Review: Acorn Antiques: The Musical! Church Hill Theatre

Victoria Wood’s Acorn Antiques: The Musical brings together the classic long-running sketch with Wood’s songwriting talents. That should be a winning mix but this latest production, staged lovingly and enthusiastically by Tempo Productions in their 21st year is, nevertheless, slightly sketchy.

That should be a winning mix but this latest production, staged lovingly and enthusiastically by Tempo Productions in their 21st year is, nevertheless, slightly sketchy.

A good Victoria Wood song is a thing of joy, laced with witty couplets, about things like “icing sugar round the lavvy rim, although I wonder where I left the Vim”, and similarly great silliness. Still, two dozen of those back-to-back starts to grate. A couple of nice little ballads were welcome variations, although the up-tempo numbers were less successful. Shagarama in Morningside of a Monday evening might sound winningly subversive. It’s not.

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Series stalwarts Miss Babs, Miss Berta and Mrs O are joined by a large ensemble cast. The songs and jokes are laid over a plot which, when it finally gets going, sees commercialised life creeping into Manchesterford.

Traditional businesses like Acorn Antiques are being pushed aside for the sake of franchises like the Guilty Bean coffee company and their apparent moral equivalents – a pole dancing club, Botox clinic, purveyor of inappropriate piercings and a loan shark who has lost all trace of human emotion since his crash diet.

The shambolic ethic of the original TV sketch is recaptured, with missed cues and stage directions nicely played. Unfortunately, this carries over into the vocal mix. Even allowing for first night and varying skills from the cast, quick changes from one singer to another in particular led to some wonky audio moments.

Dedicated fans may well enjoy this – immortal characters revived, a fair fist at capturing the stagey soap spoofery of the original sketches, some good gags and an all-too-rare bit of sponsor product placement for the Acorn Stairlift.

However, the running time felt long. Not enough good gags, songs or story to sustain it and, while it’s fun in places, it’s a bit of a jumble, ultimately more Bargain Hunt than Antiques Roadshow.

Run ends Saturday

BRUCE BLACKLAW

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