Stagestruck by Phyl Romeril for Local Guardian

Wadham Players - Jack The Ripper

The musical play Jack The Ripper is great fun and it would seem that the entire membership of Wadham Players was in involved in the production at Forest Community Centre.

Set in Whitechapel in 1888, it deals with events around the infamous murders of that year.

Despite the theme it is an enjoyable romp, full of highly singable tunes and even a few sad moments. Moving between reality and fantasy we are left with a question which will probably never be answered - who was Jack?

The script is peppered with vulgar language, not offensive, but in keeping with the place and period - in fact a bawdy Victorian musical would be an apt description of this show. With such a large cast and restricted space it was a credit to this production that the super-numeraries were so well placed and the sing-along style of the musical numbers adapted perfectly to the vocal abilities of the members.

Acting as Chairman and other characters gave Ian Halverson plenty of opportunity to play the eccentric. From mock menace to artificial geniality, they all emerged with the agility of an animal stalking its prey. Likewise Chris Millington intrigued us with his portrayal of Montague Druitt with staring eyes and creepy actions; we cringed at the thought he could be the murderer as he cleverly wormed his way into the imagination.

Lots of laughter greeted the pollicemen's quartet in which Keith Cummings, Simon Billig, Elvis Billinghurst and Bob Gray stole the show.

The ladies, whether bystanders or victims, worked as a team with Alison Rhodes and Rose Floyd carrying a little extra of the weight in the parts of Marie Kelly and Liz Stride; the latter also portrayed Queen Victoria in parts of the fantasy re-enactment.

Danny MacBeth gleefully led Dan's Gang and young Douglas Gray acted as the Paper Boy who brought the dreadful news of each murder.

The entire cast appeared to enjoy performing as much as we enjoyed watching. I could not pinpoint a single moment of inaction. Costumes and lighting effects added colour and atmosphere, and with Peter Deione at the piano it was a very successful enterprise. All credit to director Michael Michael, musical directors Peter Deione and Elaine Elliott and all of the team.