Showtime with a twist

KATS’ lively and entertaining modern take on Old Time Music Hall

It was showtime at the Memorial Hall from Thursday to Saturday as KATS put on their version of Old Time Music Hall. Or rather, as they billed it, Modern Time.

Mind you, the modern bit is up for debate. Music from the show Oliver! dates from 1960 and Fiddler on the Roof, the 1970s. Still, OK, no flower covered hats or Marie Lloyd type singers warbling The Boy I Love Is Up In the Gallery. Relatively modern.

The compere for the show was Andy Cole and he did the jokes and introductions. He also showed his versatility by appearing on stage as a headmaster, a German officer of the Second World War and, I kid you not, the Devil himself.

Coles’ self-mocking humour and frivolity set the stage nicely for this variation of Old Time Music Hall.

First up was a lively troupe of dancing girls doing Oom Pah Pah from Oliver!

The Children’s Time sketches, three of them, were witty comic send ups of children’s TV programmes.

Between shows, Gemma Cole, Kevin Miller and David Richardson would confess to antisocial behaviour in ‘children’s presenter speak’ along the lines of “during the altercation I accidently bit his nose off. I now realise that was very wrong of me” – talk down voice in full flow. These three got their comic timing spot on.

Siouxsie Ashmore sang two songs, one with Jenny Woolf and later Jenny returned to perform a well-presented solo on Never Enough from The Greatest Showman.

Eight singers gave a brisk reading to Bad Guys from Bugsy Malone. The first half ended with a pirate sketch which somehow segued into I’m a Lumberjack from Monty Python. I should point out that what sounded hilarious in the 70s and 80s is regarded as offensive by many today.

After the interval Andy Cole mentioned the supper we had just enjoyed with the joke about the food being inspected and “28 thousand flies can’t be wrong”. That one was straight out of the old Ronnie Scott jazz club joke book.

Further comic sketches were interspersed with songs from Fiddler on the Roof, Chicago, Hairspray and Wicked, culminating in a well-performed Queen finale featuring We Will Rock You.

Janet Killgallon-Brook directed smoothly and played singing parts on stage. Members of KATS doubled up on production, choreography and lighting.

Lively, varied and entertaining.

DEREK ANSELL