25/05/2018
Lovely review of Midlife from the Rose Bowl Awards:
ROSE BOWL ADJUDICATION
NAME OF COMPANY: SCAMP
NAME OF PRODUCTION: ‘MIDLIFE! – THE CRISIS MUSICAL’
VENUE Saltford Hall, Saltford
DATE: Friday 4th May 2018, 7.30 pm
ADJUDICATOR: Caroline Joy
SCAMP’s production of Midlife! The Crisis Musical touches upon everything from mammograms to children refusing to leave home. After reading the script, I was slightly nervous about adjudicating this as I felt that many of the vignettes would be akin to holding up a mirror to many of the situations I find myself in. Not long ago I threw my car key fob in the bin and have found myself increasingly more forgetful and most days enter a room and forget why I went in there, and I have left the front door opened on at least 2 occasions! Well, according to statistics I suppose I am middle aged, however I still believe I’m 18.
The simple staging with appropriate theme related props, a central raised section, which added levels, and back projection that guided us through the various scenes with creative imagery worked well as it didn’t distract from the actors, only enhanced and emphasised the changing themes and action.
Sound Design (Bruce Arnold) promoted the action and was well timed. The lighting (Jo Ball), heightened the mood changes and atmosphere well. However some of the spots didn’t always light up the faces, which was a shame as the actors clearly worked very hard on facial expressions. The back-projections (Richard Lucking) were very effective,
emphasising the changing locations, situations and translations (American to English) AARP to SAGA.
The scene and costumes changes operated at lightning speed (It appeared that you had raided my husband’s wardrobe right down to those coral shorts), making for a slick and polished show. A special mention must go to Stage Manger, Catriona Rings and backstage crew!
Midlife! poked fun at the archetypical trials and tribulations of middle age, and as you can’t beat it so may as well turn this surreal time into a funny musical, and the songs clearly resonated with the audience. As a result the audience were very much engaged with the action and comments came as thick and fast as the songs. I heard “Oh that’s me”, “I always do that, “I did that earlier today”, to the number “What Did I Come in Here For”, by Tom, Sally, Matthew and Corrine.
With all the media attention on living longer, long term illnesses, embarrassing illnesses, and especially mental health, the dark humour also served as reminder to look after ourselves, get checked out and stop being so British about intimate health issues. The Americans aren’t worried about these things as this musical proves!
SCAMP possessed the charm to take us on a journey through middle age, successfully conveying that it doesn’t all go pear shaped from here and the enjoyment being had onstage was infectious and this permeated out into the audience. The lyrics were clever and full of puns; however, you need excellent modulation, enunciation and an understanding of pausing to deliver these songs successfully and the cast were pros at this, with the appropriate reactions, gestures, and facial expressions. The musical was very light-hearted and delivered with good pacing, likeable tunes with enough surprises to keep our interest. The array of emotions and crises connected with the mid-life phase were beautifully played out over two acts by the company, and the relationships between characters were well defined.
The blocking and choreography were tight and well-informed, as was the use of entrances, exits and freeze frames. The serious issues were dealt with innovatively; such topics as coming out of the closet and mammogram tests were all singing, dancing twinkling and flashing lights literally.
Musical Director/bass guitar Keith Warhurst worked wonders with a rather tame score that may not have thrived as well with a less talented company. The orchestra (Joseph Church, Lee Tesdale, Harry Bone, Janna Hinchliff and Katrina Wyndow) played the score seamlessly, kept the pace going, were sensitive to the ever-changing moods and situations, supported the cast throughout without overpowering the vocals, and the sound was well balanced.
SCAMP choreographed, produced and directed this very funny offering and took on the mission with energy and enthusiasm. They all work well together and sounded fantastic in ensemble and in solos. "Turning Forty" performed by Tom Stentaford started the laughs as he faced one of his greatest fears: becoming his father and stole the show in “I Quit” with those red sparkly ‘Dorothy’ inspired heels. He was also very funny as one of the ‘homeboys’, along with Matt Brock and Matthew Graham in the “Weekend Warriors” scene, exaggerating their ball skills on the court. There were some great reactions to their wives calling on their mobile phones, effectively bringing their leisure time to an abrupt end.
With a strong stage presence, Jenny Abson was funny and engaging in her roles, especially in the number “When he Laughs”, after receiving LASIK surgery, which was sung with sensitivity and humour.
Each performer had the chance to shine and got the laughs
"A Trip to the Doctor" gained laughs and yelps from women, as it expressed a painful yet entertaining singing mammogram. The men were not left out in "Another Trip to the Doctor" which described the fear over the rubber-gloved prostate examinations.
“Side Effects” bemoaned prescription medicine, this was nicely performed by Matthew Graham with some very funny physical comedy. I could really relate to this scene, this was hilarious.
Although Matt appeared to start off with a few pitch issues, “Lost Love” was a comic gem as Matt Brock played a man mourning his hair loss, revealing a bald cap under his hat. This serious issue amongst men who delivered with authority, which made it even more humorous.
"Mid-Life Translator" by Tom, Sally, Matthew and Jenny and "Classical Menopause" by the company provided an innovative and unexpected approach to the issues, without being clichéd.
A favourite moment that was shared amongst the audience was the increasingly hopeless search for missing keys in “What Did I Come In Here For?” We all related to that and everyone enjoyed the use of a metal detector. There were some interesting props in actor Sally’s bag that ended up all over the floor. Sally Warhurst provided funny comedic relief both in body language and expression and was well suited to her roles.
Other highlights included Corrinne-Anne who brought dynamism and gusto to her roles was particularly alert as a middle-aged ticking time bomb looking for the perfect s***m and
Jenny and Matt deciding that turning “THE BIG FIVE-OH, OH, OH” isn’t so oh terrible after all!
“Boys Night In” (Tom, Matt and Mathew) with the green tinged lighting gave a Jekyll and Hyde effect, as we entered the realm of Frozotox. The creative routine on the wheelie chairs, physicality and lack of expression as the serum took hold had the audience gasping for air as they were laughing so much. I am sure we all know of at least one person that has taken this ‘treatment’ a little too far.
The three women had tremendous stage presence, vocal range and repartee and this was highlighted in the number “He Got What He Deserved”, as divorced women in Thirty Year Reunion.
"The Long Goodbye" sung by the trio of Sally, Corinne-Anne and Matthew had one of the most beautiful melodies and heartfelt lyrics, communicating the responsibility of becoming parents to our own parents. This poignant song juxtaposed nicely with numbers such as “What Did I Come In Here For”. After the funny, surprising and “I can’t believe that just happened?” scenes, it was a compassionate moment shared and understood by both the actors and audience.
The final song, “I’m Not Ready,” was very poignant, conveying a truth that resonated with us all.
The strong talented cast handled these subjects with sensitivity and skill. When the company sang together, the harmonies were remarkable.
The personal photos brought everything together as various images were projected throughout “I’m Not Ready”, and this brought some unexpected tears to my eyes as I thought about my own family, and how fast time goes. I am sure that we left Saltford Hall with a sense of middle-age being a time of peace, serenity and optimism and something we should not fear, only embrace and own. ‘Piece of Cake’.
Many thanks for an entertaining and thought-provoking evening.
