One of the great beauties of the musical theatre show Mack and Mabel is for the band (or orchestra) to present a pre-show overture medley of the show tunes – mostly jaunty and upbeat mixed with a sad sweet blend of musical melancholia. The LEOS band do this aspect proud under the capable hands and baton of musical director Charlotte Daniels and her small band of excellent musicians. From my experience of seeing many a musical the overture or similar musical introduction can present itself with audience problems. Some audience members think it is okay to chit chat throughout the introductory music because ‘it hasn’t really started yet’. Tonight, the audience at Long Eaton’s May Hall are the respectful and properly appreciative kind and nary a pin can be heard dropping throughout the overture itself nor the reprise beginning the second act. Bliss.
Secondly, the success of a musical’s presentation can hang on the quality of the main leads and supporting cast. Get that wrong and two and half hours of potentially turgid theatrics can seem an eternity filled with audience fantasies of ‘earlier than expected’ trips home and a visibly emptier auditorium in the second act. You will be delighted to know that no such ‘escape committee’ feelings entered this rapt reviewer’s head in this excellent production of Mack and Mabel.
Dan Bates is a perfectly bluff, gruff and humourless Mack Sennett – producer of dozens of silent comedy two reel films made on a low budget or sometimes no budget. Bate’s quality singing voice gives his character chances to express his suppressed romantic side and feelings of emotional and personal regret. His performance overall is a compelling stage tour de force. It’s a complex script to which he does full justice.
Rachel Merrill (Mabel Normand) gives a sterling professional performance both acting, dancing and singing that is the very antithesis of ‘phoned in’. Every moment of her presence on stage is a joy to experience and every song that Merrill as Mabel Normand sings has perfect pitch and is expressively sung. Merrill’s superb performance is worth the entrance ticket price alone. Her electric rendition of ‘Time Heals Everything’ is heart-breakingly excellent.
There are some important plot line supporting roles in Mack and Mabel and, for a musical about the comedic arts, most of these roles are serious and given full song and dance and dramatic welly by Molly Parkinson (a sparkling Lottie Ames), Harvey Latter ( a compellingly mature performance as Frank Wyman), Jack Woolley (Mr Kessell) and Stuart Bull (Mr Baumann), Gavin Owen ( a solidly believable William Desmond Taylor) and Milly Clover as a strangely plausible Fatty Arbuckle -a silent movie actor known for his massive figure – played by an actress of such slender physicality.
The LEOS’ Mack and Mabel ensemble are second-to-none especially in the big numbers and special mention/s must go the the madcap Keystone Kops section and ‘Hundreds of Girls’ and ‘Tap Your Troubles Away’ songs as ensemble highlights of the show. ‘When Mable Comes In The Room’ also deserves recognition not only for the singing but for the direction of Amy Clover and choreography by Rachel Spence. I could easily have been watching a professional production. Plaudits to all. David Price’s excellent stage lighting is a perfect fit for a show which uses small set pieces to suggest venues and places.
Mack and Mabel runs at May Hall Tent College Long Eaton until Saturday 13th April.
