like “why are you saying that to me” and he certainly didn’t look as though he needed to lose weight anyway. But these don’t matter with such a colourful and high octane show. I’d forgotten how good the majority of the songs are – especially in the second half – although the whole “Dancing” sequence in the hat shop has always left me cold. It took a good week after we’d seen the show for some of these songs finally to work their way out of my brain. Mrs C pointed out that the whole thing is very “hokey”, and of course she is right. Hokiness is its raison d’être. This is a very entertaining and extremely enjoyable production, and one that fully warrants the good box-office business it seems to be doing – but there are still some good seats available and it would be a great shame to miss it.

On the way home Mrs C asked if Dolly and Horace really love each other, or is it just a marriage of convenience. With the sounds of “…and we won’t go home until we fall in love…” ringing in your ears during the finale, surely they must love each other. Mustn’t they? True, Dolly is an ace manipulatrix, and she certainly gets what she wants – Ephraim even gives her his sign of consent – so I expect she loves him sufficiently well to make a go of it. Horace, I am sure, is besotted. What do you think?