Ilford Recorder - October 9 2003
Review by Sue Leeman
The Carousel twirled again at the Kenneth More Theatre last week, thanks to the efforts of Woodford Operatic and Dramatic Society under the directorship of Sally Woodfield and the musical directing talents of Steven Day. This was a sparser production than others I’ve seen, but still stylish and spirited. Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan fall in love at the carousel and they marry. But he loses his job as carousel barker and turns to robbery to make money, but is killed by his victim. On the “other” side, Billy is given a chance to return to earth for a day to see his daughter and come to some self-knowledge about his mistakes.
Jane Pavett, a performer with great poise and sparkle and a strong soprano, made a very good Julie and David Court, in his debut in a big role at the KMT, gave an engaging, if sometimes tentative, performance. I felt he need to jack up the voltage a bit. He has a good voice but his acting skills let him down in places. The couples performance of that romantic staple ‘If I loved you’ was full of pathos. The vivacious Jacqui Long was excellent as Julie's friend Carrie and Howard Platt made a terrific job as her stolid, conservative husband Enoch Snow.
Together, they made a nice job of numbers like “When the children are asleep.” Deborah Spencer has a charming style and plenty of stage presence, and they were much in evidence but her performance of “June is Busting out all Over” was a little uneven, perhaps due in part to miking problems. Chris Burrow was watchable and funny as Billy’s bumptious, scheming friend Jigger Craigin and Liz Mealing did a wonderful job as Billy’s young daughter Louise, performing a very graceful dance routine that was full of longing for her dead father.
And I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek cameo given by the Snow children, including Garry Urwin as Enoch Snow Jnr, with others played by Charlotte Betteridge, Kathryn Enright, Lara Enright, Pamela Hardy, Katie Traxton and the tiny, adorable Nathan Carter. Malcolm Woodfield gave a strong performance as the StarKeeper and later as Dr Seldon and Martyn Stewart was good as the Heavenly Friend. Overall, this was a competent, appealing - if not soaraway - production. Steven Day and his musicians were in top form )performing in a nearby workshop to allow the players full run of the stage) and the lighting and simple set were attractive and effective. The original choreography of Agnes de Mille used a lot of circular movement to simulate a carousel and on the whole this was competently done.
Wanstead and Woodford Guardian - October 9 2003
Review by Phyl Romeril
Carousel has weathered many storms, emerging in a number of guises but never distorting the original plot. At the beginning of WOADS production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s popular classic, I thought it was going to be an economical presentation. It had been altered here and there, but it soon became obvious that what I had considered as a few shortcomings soon disappeared and the standard of motivation was of good quality. The cast was a large one, well rehearsed and tuneful.
Jane Pavett tackled the difficult role of Julie Jordan with easy confidence, sang well and created a particular style which fitted the part very well. David Court wasn’t quite my idea of Billy Bigelow, but what he lacked in bluster and punch he more than compensated for with his rendering of the vocal items. In this musical there is more dialogue than is usual and this was dealt with in a strong and effective manner by all. Howard Platt humanised Mr Snow and Jacqueline Long entered into the fun and games with the Snow children in tow.
Solidarity came from two veteran actors, Malcolm Woodfield and Peter de Ritter, whose efforts consolidated the story. The dance numbers were skilfully choreographed and performed by dancers of merit and the ensemble of fishermen, sailors, girls and ladies vigorously backed the beautiful singing of the principals. The children were as children always manage to be, endearingly natural. The dramatic highs and lows of life and death touched the emotions and the classic songs evoked tears and laughter.
Director, Sally Woodfield inserted a few new ideas, which seemed to work well. She was also responsible for the choreography, alongside musical director Steven Day. Redbridge Arts Council assisted with the production. This Carousel rotated smoothly with some attractive settings, first-class lighting and a stage crew and stage manager who excelled.