Frothy, light and addictive as cotton candy - oh golly gosh, I do believe we are in for some jolly post-wartime frolics with Tete a Tete’s production of Julian Slade’s 1954 West End hit, Salad Days. Abandoning their run of presenting new material, Tete a Tete are once more reviving a British classic which received ample critical praise at the same venue last Christmas.
Bright-eyed innocents skip around energetically on fake grass, bursting gaily into sugary melodic ditties. The cast switches effortlessly between their various roles, particularly Tony Timberlake and Mark Inscoe, who delight with their versatility, from toff to oily Egyptian nightclub host. Sam Harrison adapts a suitable puppy dog demeanour as male juvenile lead Tim, while Katie Moore as his female partner in crime Jane, portrays a rarely found purity combined with bell-like vocals. Everyone dances deftly till they drop and sings strongly till they stop.
The audience spends most of the first act imitating the crowd at a Wimbledon final, as heads whizz from left to right to keep up with the at times overly-busy direction. A few chosen moments of stillness would not have gone a miss.
Quinny Sacks’ choreography expertly covers almost every style of dance under the sun, while Anthony Ingle certainly knows how to handle a jazz piano.
A winner in the off-West End environment, this competently assembled, vintage piece of musical theatre deserves its place in London’s seasonal entertainment market. It is, however, unlikely to create a bigger stir in the 21st century.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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