Wantage Stage Musical Company performed this "play with songs" at King Alfred School last week. Book by Trevor Pilling, music by Alan Lewis, royalties are waived in favour of a donation towards cancer research.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable production that told of life below stairs, ruled by butler and cook, and how one maid escaped the drudgery for a life on the stage, eventually marrying the man who loved her on his return from the trenches of WWI.

The high points (in particular the professional rendering of Ridiculogical by four of the male cast) overshadowed one or two low points to make this a very entertaining and refeshingly original production.

Iris Lloyd 10 Oct 2010

Wantage Stage Musical's latest production is a bit like the curate's egg, only good in parts. The venue, Kind Alfred’s School Hall, has seen better days and the production team have done little to improve the evening's experience on arrival or during the interval. The whole experience as well as the show itself was spoilt by the lack of care and attention to detail. It is not often Below Stairs costumes look as though they are in need of an iron, which was a shame as a lot of thought had gone into the authenticity of period dress. Excellent performances by Lucy (Lauren Anderson) and the Ridiculogical team, but Mr Town the butler (Bill Jestico) could have been much sterner; although together with cook, Doris Lovegrove (Gill Morgan) they gave a good performance and were smartly turned out. Musical numbers were competently delivered accompanied by a small band of piano, keyboard and bass, but there was a distinct lack of harmony among the voices. Lighting was a bit strange throughout.

FrancesGT 7 Oct 2010

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