There is a hint that Andy and Geoffrey have a mutual attraction for each other but stalls because of the latter’s reluctance to take the chance. I was interested to see how Jack Martin approached this character, as I last saw him as a very flamboyant, narcissist pantomime Jean-Claude. This was very different: all moves, and speech had to be slow and awkward, especially when interacting with the other characters. To achieve this, which he did, there had to be focus and self-control to the delivery. Maybe, the aging makeup could have been a little subtler. The venue is small, and details can be seen. It jarred a little at first sight, but this took nothing away from a good performance. Susan Glover gave a credible performance as the teacher, Mavis. She is battling her own worries while keeping a smile on her face and being patient with her students. It seemed that most of her time is spent placating the cantankerous pianist, Mrs Fraser, played by Shirley Harrison, who delivers acerbic comments. Although we don’t get a back story for this character, her “hissy fits” and stomps off stage added to the sense of drama. Having ten characters in this play means we only get a snapshot of each individual’s personality, background, and the reasons why they come to tap in the first place. You sometimes wonder what happened to them later but as with all tap shows, it ends with a little bit of glitz and glamour as the tappers perform for the charity gala. The director, Alexander Cohen, should be proud of the end result: the performances were strong and engaging, and the contributions made by Jessica McEvoy (Choreographer), Ian Howarth (Stage Manager), George Platt and Peter Hill (Sound/Lighting), Emma Kavanaugh (Makeup) and Claire Hartley and Mark Rosenthal (Props) who sourced those “sticks to Vera”, made it a really enjoyable evening of drama.
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