Pale imitation

Up Pompeii, George Lawton Hall, Mossley

MOSSLEY AODS has had a lot of success with musicals and comedies over the last few years and has even now announced exciting plans to present Whistle Down the Wind in December and a junior version of Cats (Kittens?) next April.

But to get a high average hit rate there have to be a few misses, and this is one of them.

With fond memories of the outrageously funny Frankie Howerd in the main role in the 1969-70 TV sit com, the George Lawton Hall certainly looks the part with a solid and superbly-wrought set featuring the familiar Roman courtyard and well.

But there is something pretty wrong with a show if the set is the best thing on stage.

The production has been affected by dropouts and substitutions and it shows in a lack of timing and general unease. Director Brian Ganderton currently plays the role of villa owner Ludicrous with script in hand – though he does manage to make it look like senate papers much of the time.

But there really isn’t much excuse for his failure to recognise the need for the leading man – in this case Steve Maxfield as slave Lurcio – to try something other than a straight impersonation of Howerd, especially since here it comes off more as Benny Hill and often gets a cold reception.

There isn’t much point in using and reusing Howerd’s “Don’t!’ admonition to the audience when the audience hadn’t planned to anyway...

No matter how hard the performer works – and Maxfield here carries the show and works very hard indeed – it will never be enough, especially with relatively inadequate support from a cast quite obviously under-rehearsed.

One of the funniest errors of the night was Paul Bradbury resting on his sword – which, being plastic, bent. If there had been more (deliberate) invention of that sort and less reliance on catchphrases only Howerd could deliver effectively, this would be a far better show.








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