'Allo Allo', Touring till 10 Jan 2009.
Coventry
The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry
Calibre Productions present:
‘Allo Allo’: Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft
Belgrade Theatre: Tkts 024 7655 3055: and touring
www.belgrade.co.uk
Runs: 2h: one interval: till 27th September 08
Review: Jan Pick: 22.9.08
Resistance is futile.
A packed house at the Belgrade gave a happy and nostalgic welcome to this old favourite as it landed for a week in the main auditorium. For anyone too young to remember the television series, this production of ‘Allo Allo’ will tell them all they ever need to know about what they have missed.
The farcical plot revolves around the whereabouts of a seventeenth century Dutch painting, The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies, by Van Klomp. It's currently hidden in a German sausage in Rene Artois’ café somewhere in occupied France and everyone wants to own it. Out roll the familiar jokes, the endearing politically incorrect national stereotypes of the bumbling German army, led by Colonel von Strohm, his very vain Italian ally, Captain Alberto Berterolli, played with great panache by Martin Carroll, the sex-obsessed French, and the upper class idiotic English, with their terrible French accents.
In and out of the scene flits Michelle Dubois - nicely played by Judy Buxton - the resistance officer organizing the escape of the British airmen hiding in Rene’s cafe, and, above all, there is the hapless Rene Artois, his wife and his lovers, all tangled up in a glorious mish mash of comic chaos.
Jeffrey Holland, makes an excellent Rene, trying to keep his café open, and his love life on the rails, while keeping both the occupying Germans and the French Resistance happy. He is ably assisted by Vicki Michelle, as his waitress and girlfriend, Yvette, and Claire Andreadis as the feisty Mimi. Carol Ann Crawford is a great comic asset as Edith, Rene’s long suffering and vocally ambitious wife, giving a bravura performance of terrible singing, and there is a nice double act between James Rossman as the sinister Gestapo agent Otto Flick and Nell Jerram as his equally strange girlfriend, Helga.
‘Listen carefully, I shall say this only once’, if you fancy a light-hearted, harmlessly silly and enjoyable night out, get down to the Belgrade, before ‘Allo Allo’ says goodbye!
Rene Artois: Jeffrey Holland.
Yvette Carte-Blanche: Vicki Milchelle.
Colonel Von Strohm: Peter Alexander.
Mimi la Bonque: Claire Andreadis.
Michelle Dubois: Judy Buxton.
Captain Alberto Bertorelli: Martin Carroll.
Edith Melba Artois: Carol Ann Crawford.
Flying Officer Fairfax: Marc Geoffrey.
Flying Officer Carstairs: Allix Holland.
General Von Schmelling & Officer Crabtree: Matt Jamie.
Helga Geerhardt: Nell Jerram.
The Piano Player: Richard Mark.
Herr Otto Flick: James Rossman.
Lieutenant Hubert Gruber: Robin Sebastian.
M. Leclerc: Richard Tate.
Peasant: Bronya Deutsch.
Director: James Robert Carson.
Designer: Nancy Surman.
Lighting: Bob Bustance.
Sound: Glen Hadley.
2008-09-26 09:01:59