THEATRE REVIEWS

Take a cast of actors who can sing superbly, mix with melodic tunes, add a story line that provokes and disturbs, then call it a musical and you have Bad Girls. This combination is all set to become a hit with the audiences that it will play before. The music and lyrics by Kath Gotts will tug at the heart strings and leave you wanting more. The story line, from the book by Maureen Chadwick and Ann McManus, should make you think of some of the problems that these women have to deal with. Sentenced for their misdemeanours, forced to live in very close proximity to their fellow prisoners and having to associate with the prison staff, who at times have ulterior motives for their actions. The story line will either intrigue or disturb you, but the music will enthral you, so enjoy it.

Music is the driving force behind this play. Notable is the singing of the warder Jim Fenner, played by Hal Fowler, whose voice gives added meaning to the lyrics, as he sings and dances with his fellow warder Rachel Izen, playing Sylvia "Bodybag" Hollamby. Everyone on the stage gave delight with their singing and dancing, but particularly noticeable were the voices of Nicole Faraday (Shell Dockley), Amanda Posener (Denny Blood), Laura Rogers (Helen Stewart), Dawn Hope (Crystal Gordon), Louise Plowright (Julie Johnston), Julie Jupp (Julie Saunders), Ellen O'Grady (Yvonne Atkins) and Hannah Waddingham (Nikki Wade).

Memorable musical numbers were Jailcraft, The Key and That's the way it is. The fantasy song and dance number in black and white will have you tapping your feet, but there are yet more songs, such as Sorry, All Banged Up and many others. The band's interpretation of the score, under the direction of Dane Preece, who silently sung every word, all added to the enjoyment.

Now to the staging. Director Maggie Norris needed to apply the logic of working in the round with this apron stage, for, if you were unlucky enough to be sitting in the "B" blocks of the theatre auditorium, you will have found that the players had been instructed to project to the "A" block. This meant that you saw the end of line in chorus numbers and got very good views of the activities behind the scenery. A pity, for curved lines would have got round the problem for the players and better finished scenery would have convinced us of the security of the prison environment, but it can still be put right.

The all important thing was how did the audience react to the spectacle placed before them; well they loved it, and when the cast took their bows they were standing on their feet giving them the appreciation that they so rightly deserved. This all adds up to a hit. Enjoy. © BA

“Bad Girls” is in Leeds on the 27th May until the 1st July, 2006 then continues on tour. Council car parking charge £1 from 5.30pm until 10pm. This is now a No Smoking theatre.