Salad Days - Striling Players
Fri, 9 July 2004, 01:54 pmDon Allen14 posts in thread
Salad Days - Striling Players
Fri, 9 July 2004, 01:54 pmSALAD DAYS started its life in June 1954 at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. It was scheduled to run just three weeks. But Fate - and a London Management - intervened. On August 5th. 1954 it opened with the same production at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, and stayed there for five and a half years, becoming (for then) the longest running musical in the history of the British Theatre with over 2400 performances.
I had never heard of it but ended up seeing it last night with a large group booking. It is a non descript vaudeville musical with a large number of scene changes that would have made sense if the programme had explained the musical's origins.
The set was a back cloth and front cloth painted as a vaudeville cloth and used with good timing for scene changes, however we still had to wait for music or lights for the show to continue so continuity was jerky.
Doing a musical in black tabs is not a good idea as musicals are meant to be bright, colourful events. It would have been better to use pivoting flats with an indoor and an outdoor setting painted on them as legs.
The lead female was excellent, I supsect WAAPA trained as we were presented with a fun character, always smiling, projecting well and moving freely with dance numbers. Unfortunately some of the other cast members were well below her standard and appeared to lack practice.
The lighting was very dark in some corners which was where actors were blocked, so a refocus or reblocking to suit limited resources would overcome the dark corners.
Stirling Players use a multipurpose hall so do not have the benefit of a raked seating arrangement but the seating needs to be moved closer together as too much leg room for the front rows puts the last few rows too far from the stage. Perhaps a measuring stick can be created for optimum spacing. If you have a lot of senior audience, make one or two rows slighty roomier and let them know about them at booking time.
A good effort but not a great show.
Don
I had never heard of it but ended up seeing it last night with a large group booking. It is a non descript vaudeville musical with a large number of scene changes that would have made sense if the programme had explained the musical's origins.
The set was a back cloth and front cloth painted as a vaudeville cloth and used with good timing for scene changes, however we still had to wait for music or lights for the show to continue so continuity was jerky.
Doing a musical in black tabs is not a good idea as musicals are meant to be bright, colourful events. It would have been better to use pivoting flats with an indoor and an outdoor setting painted on them as legs.
The lead female was excellent, I supsect WAAPA trained as we were presented with a fun character, always smiling, projecting well and moving freely with dance numbers. Unfortunately some of the other cast members were well below her standard and appeared to lack practice.
The lighting was very dark in some corners which was where actors were blocked, so a refocus or reblocking to suit limited resources would overcome the dark corners.
Stirling Players use a multipurpose hall so do not have the benefit of a raked seating arrangement but the seating needs to be moved closer together as too much leg room for the front rows puts the last few rows too far from the stage. Perhaps a measuring stick can be created for optimum spacing. If you have a lot of senior audience, make one or two rows slighty roomier and let them know about them at booking time.
A good effort but not a great show.
Don
Re: Salad Days - Striling Players
Mon, 12 July 2004, 07:15 amI have been a frequent visitor to the Stirling Theatre - both in its original position and now in Morris place - and the one thing that holds true for every production is that they set out to entertain their audience and they succeed!
I agree with the first and second 'reviewers' about the comments on the venue - but REALLY !! Get a grip and realise what you are watching - this a is a group of dedicated, talented people doing what they enjoy and hoping that their enjoyment will overlfow into a receptive audience and send them away smiling. Well, Stirling Players - you achieved your goal!
We, as audience, enter a theatre and from the moment of overture - though in this production the initial introduction was via live piano music in the foyer (a master stroke - and such a talented pianist too!) - as I was saying - we owe it to the company to suspend our reality and allow ourselves to be transported to a park, a university, even to outer space! and not to say - what a shame about the black curtains!!!
But I digress - and I really did what to compliment Jan and her cast and crew on the sheer entertainment value of Salad Days.
I took my mother along - her idea and I'm not sure I would have gone otherwise - and we both thoroughly enjoyed the performance. We were entertained - particularly by the execllent voice of the lead female (wow! what a future that young lady has!) and also by Chris Henderson - who never ceases to amaze me at his versatility - this man really knows how to have fun on stage!; Colleen Hopkins - apparently a late addition to the cast - who with the aid of a variety of wigs 'became' a multitude of delightful, animated characters; Karen Staflind (sorry about the spelling) - love that lady's voice and charactertisations; and my personal favourite, Owen Phillips - every inch the character (or should I say characters) a delightfully convincing portrayal - his quizzical looks when he (his character) misses the point are a total joy - Well done all of you.
I went to be entertained, and I was!!
Shelley
I agree with the first and second 'reviewers' about the comments on the venue - but REALLY !! Get a grip and realise what you are watching - this a is a group of dedicated, talented people doing what they enjoy and hoping that their enjoyment will overlfow into a receptive audience and send them away smiling. Well, Stirling Players - you achieved your goal!
We, as audience, enter a theatre and from the moment of overture - though in this production the initial introduction was via live piano music in the foyer (a master stroke - and such a talented pianist too!) - as I was saying - we owe it to the company to suspend our reality and allow ourselves to be transported to a park, a university, even to outer space! and not to say - what a shame about the black curtains!!!
But I digress - and I really did what to compliment Jan and her cast and crew on the sheer entertainment value of Salad Days.
I took my mother along - her idea and I'm not sure I would have gone otherwise - and we both thoroughly enjoyed the performance. We were entertained - particularly by the execllent voice of the lead female (wow! what a future that young lady has!) and also by Chris Henderson - who never ceases to amaze me at his versatility - this man really knows how to have fun on stage!; Colleen Hopkins - apparently a late addition to the cast - who with the aid of a variety of wigs 'became' a multitude of delightful, animated characters; Karen Staflind (sorry about the spelling) - love that lady's voice and charactertisations; and my personal favourite, Owen Phillips - every inch the character (or should I say characters) a delightfully convincing portrayal - his quizzical looks when he (his character) misses the point are a total joy - Well done all of you.
I went to be entertained, and I was!!
Shelley
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