Taking part in Below Stairs are, back, from left, Don Ratcliffe and Vicki Randle Jolliffe, middle, Amy Simpson and Oliver Fry, front, Imogen Stone and Carol Simpson.
Stage ReviewGLAD tidings: there is still time to catch the Apollo Players’ terrific Christmas show, Below Stairs, which runs until Sunday.
The musical has everything: catchy tunes, a talented, polished cast, plenty of laughs and lashings of feel-good factor.
The show, never seen before on the Island, is the brainchild of Trevor Pilling and Alan Lewis, who have waived royalties in favour of a donation to Cancer Research UK. The Apollo is giving £1,000 plus the proceeds of programme sales to the charity.
Composer Alan Lewis visited the Apollo last month to discuss the show with director Michael Arnell. He was so impressed he booked tickets for himself and his family to see the show during the run.
Below Stairs is set against the background of the First World War, the suffragette movement, the music hall and the world of domestic service.
However, it is essentially a lighthearted, lively look at servants’ lives and social class.
Lucy, the ladies’ maid, dreams of being a music-hall star but is cruelly sacked for attending an audition.
Homeless and with no references, she faces starvation and ruin but she triumphs over adversity, becoming an independent, liberated woman.
Perfectly cast is Maria Wilkinson, who gives a star performance as the all-singing, all-dancing Lucy.
Leading man Drew Adcock, is equally strong as Lucy’s policeman admirer, Tom. Alister Pearson, playing Edward, a gold-digging rake who seduces Lucy, is another hit.
Peter Boffin was convincing as the butler ruling the household with a rod of iron, while Pam Cranefield gave a delightful performance as Doris the warm-hearted cook.
It would be unfair not to mention the rest of the cast: Imogen Stone, Carol Simpson, Amy Simpson, Vicki Randle Jolliffe, Oliver Fry, Don Ratcliffe, Mike Santer, John Sole, Rita Boffin, Edna Crosbie, Kate Wilde, Rose Kelsey, Colin Bish and Amanda Robertson.
Without exception, they gave enthusiastic, well-rehearsed performances on opening night, keeping the appreciative audience spellbound.
Musical director and pianist Lawrence Bate played another key role with aplomb, keeping the tunes coming fast and furiously.
The Apollo deserves hearty congratulations for a superb show.