The Matchgirls

Reviews

Not often you hear of the dangers of Phosphorus in a musical's opening number.

This rarity from Sixties, penned by Bill [Compo] Owen and composer Tony Russell, tells the inspiring story of the women employed by Bryant and May in Bow, who, with the help of radical writers and reformers, went on strike and made the Victorian management see sense.

An ambitious undertaking from this enterprising group. Not only because it's a forgotten work, but because director Bill Edwards has chosen to set it in the body of the hall, with a traverse acting area as well as the conventional stage, bringing the action teeming into our midst.

Huge advantages in terms of immediacy and impact, especially for those seated alongside. Which heavily outweighed the downsides: no "back row" for less confident chorus members, and some visibility problems in a few scenes.

The large company attack the work - which is not the best written musical - with enthusiasm and professionalism. The Match Girls, in particular, from the oldest to the youngest [Jenny Pavitt's little Louie], put heart and soul into recreating the spirit, and the gallows humour, of these exploited women. Their men, dockers and pigeon fanciers, bring humour and a strong physical presence. The stage pictures are often effective, the scene changes generally slick, and there are some inspired touches, like the meeting mime behind the "Waiting" number.

Some very impressive character work from the principals: Kate, leader of the strikers, torn between seeing the campaign through and seeking a better life in America, is magnificently played by Debbie Stevens; wonderfully sung, too, in This Life of Mine and many other duets and ensembles. Her Joe gets a high-impact performance from Jason Markham. Other stand-out characters include Lisa Rawlings as Polly, Amy Pudney as Winnie [with Glenys Young excellent as her mother] and Sandra Trott as Jessie, Kate's rival for Joe's affections. Colourful cameos from Linda Raymond as bibulous Old Min, and Keith Goody as pious Mr Potter.

The intellectuals - Gail Hughes as Annie Besant and Martin Herford as GBS - seem a little colourless by comparison.

Denise Jackson's choreography is lively and expressive; the music is predominantly jazz-influenced, though of course the writers couldn't resist some jolly Cockney sparrer knees-ups in the Newley/Bart/Bricusse tradition.

The band is right at the back of the hall, and MD Shirley Parrot sometimes struggles to bring her singers in. I saw a preview, and no doubt this minor issue, and the occasional lagging pace, will improve as the run continues.

In any event, a laudable revival of this neglected British musical, brought to the Blackmore stage [and the cobbles in the auditorium] with style and sparkle.

Michael Gray, Sardines Magazine

It is clearly an understatement to suggest that producing a full-blown musical is not an easy task but to do so in a village hall with a relatively small society, and to to do so successfully, speaks volumes for the company, the director and all involved behind the scenes. It must be said that there were compromises that did impact the final outcome; the use of the auditorium as well as the stage provided challenges to the lighting and sound departments. From the back of the hall, nearest the band, it was not always easy to hear all the singing and sometimes even the dialogue without underscoring needed some more projection. The restricted lighting options, given the equipment in the hall, also meant that the lighting spillover into the audience made it impossible to isolate the action and focus on that to the exclusion of all else. Nevertheless, The Matchgirls, a show not seen before by this reviewer, benefited from having a substantial female ensemble that provided not only a full sound during the chorus numbers, and a boisterous frivolity during the dance routines but also a gritty realism that a handful of girls confined to the stage could not have done. This production was especially lucky to have a really strong female lead in Debbie Stevens, playing Kate. A key figure throughout the show she delivered wonderful vocals and fluent dialogue. Her solos were moving, she didn't overshadow Polly (Lisa Rawlings) during their wonderful duet, and she had a robust relationship with Joe (Jason Markham). Her cat-fight with Jessie (SandraTrott) was also really good, going on long enough to be credible but short enough not to disengage the audience. Jason Markham did well as Kate's long-suffering love interest, combining the tough persona with a clear singing voice. Gail Hughes gave a good characterisation of the upper middle class Annie Besant and Martin Herford was a likeable GBS, despite the Irish accent slipping occasionally. The supporting cast are too numerous to mention by name but worked together as a team very well. The choreography was interesting and appropriate and the pace of the show, with numerous scene changes and stage dressing to complete was seamless. The costumes were good, the sets excellent and the whole atmosphere of depressed Victorian living was captured well by the lighting plot. The small band brought life to the music and the overall impression of this show was a good one. Congratulations to all involved. Here's hoping the financials work out well and that Blackmore Players can breathe life into some other lesser known musicals.

