Curses!

Published Monday 7 November 2005 at 16:05 by Mary Redman

An impressive Gothic entrance hall and gallery with guttering electric candelabra, sconces, crenellations, hunting trophies, tapestry and a suit of armour. Mark Walter’s set is suitably spooky enough for the world premiere of this musical very loosely adapted from Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost.

Chris MacDonnell is a brash New Yorker, self-styled King Concrete and pretender to the Canterville title. Arriving with the first of Brod Mason and Whizz’s many flashes of lightning and claps of thunder, he is accompanied by his extremely well fed wife (Allison Harding padded out) and dowdy, ghost loving daughter (Catherine Hamilton).

Carol Sloman, dressed medieval style as the villainous Lady Eleanor, is in charge of the onstage gallery band playing the pleasant, miked-up, eclectic pastiches of rock, ska and ballads.

Stuart Organ has great fun as butler Umney misdirecting the invaders, pointing comedy lines with relish. He is probably the greatest intelligence in the mansion, also revealing a mean Elvis impersonation.

Steve Edwin, a genetically cowardly Lord Canterville, gets the most out of the physical comedy. Philip Reed demonstrating a gorgeously romantic musical theatre voice in If She Could Hear My Voice, utilises a Ronnie Barker stutter as horribly farting heir, Julian.

Kevin Pallister wears a fine suit of armour as 563-year-old ghost ancestor Sir Simon.

Played at breathtaking pace, the tongue in cheek dialogue’s hilarious double meanings sail blithely over the heads of children. Even at first preview, without the time for a dress rehearsal, it was clear this is yet another of the Queen’s famously enjoyable, entertaining romps.