Me and My Girl

You simply have to be humming a happy tune and doing the Lambeth Walk, even if the currant bun hasn’t got his hat on too often this week, after watching the feel-very-good cockney musical, Me and My Girl.

The Surrey-based Mitre Players know how to entertain us, bringing many award-winning productions to the Minack over the years, notably Spamalot during a recent vintage season.

Now they have plucked out yet another crowd-pleaser for the school holidays, and mamma mia, have they made a good job of it!

Huge amounts of work by director Kevin Gauntlett and his team have gone into this pearly king and queen of a show that’s as solid looking as the brick built country pile inherited somehow by Bill, a chipper chirpy cockney opportunist, with his gal, Sal.

The two of them, played utterly brilliantly by Paul Grace and Megan Brown, are South London diamond geezers that need to win over the toffee-nosed nobs that represent the West End of the family.

Chris Backway is the skipping tambourine-shaking family solicitor who has us shaking with laughter as he looks for common ground between the dragon of a Duchess, Vicky Watkins, and the more affable Sir John, Colin Warnock.

Peter Calver is also snortingly funny as the Hon.Gerald, along with Laura Brand as the go-getter Lady Jacquie, observed by the ever-correct butler, Mike Mackenzie.

Their interplay is simple fun, interspersed by lots of jolly songs including The Lambeth Walk, The Sun Has Got His Hat On, Leaning on a Lamppost and Me and My Girl, of course, impeccably presented by musical director Robert Randall and his Band.

The very impressive ‘brick-built’ hall, with its glossy reflective windows, is unmistakably the work of regular Minack set designer Jill Wilson, working with stage manager Alan Collins, and the step-perfect choreography comes via Tonia Porter, who also takes part in a spookily-effective Dream Ballet.

The gorgeous costumes are by Di Jones and her team, with super sound and special effects by James McLeod, Andy Thompson and Alan Bishop.

So, make your way down the apples and pears at the Minack and take your titfer off to this great family show.