UK Theatre Network

Allo Allo!

Reviewed at Darlington Civic Theatre

One of the greatest British television situation-comedies ever written,  Allo Allo! has made a triumphant return to the stage with a fantastic cast starring Vicki Michelle (Yvette Carte-Blanche from the original series) and Jeffrey Holland (Hi-De-Hi, You Rang M’Lord and Oh, Doctor Beeching).

This stunning new production follows the hilarious adventures of René Artois (Jeffrey Holland), a hapless café owner in war-torn occupied France, as he and his wife Edith (Corinna Marlowe) struggle to keep for themselves a priceless portrait of The Fallen Madonna with the Big Boobies, stolen by the Nazis and kept in a sausage in their cellar.

Adding to René’s litany of woes the French Resistance, led by Michelle “Listen very carefully, I shall say this only once” Dubois (Judy Buxton), force him to aid their persistent attempts to return two bumbling British airmen to England. René, caught in the middle of this madcap mayhem must also try to keep his long-running passionate love affairs with two of his waitresses, Yvette Carte-Blanche (Vicki Michelle) and Mimi Labonq (Claire Andreadis), a secret from his wife.

The unwanted sexual advances of Lieutenant Gruber, towards René, only make matters even worse for him!

David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd’s writing is top-notch and provides a multitude of hilarious situations as the story crackles along at a break-neck pace. The generous sprinkling of sexual innuendo and cultural clichés further add to the overall enjoyment. The fact that there are characters from four different countries (France, Germany, Italy and England) involved in the action is cleverly overcome by representing each language with English spoken in a theatrical foreign accent.

Jeffrey Holland’s portrayal of René is superb. Rather than attempting to emulate the performance of his predecessor, Gorden Kaye, Holland stamps his own mark on the role and the result is an interpretation that is carefully crafted and hugely successful.

Vicki Michelle looks as glamorous as she ever did as Yvette and the audience greeted her arrival on stage with rapturous applause. Her involvement lends the production an added air of authenticity and her performance was as wonderful as I remembered from the television series.

Corinna Marlowe as Edith, René’s “stupid woman”, captured every nuance of the battleaxe that the late Carmen Silvera created twenty-seven years ago. Nell Jerram shone as Helga and perfectly complimented James Rossman’s Herr Flick.

This production certainly ticks all the right boxes and it is perfectly clear that it has been constructed as an affectionate tribute to one of the most revered British comedies of all time. The combination of the authentic café set, designed by Nancy Surman, the atmospheric lighting by Bob Bustance, and sound by Glen Hadley are perfectly blended by James Robert Carson’s skilful direction. The result is a gentle, nostalgic comedy that is filled with irresistible charm and warmth. Trés bien!

Steve Burbridge.

Allo Allo! runs at Darlington Civic Theatre until Saturday 21^st March 2009.