Tom, Dick and Harry

So off to the Ally Pally for this Great Escape adaptation. 

Of course the film made famous by a stellar cast of Hollywood royalty, including Steve McQueen, Sir Richard Attenborough, Gordon Jackson, James Garner , Charles Bronson, David Mcallum and my own personal favourite Donald Pleasance as the forger. 

Now, it could have been easy to just perform a faithful adaptation of the film and the historical story of the Stalag Luft 3 breakout. However, to their credit the playwrights – Andrew Pollard, Michael Hugo and Theresa Heskins have instead decided to create their own unique yet faithful version for stage, with the use of extensive research from the National Archives in London which had been classified up until 1972.

 

 

What to expect:

Drama ✔️

Comedy ✔️

Acrobatics ✔️

Creative costume design ✔️

Imaginative Stage design ✔️

Dancing ✔️

Singing ✔️

Catwalks✔️

Bike stunts✔️

Interesting History Lesson ✔️

 

 

The show played out with a fine mixture of tense interrogation, really homing in on how it may have felt being at the mercy of the Nazi party and their SS Division intertwined with vibrant dance, powerful music, a good deal of comedy and audience participation. 

Tom, Dick and Harry is a testament to the kind of brilliance capable to theatre in the round with a strong 9 cast ensemble show. 

The staging felt inclusive and never did I feel that I was missing out on anything. The ability to engage with all ages and be able to convey a factual World War 2 tale was no mean feat.

 

 

The strongest factor of this show is the cast and their technical ability. Acrobatic excellence, dance choreography and 4th wall breaking language translation devices galore! The enthusiasm and engagement of the cast being absolutely paramount to this production. That being said, the shows use of music and projections really helped sell the show to give it a more intense feel. 

In my opinion this show deserves greater exposure to a countrywide audience and an extensive tour of the UK would be well received I am sure. 

Bravo!

 

TOM, DICK AND HARRY 

Booking until 28 August 2022 

RUNTIME: 150 minutes (including 20-minute interval)

 

Written by Chantelle Phillips 

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