Sincerely Yours is playing at the Landor Theatre in Clapham from 15-19th July 2015 and is part of The Landor Theatre Fringe season running from 15th July – 2nd August.
Sincerely Yours is a heart warming wartime musical drama focusing on a troupe of entertainers experiencing ‘love, loss and the dawning of a new age’.
The play begins with a sweet and impactful full scale production number which firmly places us in the era and creates the ambience. The use of media projection throughout enhances the theatrical experience and again builds the feeling of the time through images and video clips.
Jeff Raggett delivers a naughty and somewhat camp tongue-in-cheek performance as Larry and I was particularly impressed by his energy on stage. Clearly a seasoned performer, he was every bit the old school comedian with great comedy timing and jokes and sketches that remind you of your grandad, which actually becomes very endearing!
The all singing Dolly trio played by Sarah Goggin as Betty, Jennifer Sims as Margaret and Sarah Day as Janet are a triumphant success and deliver hit after hit with wonderful harmony’s and slick choreography. Goggin also delivers some beautiful solo numbers throughout the show and brings a very subtle and sweet innocence to her role.
Serena Giacomini drives an elegant and graceful performance as Dorothy and handles the twists and turns of her characters journey with ease and finesse.
Carl Mullaney as Ronald adds a flamboyant element as Company Manager.
Although this piece has its merits and some poignant moments I struggled at times with what the show was trying to be. It felt like it wanted to be a musical but with a weak plot in places and too many characters, the audience never fully invest in any one storyline or bond to one character. The dancers were energetic and gave good performances but from a plot perspective weren’t all too necessary and in such a small space sometimes less is more.
At other times it felt like a revue show and as such would be a wonderful concept and work very well with gorgeous musical numbers full of history and war time heritage. The harmonies and musical numbers carry beautifully in this space and with such a varied song selection a revue style show would really let the music breathe and have a greater impact on the audience.
Overall the show was enjoyable and it was nice to see a wide demographic in the audience, all
of which seemed to enjoy the evening. At the heart of it this show is about remembering a time and a place in our history and the sacrifice of brave men and women who fought valiantly and lived through hellish conditions. This show makes us remember them.
Reviewed by Matthew Wren Andrew
Photo: PND Photography
Sincerely Yours is playing at the Landor Theatre until 19 July 2015. Click here for tickets