I was introduced to TFTRP LTD or, to give them their full title, Third From The Right Productions last year when I was invited to review their production of the rarely perform rock opera TOMMY – and very good it was too.
This year I’m back for an even rarer piece of musical theatre WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN. It’s a musical that tells the tale of a group of women in late 20th-century Madrid whose relationships with men lead to a tumultuous 48 hours of love and confusion. It’s based on the original 1988 Spanish film by Pedro Almodovar with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and book by Jeffrey Lane.
The plot concerns actress and voice over artist Pepa Marcos (a delightful Gillian Homer) whose world falls apart when she gets an early morning call from her long-term lover Ivan (a perfectly caddish Adam Siviter). The answerphone kicks in before she can reach it, so she just hears him say that he’s leaving her.
Phil Timms, pt-ography.co.ukPepa is more desperate to know why than wail over a broken heart and thus embarks on a madcap journey to find him – or at least find a reason why. On the way she meets some whacky folk including Ivan’s son from a previous marriage (Joe Neale) and his fiancée Marisa (a suitably weird Niamh Hadley). Then there’s Malik (Joe Horton) a terrorist who’s secretly holding Pepa’s best chum Candela hostage (a bubbly Heather Hadley), a romantic taxi driver (James Luckins), Lucia – Ivan’s ex-wife (powerhouse stuff from Natalie Baggott) and attorney and new Ivan love interest Paulina Morales (Gaynor Whitehouse.)
It’s a show that’s not too easy to follow, but worth the effort to try – very silly but also very funny musical farce with a fabulous song book.
Making sense of it all for us is director Jez Luckins and guiding some excellent routines is choreographer Gaynor Whitehouse.
The excellent band are under the baton of the maestro himself Chris Corcoran.
Phil Timms, pt-ography.co.ukSpecial shout-out to stage manager Stewart Homer for co-ordinating the endless array of set trucks and keeping a calm hand on the madness.
So pleased we have a local amateur company that is prepared to test the boundaries. Don’t miss the opportunity – go see it if you can.
The final performance is tomorrow (Saturday, November 23) at 7.30pm at Halesowen Town Hall. Click here for times, tickets and more information.
****
