Maureen Sullivan is a regular contributor to Island Echo’s coverage of the Arts on the Isle of Wight. Maureen has been actively involved in the Island’s amateur dramatics scene for several years, appearing in many different roles and guises with several theatre companies. In her free time, Maureen also writes and reviews at iwtheatre.org.
Catch Maureen’s column each month for the latest theatre and art happenings...
“When I saw that The Niton Playbox were preparing a new show, I wondered how on earth they were going to follow the amazing Smile, which they staged last year”… Maureen Sullivan reviews the wartime drama Run Rabbit Run at the Niton Playbox.
With ‘Run Rabbit Run’, they’ve not only produced a worthy follow-up but in many ways even exceeded the standard it set. Add to that the majority of the performers are under 16, and you have a show that not only delights present audiences, but reassures us of the future of Island theatre.
Not only are the performers young – the show was directed and choreographed by Ellen Careless – who also took a leading role which involved acting, singing and dancing. Such a combination of roles within a production is a challenge for an adult, let alone one of Ellen’s tender years, yet she managed it with aplomb and demonstrated a beautiful singing voice and a professional level of dance and choreography.
She was aided by the delightful dancing and singing of Florence Fradgley and Emily Evans as The Jingle Singers – so much talent just in that one trio!
2 of the youngest on the stage took the lead roles, and again their natural talent shone through.
The story centred round (non-identical – it was stressed!) twins, who are rebelling against doing their boring school history project, and suddenly find themselves a part of that history, as they chase Brian the rabbit down a tunnel – which comes out in 1942. The girls play off each other delightfully, bringing out their different personalities: Maisie Walker-Green is perfect as the gentle, thoughtful Jade, while Polly Careless is at her engaging best as the tomboy, risk-taking Onyx.
There are 3 adult actors, all giving fine performances in their own right: Katie Walker-Green not only showed her own singing talents in the haunting When The Sound the Last All Clear, but gave an empathetic performance as the 2025 and 1942 mother, especially as we learned that the latter’s own two daughters had disappeared during an air raid – a lovely twist to the story which I won’t reveal (in the hope that the show will be repeated to enable so many who missed it this time round to see it).
Rob Walker-Green’s portrayal of Sergeant Mac was understated but engaging – and I loved the scene where he ‘pretended’ to be his young sidekick’s love interest to give him some practice in wooing….
Will Nixon combined the role of the girls’ grandad with the wacky Captain Haddock, leading his ‘Barmy Army’ in a succession of wartime singalong favourites.
But the adults were very much there to support the talented youngsters. As well as the two leads, Emily Evans and Florence Fradgley played supporting roles in both time periods, including doctors and nurses.
Florence also played Mary Goodman, one of the family who found the girls in 1942 and brought them home. She and her sister Sarah (Ellen Careless) are, like their mother, nurses, and the family has also taken in evacuees. This gives some lovely roles to the younger actors, led by Noah Walker-Green as Alfie, alongside Gerry (Ozzy Cornes), Freddie (Freddie Nixon) and Tommy (Gertie Nixon). Along with Alannah Griffiths (she and Gertie portray the lost daughters), these youngsters make up the ‘Barmy Army’ who follow their leader, march and sing to great effect.
There were 2 sweet love stories built into the plot: we all empathised with Nancy Goodman, the mother who had not only lost her two younger daughters but had been widowed at Dunkirk, and we were rooting for the reliable Sergeant Mac who we knew would look after her; however, the main love story was amusing and tender in equal part as young Private Jimmy tried to verbalise his feelings for Sarah Goodman – usually succeeding only in confusing her.
Of course, it all worked out in the end, and along the way, we enjoyed a fabulous performance from Oliver Back as Jimmy. His songs, including the singing and dancing duets with Ellen as Sarah were among the high spots of the show.
The script, written by Val Hayward, celebrates 80 years since the end of World War II and is not only based firmly on the Isle of Wight but beautifully constructed, setting the joy of the wartime songs and the love stories against the backdrop of the realities of the 1940s, and the story is brought to life not only by the talents on the stage but by the small band who provided incidental music to accompany scene changes (very slick) and augment the visual cues of projected images, so that we always knew exactly where (and when) we were.
I particularly liked the Dr Who theme accompanying the time tunnel visuals. The band, led by Musical Directors Rosie Hayward and Tony Careless, also supported the onstage singing, providing a great sound balance of voice and accompaniment. Costumes were in perfect period detail too.
The company used the whole of the small village hall space to maximum effect, with bunting across the ceiling of the auditorium, wartime posters on the walls, front of house staff in World War II costumes and uniforms greeting people, and even a model train layout of the tunnel down which our young heroines time-travelled.
All in all, a spectacular production and a thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining afternoon – I look forward to seeing what this talented group come up with next.
