Playing the Palace

There are those who believe musical theatre should be vacuous and undemanding and then there are the rest of us. Yet, Playing the Palace is a flummery that makes significant demands of its audience. It requires an unusual degree of suspension of disbelief, principally, to accept that a play about a theatre is set on a stage partly dressed as a theatre. Ghosts are presaged by the augury of a flickering light and their presence accepted. Every line is a tenuous cue to a song and sometimes the songs just appear like the ghosts.

Dennis Hawkey is the lynch pin of the whole show. As the theatre owner, he is a solid and amiable presence. Vocally, it is Grace Burdick who shines. Sam Dean and Joe Fitzaptrick Allen offer solid support. The ensemble is characterised by energy which sometimes tends to caricature. Much of the humour in the show misses its mark.

On opening night, the cast were not performance ready but one week later the ensemble had gained in vocal assurance. The choreography was tighter but still frequently inexplicable. The fan dance, however, was mesmerising.

Ultimately, there is something tiresomely didactic about a show which belabours the message of the great days of vaudeville. This musical would be well adapted to the budget and abilities of a high school ensemble.

Anne Blythe-Cooper