Thank you very much for inviting me to Gloc Musical Theatre's production of Stiles and Drew's newish musical "Honk!" recently at the Questors Theatre in Ealing. Thanks also to Liz Yuille for making the necessary ticket arrangements. I have heard so much about this show since its emergence from the National Theatre in recent years but I have only seen it once up until now. "Honk!" is George Stiles' and Anthony Drewe's musical version of the wonderful Hans Christian Andersen ugly duckling story. It won the Olivier award for Best New Musical in 2000, beating The Lion King, which was favourite for the prize at the time. It is a family musical, where the cast largely take the guise of farmyard animals. The music has some strong ballads, is catchy and quirky, the lyrics are witty and decidedly tongue-in-cheek. Synopsis The brief story - Ugly is born, of course, as a Duckling but is soon becomes clear that he is no ordinary Duck. Mocked on the farmyard, pursued by the ever-hungry Cat, Ugly finds himself lost on a nearby marsh in the middle of a duck-shoot and embarks on an odyssey through the countryside, meeting a battery of colourful characters and finding himself, and love, along the way. Often performed by kids, this adult production of Honk! had a fantastic community feel about it. In the amateur theatre we are always susceptible to last minute cast changes for a number of reasons. It unfortunately happened to GLOC as a result of the ill health of Mark Evans who was to take the pivotel role of 'Ugly'. Our thoughts go out to Mark and wish him a speedy recovery. However, of course, the show must go on! From the moment the lights went up we were treated to the full effects of the luscious green pastures of the fixed set. Angled rostra and horizon on cloth gave the production backdrop height and perspective which was very effective. We even had a painted duck-pond for added interest. Congratulations to the set designers and the team of people who must have spent hours putting the fantastic set through its construction. There were some strong lighting images throughout the show but there was a lack of general light upstage. This just needed a boost. Sound too was perfectly balanced but there was the odd late cue on the night I attended. A great deal of attention was spent on costumes and they were a real winner. Very much in keeping with the style the originators had in mind i.e. a suggestion of animal characteristics but not full blown. The chicks were particularly effective in their very fetching yellow leggings. Well done to Karen Steele and her team of helpers who produced a great look. We had dual collaborators in the producer's chair. Between them, Karen Anstiss and Stephanie King engendered a great sprit of togetherness amongst the sizeable cast. All production numbers had energy and enthusiasm with more than a hint of pantomime at times, such as booing the cat. Perhaps not the strongest ensemble ever but collectively they were terrific. The choreography was relatively straight forward but when carried out in unison proved to be effective. Warts and all was particularly good with more than a passing hint of 42nd Street style about it. The ballet around the blizzard was nothing short of beautiful, shades of Swan Lake. Cast changes impacted strongly amongst the music as well. Musical Director Nick King was promoted (if that's the word) to the cast. The band after this reshuffle coped admirably and produced a great sound. There are a number of great voices in the ensemble but by contrast at times the choral singing was a bit thin. The beauty of Honk! for amateur societies is that there are loads of parts to go around. GLOC had strength in depth and I shall mention as many as I think appropriate but can't mention everyone individually. Suffice to say that there were no weak links. Within the maternal home we were immediately introduced to parents 'Drake' and 'Ida' played by Martin Elliff and Linda Hayes respectively. Martin opened the show and looked very natural on stage, possessing a pleasant confident voice. Linda expertly sang the lovely 'Joys of Motherhood' and these two between them offered much of the emotion required of this piece. This unfortunately wasn't always evident elsewhere in the cast. With many shows there seems to be a women's committee and in Honk! we have the trio of 'Maureen', 'Grace' and 'Henrietta'. Effortlessly played by Liz Yuille, Karen Steel and Jo Burton with great skill. Each assumed a matriarchal character relevant to their breed and carried it through. The central character is our very own ugly duckling, unsurprisingly called 'Ugly'. I've already mentioned the events of the change in cast and I thought Nick King did a very commendable job in the lead role. Where there is good, there is generally evil and to carry the pantomime thought through, we are introduced to the 'Cat'. This was a cunning but fairly mangy cat in the form of Ken Williams. His stage deportment was strong and with more than a passing resemblance to John Cleese, he carried of the sneaky, sleazy cat to good effect. Towards the end of the first half we are introduced to the character of 'Greylag' and his sidekick 'Dot'. Full of military bearing, Dave Simpson carried off the part of 'Greylag' in the style of a squadron leader and this gelled with Karen Benny slightly more demure character but a perfect foil. We were very much entertained at the start of Act Two by a fantastic duet entitled "It Takes All Sorts" between 'Queenie' and 'Lowbutt'. The characters were played by Ruth Roberts and Dawn Slaughter respectively. Both ladies were in fine voice, especially Ruth, and this duet was one of the highlights. The best number in the show has to be 'Warts and all' and this is fronted by the character 'Bullfrog'. It's a gem of a role, come on half way through the second half, sing one song and potentially steal the show. This is off course over simplified as you need a good performer to carry it off. Ken Kinghorn carried it off with dynamism and the New York accent was a winner. As previously mentioned this number was put over by the ensemble very strongly. All ages and dancing abilities immersed themselves in this number. Later yet we meet the beautiful 'Penny' and her mother. 'Penny' played by Georgina Roberts showed grace and sensitivity in the role of Ugly's love interest and her mother Barbara Myrtle gave support as necessary in this sumptuous of wintry scenes. A special mention for the chicks who were adorable as they emerged from their shells and looked extremely vulnerable both in character and in their costumes! A mention too for the Turkey played by a much under utilised Colin Smith. He seemed to have stage qualities fitting of a larger role. To the others I haven't mentioned individually, you all did your bit to ensure the success of the production. Congratulations to GLOC for putting together a very entertaining show and full marks for having a go at something different. Something I believe the society revels in. I hope your next production 'Starlights' proves to be a success. - it sounds very exciting. Once again thank you for inviting me to Questor's Theatre as cover for Wesley Henderson-Roe and best wishes for the future. I looking forward to seeing you again soon Kindest Regards Stephen Macvicar NODA Rep London Area 3 26 Isobel House Staines Road West Sunbury-on-Thames TW16 7BD steve@slos.org.uk

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