When Hope Mill announced the first professional UK revival
of Mame
since its 1969 West End premiere, one colleague suggested that there may have
been a reason for its lengthy absence. Let’s face it, a 1966 musical about a
socialite and her experience of the depression and Wall Street Crash is going
to be dated, right?
Wrong. This long-awaited revival could barely feel more
fresh and yes, I’ll say it, relevant.
Jerry Herman’s music is every bit as evergreen as the tree
that gets dragged out of the closet for an early Christmas. The show is packed
with immensely memorable numbers, and while some of today’s audience may not be
familiar with many of them they certainly will be by the end. After the
overture and prologue the stage opens up in a magical transformation to reveal
the full cast and band, as they launch into the first of many showstoppers
‘It’s Today’.
Nick Winston both directs and choreographs, and his production
uses a very deep set in which designer Philip Whitcombe employs layers of
sliding screens to manipulate space. Winston fills the stage with movement, and
it’s hard to believe that we’re in such an intimate theatre.
Tracie Bennett is a perfect choice for the title role, her
recent appearances as Carlotta in Follies at the National Theatre
preparing us for a vocal style that fits Mame Dennis like a glove. She is a big
personality too. Nearing the end she is described as the Pied Piper, and
Bennett certainly has a magnetic presence that keeps us on her side throughout.
Chase Brown delivers the goods with conviction in his portrayal of Mame’s grown-up
nephew Patrick in Act 2, but Act 1’s younger Patrick has much more stage time
more singing and dancing. Three young actors share this challenging role, and tonight
it fell to Harry Cross who is nothing short of spectacular, both in his vocal
delivery and his footwork.
Mame is about optimism, love, family and friendship, and one of
the central pairings to Mame herself is her oldest friend and sparring partner
Vera Charles. Here is more inspired casting, with Harriet Thorpe finding a
perfect balance of bonhomie and barbed wit. Their Act 2 duet ‘Bosom Buddies’ is
filled with glorious one-liners and the couple make maximum humour from it.
Jessie May’s Gooch and Tim Flavin’s Beuregard are among the many other standout
performers in a very tight ensemble cast.
Herman uses the familiar formula of repeating musical
themes, but it never feels like gratuitous padding. Every reprise of a song,
such as ‘My Best Girl’, is there to hold the storytelling together. Alex Parker
directs a polished onstage band and the balance with the voices is impeccable.
From thrilling production numbers to scenes of heartbreak,
this Mame
is quite literally breathtaking. It makes a compelling case for a long
neglected work, filled with warmth, heart and great tunes. It’s absolutely
joyous.
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| Harriet Thorpe and Tracie Bennett in Mame |
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| The cast of Mame Pictures by Pamela Raith |
Mame is produced by Aria Entertainment, Hope Mill Theatre and
Ray Rackham Theatrical.
Mame continues at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester until 09 November,
then touring during January 2020
Star Rating: five stars
Cast: Chase Brown, Grace Chapman, Lauren Chia, Soo Drouet, Jessie
May, Hugh Osborne, Lewis Rae, Pippa Winslow, Benjamin Wong, Liam Wrate, Harry
Cross / Isaac Lancel-Watkinson / Lachlan White (alternating Young Patrick),
Jabari Braham, Aston Newman Hannington, India Thornton
This review was originally written for Musical Theatre Review
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