‘A Dream Romance’

Press, 26 May 1984, Page 8

‘A Dream Romance’

“A Dream Romance,” by Michelanne »Forster, directed by Lisa Warrington, musical direction by Elizabeth Braggins for the Court Theatre; performed at the Southern Ballet Theatre. May 24 to June 9. Running time: 10.30 p.m. to 11.30 p.m. Reviewed by Gerrit Bahlman. Predictable and trite but hilarious at night, the creamy dreamy daring 50s style musical cabaret is naughty and nice. Eight songs in a distinctive 50s blues vein with the odd bit of the “Sound of Music” thrown in, this corn ball parody explores the sexist attitudes of today by satirising a “Mills and Boon” romance of the 19505. Snappy rock ‘n’ roll dance numbers and the frisky frolics of stockings and garter belts give the show a lively pace. The lyrics and script are racy and loaded with innuendo. The things you can do with the guacamole recipe on the back of the*

programme would shock innocent reviewers, not to mention the virginal leading lady, Dee Dee De Luxe. The dusky voice of Janice Gray’s Miss Pim introduces us 'to Barry Humphrey’s alter ego. He' talks about it and she writes about it on a typewriter with bright red paper that erupts over the entire stage. Miss Pirn’s characters spew from her infertile imagination in an unbelievable way which she is ever ready to share with her less gifted audience. Bosomy, Dee Dee De Luxe, innocently portrayed by Sharon Howells, lacks the essential requisite for happy girlhood, a man. The three tarty girls in the office all have men, and they know what to do with them. Lyn Waldegrave, Glenda Cooke and Judy Gibara camp it up with hilariously overdone body language that simply screams, “You’ve gotta be kidding!” The hunk of the piece, Spencer Davies (wait while

he smooths back his hair), is presented with all the bumps and grinds bv Campbell McKay. The pace and corn combine to be genuinely funny but the attitudes parodied are recognisable and give the show a slight edge which lifts it out of the simple spoof category. The first performance was a little nervous with some under-deliveries of lines and some insecurity with musical timing. While the script was deliberately corny the quick re-phrasing of the story in the 1980 s undermined the edge of the parody. In forcing the audience to imagine the characters shifted to the present day laughs were obtained, but the satire was weakened. Elizabeth Braggins’ piano accompaniment produced much of the show’s comic impact. Musical puns abounded. Her performance was sensitive to the needs of the singers and welded the show