“THE BOY FRIEND"

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28056, 25 August 1956, Page 2

“THE BOY FRIEND"

Enjoyable Musical Revue TALENTED DANCING AND SINGING It is unnecessary to have been brought up on Scott Fitzgerald and Carl van Vechten, or to rememocr Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic to enjoy “The Boy Friend,” whicn opened for a short season at the Theatre Royal last evening. Of course the tunes featured in this musical are echoes of themes that are familiar to nearly everyone, and the story “The Boy Friend" unfolds is simplicity itself. However, the majority of the cast are talented dancers, and no-one stands still for more than a few seconds at a time. Coherence is the leant, important thing about “The Boy Friend.”

There is, perhaps, a thinness particularly about the first act, and the intervals are rather prolonged; but the show rapidly livens up, and there is a succession of sparkling scenes and a continuous flow of sprightly comedy. The jazz era certainly affords plenty of for easy satire; indeed, last night’s audience was quite taken aback at that enthusiastic charleston danced by Beth Dean and Colin Fitzgerald. Were such things possible? The three acts of “The Boy Friend" appeared to be set in Nice, and the play opened in the drawing room of the Villa Caprice. Madame Dubonnet** finishing school for young ladies. These young ladies were played by Beth Dean, Lola Brooks. Dawn Spry and Helene Ffrance, and if their voices seemed strange at first, it was because theirs were the accents of Betty Boop, who is now only a fast fading memory. - Madame, whose heartwarming surname is a breath of France itself, was played by Laurel Mather, who really acts the part and has a genius for the unexpected. Then, together with Percival Browne, she sings “You - don’t-want - to - play -with-me" blues, or “Poor Little Pierette,’’ with Rhonney Gabriel the audience is prepared to suspend reality for her and listen as long as she cares to go on. The dancing star of the show is Beth Dean, and her carnival tango with Graham Smith in act three was a dazzling travesty, as polished as it was cruel. Another highlight of “The Boy Friend” was the delightful dance routine in which Carl Randall was se ably seconded by Lola Brooks. Rhonney Gabriel and John Parker supplied the main romantic interest of the play. Miss Gabriel sings charmingly, and “A Room in Bloomsbury" .and “I Could be Happy With You" were felt to be particularly her own numbers. Mr Parker’s pleasant unaffected stage manner, too, quite lit up a rather over-conventional role. John Huson was admirable in his faintly derisive scenes with Madame Dubonnet and June Collis certainly enjoyed being Hortense, the French maid. “The Boy Friend” was written by Sandy Wilson, and his gay invention has been furthered by the scenery end costumes so cleverly designed by Elaine Haxton. —CEA