This egg-cellent production of George Stiles and Anthony Drewe's Olivier award-winning family musical extravaganza is certainly something to quack about. Winging it's way to the Fringe, the Springboard Theatre Company has come out of the University of Gloucestershire's performing arts department.
There was some lovely movement despite a shoebox-sized stage. Drake and his wife Ida are two ducks with a brace of ducklings in tow, but one is Ugly. Ugly's portrayal of being different, an outcast and facing up to rejection and bullying are all themes many young people will relate to. But when Ugly flies in the face of adversity it is all the more poignant.Ida's motherly tendencies are played out beautifully with a heartwarming Northern accent that would nestle comfortably behind the bar of the Rovers Return.
However, Ugly is on the dinner menu for Cat, who in stark contrast puts in a well-sharpened, fiendish and mean interpretation of the character even if her singing voice was not really up to scratch. Greylag, a goose with a glittering military career, gave a sterling performance to rival Fowler, the RAF commander cockerel from Chicken Run. Fashionable frogs hopped onto stage with a visually stunning display, even if the scene didn't achieve much more.
This production would undoubtedly have snatched an extra star if the voices lived up to the acting. Some serious work is needed to make these voices stronger, but this flaw isn't enough to put any major cracks in what is a jolly good, fun-filled egg.
