July 2009 Production

'Allo 'Allo - Review

From the Croydon Advertiser - 17th of July 2009

Review by Theo Spring

4 stars

This is a demanding comedy for amateurs requiring a large cast, many changes of scene, a good sense of timing and sustained accents.

ATG's excellent set of René's café cleverly used the areas downstage left and right for the required offices, etc. First night nerves may have been responsible for slow scene changes and the occasional slight slippage of ze French and German cod accents.

John Desbottes aimed to placate both sides of the struggle as René, trying to please the occupying German force and the French Resistance as well as his demanding wife Edith and her irascible mother. His calm delivery went up just a little on his deliciously-scripted encounters with his two waitresses.

Louise Canfield and Christine Woodhead as Yvette and Mimi found just the right route through the innuendo and provided the sanity in Edith's (intentionally) grating cabaret number as Fifi. Ali Morris also struck the right notes as Edith.

The phrase still in common usage from the TV series must be " I shall say zis only once" and Linda Harris as Michelle delivered it perfectly, looked good in all her disguises and ably vanished "Like a phantom into the night".

The "Good moaning" from Crabtree (Jez Burrows) still brought laughs, and Martin Crampton scored more comedy as Leclerc, particularly when impersonating a parrot and cockatoo salesman (with such great props). In the German camp, the camp German Gruber (Jeremy Nicholls) was my man of the match - indicating his leanings by simply entering the cafè, Gary Shaw's Herr Flick was mean and demanding and Ron White's Colonel von Strohm contrasted with the gentle approach. Tony Rapps commanded fealty as General von Schmelling, Maggie Langham's Helga combined the sexy with the obsequious and the egotistic Captain Alberto Bertorelli was well swash buckled by Roger Dale.

Small quibbles rest with the 'peasants' listed in the programme being well-dressed glamorous young ladies, and a menu board where bourguignon was misspelt.

Costumes were first class and director Ken Nicholson and his cast provided a most enjoyable evening.

Review originally published here.