'Thoroughly Modern Millie' at Richmond Theatre

There's a new production of 'Thoroughly Modern Millie' on your at the moment and we caught it at it's first stop, at Richmond Theatre in class-war territory in west London. I've always liked the film since seeing it on Sunday afternoon telly in the 1970s with Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler Moore and Carole Channing. It's a rather silly romp of a story but I don't care, I like it. I wanted to see the Broadway stage version on a visit to New York but it came off a week before our visit; I didn't see the West End version (mainly because of the cast) so I wasn't going to miss this version. It's a 'star vehicle' show for Hayley Tamaddon who I don't know at all but I'm pleased she got this show on the road.

It's the tale of small-town girl, Millie, getting to New York and becoming all 'modern' by having her hair cut short and investing in short frocks while, all the time, trying to find a boss she can marry and become rich. As you do. We follow her trials and tribulations of job-hunting, falling for the wrong, i.e. poor, man and suffering the boss she longs to marry calling her Bob. Yes, there's probably something going on with that particular boss. Interweave a story of showgirls who've been adopted or are alone in the world vanishing into white slavery and you have the bones of a story. And that's all we get, the bare bones. There are various ins and outs but that's basically it. Until the mandatory happy ending but I won't tell you what it is since it's so long since I've seen the film that I'd forgotten the ending and you might have too.

I'm not a fan of the soaps so I've no idea who Hayley Tamaddon is but she was good as Millie, bright, loud and cheerful, endlessly energetic and definitely up for it. She had a good stage voice and brought a nice smiley spark to the stage whenever she was on (which was most of the time). It must be an exhausting role for her. I also liked Michael Colbourne, the big drip of a man who is penniless and  who Millie falls for only to find out that he's actually... but that would be telling. There's also Nicola Blackman playing the Carol Channing role of Muzzy and, as soon as she came on to sing her first song I couldn't help but think, 'ah a proper singer'. Not a belter but someone who knows how to use her voice. I've seen Nicola in various things over the years (last time as a Victorian matron) but this was the first time I've heard her sing and what a lovely surprise!

It's a small cast for the show but they clearly put their all into it and there's some great dancing and ensemble numbers in the show. I saw them on something like their third or fourth performance so, give them another week or two and they'll really gel and play off each other. Well done people and good luck for the rest of the tour!

Matthew Bourne's 'Early Adventures' at Richmond Theatre

Before I discovered the joys of the Royal Ballet there was Matthew Bourne, now Sir Matthew Bourne. I like the characters he creates, his narrative and his magic. He seems to come up with a new production every few years but doesn't forget his older works and that's what 'Early Adventures' is, a revival of some of his very early creations. I saw the show five years ago and I'm more than happy to see it again, particularly since this version included 'Watch With Mother' a short dance work I haven't seen before and which seems to be alternating with 'Spitfire'.

The first production was 'Watch With Mother'. You need to be a certain age to understand the title and, luckily, I am. It's set in a school gym with all the boys in grey shorts and the girls in grey pinafores, the way it was in posh schools. The incongruous thing was the boys were wearing polo shirts rather than button-up shirts (I can't help but notice details). And we see the 'children' dance in different ways and different combinations with one boy left out because  there are nine children.

This production is, I think, from 1991 so doesn't have the subtlety of Bourne's later works. There is a lot of repetition and choreographed movement and is a bit simplistic compared to other works. It's probably the least successful of the programme but is still well worth seeing as an indication of where the later works came from.

'Town and Country' is the second production, with 'Town' filling up the first half of the programme after 'Watch'. This is a joyous interpretation of life in the city - at least for rich people. We see a couple bathed and then dressed by their servants in a very funny sequence with the servants coming off best despite ending up serenading their master and mistress with ukuleles.

One of my favourite scenes was the short skit on 'Brief Encounters', the epitome of a middle class film with posh people with money. The entire film is portrayed in that tea room on the station platform with two sets of couple mimicking the film.

The second half of the production is taken up entirely with 'Country' from 'Town and Country'. The posh people go down to the country for the weekend and interact with the local yokels when they have to. We get dancing milk maids and clog dancing yokels, one of which stomps on a glove puppet hedgehog to all our dismay. The bunny checks the hedgehog and then slowly drags him from the stage. This is a lovely comic moment, particularly when, later in the show, the hedgehog gets a solemn funeral.

The final half was taken up by 'The Infernal Gallop', a tale of night-life in the sleazier areas of Paris, with posh blokes in silk dressing gowns meeting sailors and chaps meeting in a pissoire within view of the Eiffel Tower. Our pissoire lovers are just about to get it on when they're interrupted by a troupe of gypsy minstrels in red berets springing onto the stage and singing at them. And then it happens again. The lovers just aren't destined to get off tonight. O well, it can't be helped, I suppose.

That's the finale of the show, with our Parisian denizens showered by rose petals and the show is over. It's a great and entertaining mix of dance and sorry-telling, humour and sentiment. It's lovely to see these early works that set the scene for Matthew Bourne's full length ballets.

'Early Adventures' is currently on a national tour so if you get the chance to see it then you should. It's great fun as well as great story-telling and dancing.