Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Thursday 2nd June 2022.
Therry Theatre is presenting the Cameron Mackintosh musical, Betty Blue Eyes, adapted by Ron Cowan and Daniel Lipman from Alan Bennett's screenplay for the film, A Private Function. The songs are by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe.
Betty Blue Eyes is set in post-war Yorkshire. Prime Minister Clement Attlee's government promised that everybody would get their 'fair share', eventually. Post-war rationing of meat, and all other food, ended on 4th July 1954, after fourteen years of austerity, having been introduced in January 1940, and, until that time, nothing seemed very fair at all about the way things were shared.
The wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten took place on Thursday 20th November 1947 at Westminster Abbey. Members of the town council, its head, Dr. Charles Swaby, accountant, Henry Allardyce, and solicitor, Frank Lockwood, plan a celebratory dinner for themselves, and some carefully selected guests, to mark the occasion, and they have been illegally raising a pig, to be slaughtered for the meal. Allardyce has formed an attachment, a very strong attachment, to the animal, naming it Betty, in honour of the Princess, and Sutcliffe, the farmer, is busy fattening her for the feast.
New to the town are chiropodist, Gilbert Chilvers, his would-be social climber wife, Joyce, and her permanently ravenous, devious, and rather batty Mother Dear. Gilbert arranges to rent a shop on the parade but, later, has the offer rescinded when the council members decide that he is not of their class, and would take business from the doctor. When Gilbert overhears about Betty, his wife pushes him into 'pignapping' the animal, for their own consumption. Meanwhile, the food Nazi, Mr. Wormold, destroyer of any black market meat that he discovers, has also got wind of Betty's existence, as have some of the neighbours. Betty is very strongly on the nose. Joyce explains to them that Mother Dear is to blame.
Trish Hart has a long string of lead roles to her credit, and it shows in her performance as the strong-willed Joyce. Joyce's song, Nobody, clearly states her intentions, and Hart knows just how to deliver it. Jared Frost has been performing for more than a decade, and as the quiet, ineffectual Gilbert whose 'magic fingers' show how sexually frustrated are his women clients, he endears himself to the audience. Carolyn Adams has been performing since childhood and, now, dons a wig and carries a cane to play the doddery, senile, 74-year-old Mother Dear, bringing laughter with her every appearance.
Greg Janzow, Craig Ellis, and John McKay are the corrupt trio, Swaby, Allardyce, and Lockwood, making a great comical triple act. Trish Hendrick is suitably snooty as Mrs. Allardyce, and Cassidy Gaiter is energetic and cheeky as their obnoxious, entitled daughter, Victoria. Neville Phillis adds laughs as the overly officious Wormald, unflinching, overbearing, and taking the law to its hilarious extremes.
There is strong support in the minor roles and ensemble, and some nice vocal harmony from, the Lionheart Trio, consisting of Kathryn Driver, Cassidy Gaiter, and Natasha Scholey
Directed by Ben Todd, with choreography by Vanessa Redmond, and musical direction by Katie Packer, there is much to enjoy in this production, albeit with some dodgy notes from the orchestra from time to time. This is a fun night out, but it only runs until next weekend, so book soon.
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