Theatre review: Salad Days ****

11:46am Wednesday 25th October 2006

I GREW up listening to the music of Salad Days as it is my mum's favourite musical.

But I had never seen it performed before and she had not seen the show since 1969.

So it was a real treat to have a family outing to see Greenwich Theatre's production of this popular 1950s musical.

I was impressed straight away as the multi-talented cast members were playing clarinets and trumpets as well as singing and dancing.

Salad Days' written by Julian Slade, celebrated its 50th anniversary last year. This production is slick and entertaining, with several of the cast playing multiple parts.

The show tells the story of Jane and Timothy who have just graduated from university with Jane under pressure from her parents to marry and Timothy from his to get a job.

The young lovers end up taking a job looking after a magic piano, after bumping into a tramp in the park, and discover it has the ability to make people dance.

But when the Minister of Pleasure and Pastime finds out he wants to suppress the piano. The couple succeed in hiding it from him but then realise it is really lost and they go looking for it in a flying saucer owned by Timothy's zany uncle.

Although the story is very silly and pantomime-like there are some serious messages which are still pertinent today.

Jane and Timothy's feelings of loss at leaving university (When they sing: We Said We Wouldn't Look Back) and not knowing what to do next is very relevant and I had to laugh when Timothy is forced to defend his lack of qualifications with the words: 'I've got a degree'.

The cheesy cardboard cartoon like set worked very well and there are moments of comic brilliance, such as the two policemen who are discussing the magical piano only for one to suddenly unveil a tutu, and the two surly male dancers in Cleopatra's nightclub dressed in wigs and skirts.

Vicki Michelle, known to many as Yvette in Allo Allo, is perfectly cast as Jane's glamorous mother, Lady Raeburn as well as dancer/singer, Asphynxia.

There is good chemistry between the two naive youngsters, Jane played by Helen Power and Timothy played by Jamie Read.

I laughed all the way through and it was the perfect antidote to a rainy Saturday afternoon.

4/5 Salad Days runs at the Greenwich Theatre until November 4. For tickets call the Box Office on 020 8858 7755 or visit greenwichtheatre.org.uk

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