BWW Reviews: BELLS ARE RINGING, Union Theatre, September 30 2010

Let's get one thing clear - if Anna-Jane Casey is in a show, it's worth watching. Here underneath the arches as the good-hearted telephone answering girl Ella Peterson, she's an utterly delightful force of nature. She's winning, she's charming, and she's engaging (pun intended).

Casey whirls her way through what is an odd but fun little show, laden with some humour that's not aged well, but with a plethora of hummable tunes. Her leading man Gary Milner - equally well cast - takes a while to warm up as writer Jeff Moss, the man she loves from afar, but by midway through the 90-minute long first act you're rooting for them both. (I suspect part of the problem is that we're introduced to the exceptionally young-looking supporting cast in Milner's first scene - set in Moss's apartment during a rather scandalously hard-drinking party, which jars a little. In fact, on the night I went, they broke a glass during a somewhat too realistic devil-may-care spell, and I spent much of the next hour worrying someone would cut themselves.)

There's an ensemble made up of incredibly strong dancers, who are a joy to watch in the well-thought-through routines by Alistair David. And much to my delight, there is also the gorgeous Richard Grieve as the bumbling Inspector Barnes as well as a handful of other characters. I was also impressed by the way director Paul Foster has made a virtue of the ever-irritating standing pillars in the performance space.

The show's only scheduled for a short run, but the official Bells Twitter account suggests that it may have a life after the Union. It's such a quirky little piece that it might not have a hugely long stay anywhere, but it's certainly fun enough to keep bringing in respectable audiences at other intimate venues.

Bells Are Ringing runs at the Union Theatre

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