When we were on the North-West Coast the other week, the local paper told us that a theatre group in Ulverstone was putting on a production of ‘Allo Allo’. Ulverstone is a beautiful little town but we wondered whether it was big enough to carry off such an ambitious project.
Nevertheless, we booked and made the 93Km trip today for the matinee. We had a good lunch on the way at a fish restaurant in Devonport where the seafood chowder was outstanding. The Leven Theatre in Ulverstone was a surprise. There was tiered seating for about 100 and the company must have been delighted with the very functional stage. There was a movable section so they could have several sets arranged which could be moved forward and back as needed.
The TV show, ‘Allo ‘Allo, had a great following and I imagine the fans would not have been happy with a second-rate, amateur show. And I’m pleased to say, Ulverstone did the show proud. Oh, there were the occasional amateurish moments but the ridiculous flavour of the show shone through.
It was risqué, politically-incorrect and rude. The famous old jokes were trotted out: the fallen madonna with the big boobies, the egg whisk and the wet celery, the very camp Lieutenant Gruber with his little tank and so on.
The actor who played Rene was very good but the star of the show played Edith, his wife. She was outstanding.
The theatre was full and grey hair was the norm. The occasional teenager in the audience must have wondered why we were laughing at the weak jokes but we were re-living our youth and much simpler times. We don’t get enough opportunities to do that.
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