As February rolls around, we come to the tenth annual Portland Place School Musical. After a great success with last years 'Guys and Dolls', the Drama department has decided to tackle the 1954 Richard Adler musical, ‘The Pajama Game’ (adapted from Richard Bissell's book ‘7 1/2 cents’). I arrived for the show’s penultimate performance, hoping to be amazed by the show, this being the first PPS Musical I had ever seen.
After an overture that, whilst played very well, seemed to go on a bit, the show began. The story follows an American pajama factory, currently on strike for a wage raise of 7.5 cents. At the same time, one of the leaders of the union, Babe Williams (Played by Naz Simsek) and Sid Sorokin, a Superintendent of the factory (Played by Preston Nyman) start a rocky romance. There's also drunken rage, knife throwing and "Political Symbolism". When asked, Why this musical?, the director (Mrs Lambert) said simply, "I love it". It's clear why as this charming little musical combines everything that everyone enjoys about musicals.
After an overture that, whilst played very well, seemed to go on a bit, the show began. The story follows an American pajama factory, currently on strike for a wage raise of 7.5 cents. At the same time, one of the leaders of the union, Babe Williams (Played by Naz Simsek) and Sid Sorokin, a Superintendent of the factory (Played by Preston Nyman) start a rocky romance. There's also drunken rage, knife throwing and "Political Symbolism". When asked, Why this musical?, the director (Mrs Lambert) said simply, "I love it". It's clear why as this charming little musical combines everything that everyone enjoys about musicals.
As with any musical, the musical numbers have to work in order for it to be any good. And here, they do. There's a range of different styles here, from your classic group numbers (the synchronization and voices creating a nice sense of unison and strength), the duets (songs such as 'I'll never be jealous again' and 'Her Is' being funnily choreographed and having voices that sound really good together) and the solos. The two that really stand out for me are Preston Nyman’s performance of 'Hey There' which goes from a heartfelt solo, to an unexpected duet between Preston and himself, courtesy of a recording machine. It's actually very funny when it starts and then continues being heartfelt. Nice touch. The other is ‘Hernando’s Highway’, as performed by Gladys Hotchkiss (Emily Willis). Whilst the group number of the song is cool with the torchlight and the singers in the dark, Emily's voice combined with her and Preston make a stylish, classy tune that really is fun to listen to.
The acting in the musical is also a lot of fun. Naz Simsek returns as the leading lady of the performance, bringing to the character of Babe both an aggressive assertive side, and a subtler, friendly tone which is difficult to pull off. Think Natalie Wood from ‘West Side Story’, combined with Catherine Zeta-Jones from ‘Chicago’. We also have Preston Nyman, who after having side roles in the previous year’s shows, finally takes up a lead role. There on-stage chemistry is greatly helped by the real life friendship they share. "Preston's lovely to work with," Naz commented, "It's absolutely lovely working with Naz," Preston remarked, after the show. Other acting highlights include Patrick Miles as Vernon Hines, who manages to look really to cool holding a stopwatch, whilst giving a couple of well choreographed dances, Emily Willis who gives one of the funniest moments in the musical, and Leyla Constantinidis who it's nice to see taking a larger role in the productions.
In conclusion, a highly successful production. Whilst the original source material may not be to my taste, under the Drama and Music departments, the cast really have brought to life a musical which is thoroughly entertaining. Continuously topping itself each year, this production is well worth seeing. Hats off to all involved.
The acting in the musical is also a lot of fun. Naz Simsek returns as the leading lady of the performance, bringing to the character of Babe both an aggressive assertive side, and a subtler, friendly tone which is difficult to pull off. Think Natalie Wood from ‘West Side Story’, combined with Catherine Zeta-Jones from ‘Chicago’. We also have Preston Nyman, who after having side roles in the previous year’s shows, finally takes up a lead role. There on-stage chemistry is greatly helped by the real life friendship they share. "Preston's lovely to work with," Naz commented, "It's absolutely lovely working with Naz," Preston remarked, after the show. Other acting highlights include Patrick Miles as Vernon Hines, who manages to look really to cool holding a stopwatch, whilst giving a couple of well choreographed dances, Emily Willis who gives one of the funniest moments in the musical, and Leyla Constantinidis who it's nice to see taking a larger role in the productions.
In conclusion, a highly successful production. Whilst the original source material may not be to my taste, under the Drama and Music departments, the cast really have brought to life a musical which is thoroughly entertaining. Continuously topping itself each year, this production is well worth seeing. Hats off to all involved.