Review of Girls Behind by Elizabeth Sheldon |
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Well, overall, I enjoyed it. The singing was excellent, the acting good, some very good but the story was mediocre. I was also disappointed with the set and the costumes, but more about that later. There were three actresses performing this play, Maureen Nolan, who played Sadie, a singleton afraid to fall in love, Donna Hazelton who played Lois. A woman who sought the limelight and craved attention and Sue Devaney playing Serena, the voice of reason. Maureen Nolan, everyone recognises from the Nolan sisters, I am not sure which sister she is in the hierarchy, but hers was the weakest voice of the three tonight. Good, but not as good as her fellow actresses. Her best song was “Shout”, which she sang very well. Maureen played her character well, she didn’t overact but she missed her timing once or twice. Donna is apparently well known for being one of the winners in a Channel Four show “Musicality”. Her character, Lois was an over-the- top character but I felt Donna played her a little TOO over –the –top! However, hers was the song performance of the night when she sang “Stay with me baby”. Her voice was magnificent and I felt a little choked while listening to her sing it. Hers was also the best portrayal of a drunken woman I have ever seen. She was very funny and realistic. You would recognise Sue, as she has been on television quite a lot. She played Liz in Casualty and she was the best actress by far. Her voice was surprising good and strong. All the voices were note perfect and a pleasure to listen to. Sue’s best song was “You’ve got a friend”. The set, which was their dressing room for the night club they sang in, hardly changed at all, with the actresses moving to the front behind a curtain to sing the songs when they were performing in the club. More could have been done with the set and this would have enhanced the experience for the audience. Once or twice the actresses moved in front of the curtain and sang in their dressing gowns and slippers. This I found quite strange! The costumes on the whole were pleasing, apart from the red dress which was too flimsy an showed their microphone packs and the outline of all their under garments. Either they should have worn invisible pants or the dress should have been of sturdier cloth. Maureen Nolan, unfortunately had a lot of trouble with her bras in several outfits. This distracted us from the singing, which was a shame. So, a good night out. We enjoyed it and so did the audience who got out of their seats to sing and clap along to the last number. That is always a good sign. Go and see for your selves. by Elizabeth Sheldon |