CHASE THEATRE COMPANY 

“STEPPING OUT” 

4 March 2006 

Charles Cryer Studio Theatre, Carshalton Stephen Macvicar

Thank you very much for inviting me to Chase Theatre Company’s production of Richard Harris’ comical play entitled “Stepping Out” recently at the Charles Cryer Studio Theatre. I do like this auditorium as a playing space and you can actually achieve darkness!

At times there were certain pockets of the audience which resembled a zoo. I assume we had some audience members who were cutting their teeth for the first time, theatrically. Various members got a fit of the giggles after some eccentric behaviour elsewhere in the row and that was it, they lost control. All in the best possible taste of course.

Synopsis

“Stepping Out” is a warm and very funny play about the lives, laughs and loves of a group of women (and one man) attending a weekly tap-dance class in a church hall in  North London. We then follow the tap class, from hesitant start, to their first public performance. The play scratches at the surface of each character to reveal hidden secrets, hopes and fears in an entertaining mix of wit and poignancy.

Technical and staging matters were kept simple but effective in creating a realistic set with a sufficiency of staging interest. The fixed set of the village hall was pretty much what you would expect will a raised level, generic public hall paraphernalia and of course the obligatory piano. The production had a good feel about it and when the material is as good as this, a good night out is ensured. I felt that some of the cast got deeper into their respective characters than others but perhaps this is also true in life with some people being more outspoken than others. There is a real pot-pourri of characters in this play and we just sit back and see they how they all relate and react.

There was a pleasant mixture of familiar faces and some new ones. Within our circle of characters there is ex-professional dancer, ‘Mavis’, who runs the class. Toni Frost was equally assured as the upbeat teacher and then later on when things seemed to be conspiring against her. Indeed Toni showed her dancing prowess at various stages throughout the evening. ‘Andy’, perceived as a plain do-gooder with no confidence, was nicely played by Catherine Webber. Lots of good physical acting and general lowly demeanour played on the emotions. The snobby but well meaning ‘Vera’ was given the necessary touch of class and good comic timing by Mo Lawton. Her attire got more colourful as the evening progressed but perhaps could have been more outrageous. I see ‘Vera’ as a walking costume parade, with marigolds. Battleaxe’s are great parts to watch and Sue Davids as ‘Mrs Fraser’ was no different. She wouldn’t be hurried by anyone and her stoic ‘northern’ character was an enjoyable contrast. Becky Owen as timid ‘Dorothy’, who works in social security, pushed her character forward in an attempt to be noticed. Likewise, Kate Strafford gave lots of energy to her character ‘Lynne’. Clare Gollop conveyed a colourful personality as the sharp and very shrewd but modestly common ‘Maxine’. A complete contrast to other parts that I have seen Clare play. Melanie Henry as ‘Rose’ (the supposed Golden Oldie) gave a reasonable performance but needed to direct her lines a bit more to front. This will come with experience. Vykki Cartwright’s quirky portrayal of common, cockney sparrow and figure conscious ‘Sylvia’ was the stand out performance for me. Vykki’s portrayal reminded me a little of Tiffany – Martine McCutcheon’s character in Eastenders - compliment honest! Alan Webber’s interpretation of ‘Geoffrey’, the lone male, was a little understated. ‘Geoffrey’ needed to look more nervous and uncomfortable but Alan did provide some moments of genuine good humour.

Well done to the Director Denis Steer for gelling all these disparate characters and bringing out the humour and pathos at about the correct levels. In true hitchcockian style, a small but pivotal cameo role was in evidence. Toni Frost’s choreography (in addition to playing the lead role)  was lively enough yet suitable for a bunch of blossoming rank amateurs.

Technically – everything was great – lights, sound, costumes and wigs where appropriate.

Once again thank you for inviting me to the Charles Cryer Studio Theatre and best wishes for your next productions – the rather exciting looking “Abigail’s Party” at the same venue.

I looking forward to seeing you again soon and if I can be of any assistance at any time, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kindest Regards