musicals and operas review

Marx Brothers' 'Animal Crackers' - A Musical Comedy

The American High School Theatre Festival

A revival of the 1928 Broadway production that preceded the famous film, 'Animal Crackers' is a show devoid of comedy. The young cast are entirely out of their depth in this innuendo-heavy musical, and this is not helped by the very poor quality of the singing. The only enjoyable moments of this production are Arabella and Wally's duet, and the admirable performance of Chris LeVan as Captain Spaulding (the Groucho role), but sadly these are not enough to save the show. The slapstick was clumsy, singing mediocre at best, and inexplicably Ravelli was played by a girl in a skirt - but consistently referred to as a man! A baffling, bumbling production that had none of the charm of the original.

Church Hill Theatre, 15-16 and 18-19 Aug, times vary, £6.00 (£4.00), fpp 174

tw rating: 1/5

published: Aug-2008

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