What a demanding role this is! You need to act the comedy; be a lothario for old ladies, be mildly corrupt but remain wholly likeable, deliver a number of solos and duets, dance numbers too and finally still have enough left to deliver ‘Betrayed’, which précises the whole show. David managed all this with a cheeky aplomb and an appropriate twinkle in his eye. He has a good voice, full-bodied in sound (but it was starting to show a little strain by the end of the evening: I hope that it held up for the rest of the run). He could have projected his character out into the audience a little more, with stronger glances and asides, and perhaps his Bialystock could have been a little more clearly manipulative (after all he is a better actor than anyone he hires for his shows), but this does not detract from the fact that David was a very able lynchpin and dynamo for the whole show.
As is essential to the success of the show, David and Michael made a really good contrasting team as Max and Leo.
This was a production full of commitment and energy, with good co-ordination between the various departments, with them all performing to a high standard. As a musical ‘The Producers’ builds toward and peaks with “Springtime for Hitler”: Here it was suitably camp and delightfully over-the top. Once again for me Witham Amateur Operatic did not disappoint, providing a thoroughly entertaining and exemplary night out.
Ian Amos/15th November 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment