Report
Author: Terry Harrison
It’s nearly 100 years since Cole Porter wrote: “good authors too who once knew better words now only use four-letter words, writing prose, anything goes”. His plea for more poetry may simply have been prompted by the need for a suitable rhyme for his own song but we can address it with a little verse: “A group who like treading the boards/ Chose to do a show about Ford’s/ How the girls went on strike/‘Cos of things they didn’t like/ With some songs and some four-letter words”.
In a nutshell that’s the plot. The strike supported the girls’ demand for equal pay. As for the four-letter words, when one of them is the name of the offending employer, you don’t have much choice but to use it. The rest are what Pooh-Bah in “The Mikado” would describe as “artistic verisimilitude”.
Jordan Rhodes led the whole production superbly as the rebellious Rita, fired up with complete conviction in the case for equal pay and it is her transition from working mother to a life-changing speaker at the TUC Conference which forms the basis of the story. Hers was a completely assured performance with a confidence which seemed to spread to the rest of the cast in as good an opening night as you might ever see. Christopher Mooney made an excellent job of his part as the husband, faced with action by his wife which ultimately affected himself and his colleagues at the factory. His delivery of “The Letter” was moving. The family is completed by son and daughter, Graham and Sharon, played on opening night by Lucas MacLeod and Emily Pullan, both veterans of last year’s show (“Chitty,Chitty,Bang,Bang”).
The ensemble have much more to do in this show than in many others and they worked hard, making a great sound. There are a number of smaller roles in this show too, all of which were confidently played and it is difficult to mention all of them without turning this report into something resembling a workshop manual. I must, however, pay tribute to some fine performances: Georgie Gladwyn as shop steward Connie, whose untimely death is the ultimate catalyst in Rita’s development, is one. Gavin Mills as the hard-nosed American, imported from Ford U.S. in an attempt to restore order to the Essex plant, opened the second act with a thrilling entrance, apparently by helicopter, followed by a musical lecture on all that is great about America. The Brits were represented by Simon Marie as Harold Wilson, revealing some darker aspects of our Huddersfield-born former Prime Minister whilst Emma-Louise Dawes gave a superb performance as Secretary of State for Employment, Barbara Castle, “fiery like her hair”, yet responsive to the girls’ cause. The views she put across so strongly in the song “Ideal World” are still valid today. Richard Hawley as the unfortunate manager of the factory is another character blessed with a feisty wife with a will to make things happen. Sarah Stoner made a good impression in this role. Cortina man Rob Hastings launched the new model, surrounded by strike-breaking lovelies, with such enthusiasm that we would all have bought one on the spot. Jessica Mooney, Toni Bedford and Lisa Kos as Rita’s closest friends and workmates, each different in her own way, provided valuable support throughout the show, as did Ruth Graham as Beryl whose foul-mouthed outbursts would have been a principal source of Cole Porter’s frustrations.
Formed a few years before he wrote those words, this company is currently celebrating its centenary and, surprisingly perhaps, this show does appear to have something in common with their first production, “The Rebel Maid”. Few will remember that one but, if the title is accurate, it also seems to be about a rather obstinate lady. Making other comparisons, however, what is clear is the way in which amateur productions have progressed since then; we now expect standards equal to those of the professional productions which regularly visit nearby cities - lighting, sound, etc. This production could not be faulted on any of those counts, with wigs and costumes to represent fashions of the time. On the technical side, fairly frequent set changes after some relatively short scenes were well handled by the crew. A member of the cast last year, Rohan Green is now in his first year of studies of production arts and is responsible for the lighting design. Meanwhile, the Director here has once again ensured that the company cruised along in top gear as he drove them to another powerful performance whilst the Musical Director had everything finely tuned with splendid accompaniment. Were it necessary for a company such as this to have an M.O.T. after 100 years, it would have passed without any warnings or advisories.
The girls won their case, by the way. They seem destined to cause more trouble next year with “The Witches of Eastwick”. After two years of cars, now it’s to be broomsticks. Whatever next?
