Toe tapping fun with Stepping Out at Milton Keynes Theatre
Chorus of approval for classic comedy.
ANYONE who has joined in an amateur dance class will instantly recognise the stereotypes that appear in Richard Harris' classic comedy Stepping Out which opened at Milton Keynes Theatre on Tuesday.
For every dozen wannabe Fred and Gingers there are at least twice that number of Sugar Plum Fairies with three left feet and a complete lack of co-ordination.
There's the requisite very fat girl, the old busy body, those with social and domestic problems, the sad and the lonely, a ragbag bunch of misfits who come together each week searching for more than the perfect soft shoe shuffle at their weekly classes.
Stepping Out takes a simple story of how a group of truly hopeless amateur tap dancers overcome their fears and personal traumas to shine in the limelight at a charity variety show.
It's typically feelgood with everyone rooting for the underdogs but the story is so basic it could have been told in about 20 minutes.
The first half drags on as we see the class, which meets in a village hall, repeatedly stumble and slip as their teacher, Mavis, attempts to control her class.
The second act is far more interesting as the story reveals something of the dancers' home lives and far from being stock characters their stories are often deeply poignant.
Leading the cast list are TV veterans Brian Capron and Anita Harris but they really are just two among a troupe of very talented performers.
Harris, who has a figure most 20-year-olds would give a year's gym fees for (and who flaunts stunning pins and tiny bottom in a series of skin-tight leotards) plays Vera, outwardly a rather posh old bird who goes from one class to another trying to improve herself.
It's only towards the end that she admits it's done to impress her demanding husband who has a rather low opinion of his wife and maybe rather more than a doting stepdad's interest in her young daughter.
It's a gift of a role for the youthful-looking entertainer who, as everyone knows, is a pretty nifty dancer.
Brian Capron is a real gem. We were so used to seeing him as Coronation Street's arch villain Richard Hillman that his portrayal of shy widower Geoffrey comes as a bit of a shock.
He's obviously borrowed heavily from his fellow Corrie performer, Roy Cropper, raiding not only his wardrobe of bland woollies but also much of his socially ineptitude – and he does it wonderfully.
It's clear Capron is having great fun with the stumbling, bumbling insurance man who has the hots for another class member but is too woefully shy to make a move.
Katie Kerr steals the show as the very ample Sylvia. She is a superb comedienne who uses her voluptuous body to good effect, getting the lion's share of the best gags and by far the most flamboyant costumes.
Rose (Wendy Mae Brown) is the token black person in the class and has some decidedly dated and un-PC lines while Johanne Murdock spends much of the comedy on a quiet simmer before having a spectacular meltdown in the second act that left both the audience and the cast reeling. I thought the veins in her neck were about to explode.
Stepping Out is an old fashioned comedy that, at times, shows its age (it's celebrating 25 years on the circuits). It's become the staple of many an am-dram group and it's easy to see why but it left the first night audience at MKT suitably entertained and saw them exit with a smile on their faces. You can't ask for more.
Stepping Out runs until Saturday. For tickets call the box office 0844 871 7652 or go online www.ambassadortickets.com/miltonkeynes
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -0 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 6 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: -4 C to 2 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South east
