Review: Copacabana at The Watermill, Bagnor

Barrie Theobald • Published 7 Aug 2010 09:00 0 Comments

THE compact stage of The Watermill is hardly the place one would think of to stage Barry Manilow's glitzy musical, yet by sticking to a format that has served the theatre so well in the past it succeeds by again only using a small cast of talented actors/musicians.

Through aspiring song writer Stephen (Edward Baker - Duly) and his alter ego Tony, we enter the fantasy world of Lola (Laura Pitt-Pulford), newly arrived from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and determined to make the grade as a New York showgirl - and what an eventful life she leads!

Aided and abetted by Tony and his pals Luis (Adam C Booth), Willy (Robin Colyer), McManus (Joe West), cigarette girl Gladys (a terrific characterisation by Karen Mann) and the nightclub's musical director (Neil MacDonald), Lola is engaged by Sam (Julian Littman) the owner of the famous Copacabana before being abducted by Sam's rival Rico (Anthony Reed) and transported to Havana as a replacement for his fading star Conchita (Basienka Blake).

Not only did director Craig Revel Horwood bring out all the far-fetched humour in the piece, he also wove some lively dance routines into the production, with Cassie Pearson and Sally Peerless portraying the scantily-dressed showgirls of the period.

The production is on now and runs until Saturday, September 4.

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This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 05 Aug 10

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