Stuart Adkins, NODA

'The Matchgirls' Strike The Right Notes

The all-singing, all-dancing cast of Blackmore Players wowed the sell-out audience at their latest production 'The Matchgirls', directed by Bill Edwards. With book and lyrics by Bill Owen (Compo in Last of The Summer Wine) and music by Tony Russell it tells the story of the East End women employed to make matches by Bryant and May, who went on strike to improve pay and conditions at the factory at the end of the last century. 'The Matchgirls' isn't as well-known or performed as often as other musicals, however, after watching Blackmore Players bring the story to life in such an entertaining way it should be...

The musical focuses on the lifestyle of the match cutters at the Bryant and May factory, with strong references to the condition Phossy Jaw (referred to in the opening song 'Phospherous') and the political climate of the era. The musical portrays Bryant and May as callous and uncaring employers, with factory foreman 'Mr Mynel' representing the threatening and imposing regime in which the girls were forced to work. The central character of the musical is 'Kate', a tenement girl and factory worker, who writes to Annie Besant to ask for help in seeking reform at the factory. The story follows Kate and Annie's attempts to rally the girls, leading Kate to become a reckless strike-leader and a key player in the creation and recognition of the union. The sub plot shows Kate's involvement in the strike and the strain it puts on her relationship with her docker boyfriend Joe.

As well as 'Cockney Sparrers' and 'Look At That Hat' here were plenty of rousing songs as we were transported back to Victorian London and Blackmore Players turned in some wonderful performances and first rate choreography. These were complimented by the authentic costumes which added to the gritty realism of the era, and a very cleverly, if somewhat different, designed set. Moving away from the usual audience seating in rows facing the stage, director Bill Edwards set the production on the floor of the hall as well as the stage. With 'stone steps' leading down from the centre of the stage onto a 'cobbled' runway, he created an acting area amidst the audience with some seating in the round. Despite the mutterings from a couple of people in the audience that they couldn't see all of the action, this staging worked extremely well in drawing the audience into the action and was a lively topic of conversation during the interval.

Although at its heart 'The Matchgirls' is very much an ensemble piece, there were some excellent performances from the principals. Debbie Stevens proved herself to be a very talented actress - she was outstanding as spirited strike leader Kate, singing beautifully with clarity and confidence. She conveyed a wide range of emotions throughout as she struggled with her loyalties to her fellow workers and her docker boyfriend Joe, a strong performance from Jason Markham. Markham showed Joe's aggressive nature in his exchanges with reformer Annie Besant (played well by Gail Hughes) and a much softer, albeit macho side in his exchanges with Kate. I particularly enjoyed Kate and Joe's duet 'Something About You', also sung by soon to be married Winnie (Amy Pudney) and Bert (Rhys Burrell) - fine performances from this pair as well. Glenys Young was excellent as the no-nonsense Mrs Purkiss, maintaining order amongst the matchgirls where necessary yet showing her vulnerability when her daughter Winnie loses the baby. Linda Raymond displayed great comic timing and was an absolute delight in the role of Old Min. Sandra Trott was convincing in the role of Jessie who challenges Kate over the strike and for the affections of Joe, resulting in a very realistic cat fight that starts on the hall floor before moving onto and up the steps before spilling out onto the stage. Jenny Pavitt as young Louie did very well, with other noteworthy performances from Martin Herford as Irish intellectual George Bernard Shaw, Lisa Rawlings as Polly, Simon Haskell as foreman Mynal and Keith Goody as the religious Mr Potter.

There was some impressive choreography from Denise Jackson - with matchgirls and dockers rising to the occasion, especially in songs like 'La Di Da'. Musical Director Shirley Parrot and her musicians did a great job considering their distance from the stage. The music worked well with the best being drawn from the performers' voices, 'This Life of Mine', 'Waiting' and 'Men' worked extremely well. Technically the show was good with suitable lighting and balanced sound. The set design team did a fantastic job in creating the aptly named Hope Court, a Victorian tenement where some of the action took place.

Director Bill Edwards did an excellent job co-ordinating his well-cast team of performers. Thanks to the inspired staging and hall layout he was able to make clever use of space with entrances through the auditorium - in particular the striking women marching and chanting - which engaged with the audience and was very effective. His vision with regard to the staging of it and his belief in the story of The Matchgirls, was conveyed to his talented cast and they delivered. This was a fantastic show - congratulations to everybody involved.

Cheryl Barrett, Sardines Magazine