Hi De Hi by Harlow Amateur Theatre Society (HATS)

LET us start with the positives. Over a hundred people packed into Theatre 2 at the Harlow Playhouse on a warm Thursday night. That is some achievement.

And at the end the audience gave a warm round of applause to what was two hours of feel good theatre which brought many back to either the hit TV series or their own visits to holiday camps (Pontins Brixham 74 if you must know).

They were also entertained by a host of standout performances. Daniel Abbott was a wonderful Jeffrey Fairbrother. This is a part that needs nuance and timing and gentleness. The original actor from the TV series, the late Simon Cadell, was far more subtle than given credit for. Daniel was wonderful.

At the other end of the energy zone was Jo Gladstone as Peggy Ollerenshaw. Again, some might think it is just about a wig, an accent and saying ‘Ooh Mss Cathcart” but there is so much more. Jo, who is always a delight to watch and such a versatile actress got it right, entertained and brought joy to the theatre.

In the middle was Sarah Randall as Gladys Pugh. Sarah, unrecognisable under that black wig ,was a very affecting Gladys. There is the comedic side but there is also a slightly sad character.. Again, Sarah got it right.

But….you knew there was a but coming…..looking back on reviews of Hi De Hi in theatres over the last sixteen years, review after review call the script “boring, dull and disjointed.” They are not far wrong and that’s not HATS fault. It looks like they had been saddled with a very mediocre script.

It just wasn’t bringing out the best in other actors.

As it went on you thought, perhaps a few gags, a few turns, a few musical numbers. Instead, it had to many scenes and that is when it became disjointed. There were at least three scenes which could have been cut.

There were a lot of scenes that simply lacked pace. And that is where it became plodding. Ted Bovis was hardly a dynamic character but Stuart Coombes was just a little bit too laid back. He was perfectly affable but lacked that oomph. Again, he would have benefited from more double act scenes with Spike. Lee Kenneth had all of Jeffrey Holland’s enthusiasm but was just underused. He was almost a bit part.

The Barry and Yvonne Stuart-Hargreaves pair (Ian Beckett and Annie Ray Williams) were very good. They conveyed that class snobbery you saw in the TV series even down to the wallpaper requirement.

There were little cameos here and there. Vanessa Wood in particular as a Hilary Bovis out for money.

It looked great. The three yellow coat girls were great. Their enthusiasm as they greeted the audience as they went in was a nice touch.

More could have been made of the three girls ( Katie Fisher, Abbie Martin and Lucia Banks) but may be they may say they were hamstrung by the script.

Again, Simon Jones as Fred Quilly and Alan Kenneth as Mr Partridge were ok although you went sure if Mr Partridge was acting or just a grumpy man you could hardly hear.

We can already see from social media, that a lot of the audience loved it. We can already see that this is sold out on Friday and probably will be on Saturday. So in many ways, this reviewers assessment has to be taken in context.

Plus, we bet this was great to be a part of. Rehearsing, preparing and acting. We bet they had a blast. And if this is your hobby and a physical and mental outlet from work, then that’s great.

And when we look back on the five plays we have reviewed in two weeks (Fairapy, Lie of The Mind, Spring Showcase, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Hi De Hi) there has to be light and shade.

Hi De Hi continues until Saturday.

https://playhouseharlow.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873662366