Splendid way to pass a late afternoon at the Fringe with the young cast of the St Marylebone CE School Nomadic Theatre Company. The Boy Friend, whether you remember the Ken Russell film with Twiggy or a stage production, has been truncated for the Fringe from three acts down to a 50-minute romp.
Schools and youth theatre as well as other amateur companies suffer from a lack of men and they are in short supply in this production. At the end when marriage proposals are flying around the matching men are just not there.
Having said that, the male of the species rises to the challenge, especially those required to play older parts. The actor playing Tony’s lecherous pater performs facial gymnastics reminiscent of the very late great Scottish actor Alastair Sim.
The actor playing Polly’s somewhat uptight father has some great scenes fighting off the attentions of Mme Dubonnet who remembers from times when they were a bit younger. Both Mme. Dubonnet and Hortense the maid effectively handle and maintain the pseudo French accents throughout.
The show opens in a girl's finishing school in France with a gaggle of girls who are central to everything whether acting, dancing or singing and they are superb from beginning to end. The flirty Dulcie and the playing-hard-to-get Maisie catch the eye, but the girl playing Polly Browne captures the part beautifully.
While the cast play to a high standard, there are a couple of scene changes that clunk rather than click and that is probably the result of editing. The plot centres round a costume ball and the students' desire to find love and maintain their lifestyle at the same time.
All the best songs are here ("I Could be Happy with You," "Won’t You Charleston with Me," etc.) but obviously many have been left out. It’s one of these shows that you can take anyone to without them being offended.
The exuberance of the cast especially in the production numbers is infectious and it’s a show that you will watch with a smile on your face. Thought-provoking it isn’t, but you knew that before you bought a ticket.
Show Times: Runs to 11th August, 4:10pm,
Ticket Prices: £5-7