MYCO’s refreshingly radiant modern spin on a heart-warming classic!
This week, the Oxford Playhouse was home to the wonderful Musical Youth Company of Oxford (MYCO) with their production of ‘Me and My Girl’, a playful musical following Bill (Daniel Hayns) and Sally (Hetty Hughes), a pair of young Cockneys from Lambeth. Their relationship faces a challenge as the Harefords, an aristocratic family, name Bill their only legitimate heir. Bill doesn’t quite fit in, his current behaviour won’t get him his inheritance and the family certainly won’t accept Sal.
A fabulously upbeat overture got the show off to a swinging start thanks to musical director/producer Julie Todd and the excellent band. MYCO’s resident director, Guy Briggs, put a fresh spin on the 1930’s musical, bringing classic songs new life and bringing a whole lot of humour to a modern setting. The set was simple and effective: backdrops of a traditional manor house stage right and ‘graffiti’d’ Lambeth stage left with a balcony upstage. Costumes were delightful and fitting in every scene, with perfect contrast between Bill’s Lambeth posse and the Hareford household.
The Hareford home was a consistently hilarious setting with a haughty, slapstick vibe, outstandingly delivered by the cast. Hannah Peel epitomised the shrill, intimidating Duchess of Hareford with a stunning operatic solo in act II; Caleb Gill oozed charisma as the grovelling Gerald, Bill’s posh cousin who has his heart broken by his gold-digging fiancee, Jacquie, played and sung expertly by Eden Strichland-Bennett. The whole family were charmingly hideous and excellently funny throughout. It wasn’t long before Bill bounced in with some rhyming slang and a cheeky smile to break the façade. Hayns maintained a wonderfully energetic performance right through to the encore, with a great Cockney accent and an unwaveringly strong belt. Both Bill and Sal were delightful; Hughes’ rendition of ‘Once You Lose Your Heart’ was as poignant as it was vocally impressive and Hayns moved the audience with a lovely performance of ‘Leaning on a Lamp-post’ at the show’s climax. The couple were just the centre of a skilled, vibrant ensemble, clearly packed with talented performers. The host of whole-cast dance numbers were remarkably professional, not to mention full of joy; I particularly enjoyed ‘The Lambeth Walk’, and was glad to see it return for the bows!
Vocal harmonies were fantastic, jokes came thick and fast and energy filled the auditorium. What more could you ask for?