Made in Dagenham – Morley Town Hall

In the beautiful surroundings of Morley Town Hall, Morley Amateur Operatic Society brought Made in Dagenham to the stage, their last show in the venue for a while due to venue refurbishments. Judging by tonight’s performance they will be missed.

Made in Dagenham is a fun musical that will have you laughing, crying and cheering – all in one unforgettable night! Based on the true story of the 1968 Ford sewing machinists’ strike, Made in Dagenham is an emotional roller-coaster of a show that celebrates courage, unity and justice.

After having their pay downgraded and deemed not to be skilled workers the ladies of Ford rebel against their employers and go out on strike with the aim of having their pay matched to sister factories, and in the end petitioning management for equal pay.

Hayley Metcalfe leads this sizable cast as reluctant hero Rita. On stage for the majority of the show Metcalfe is a powerful singer and accomplished actress to which the audience embraced from minute one to the conclusion of the show sharing her range of emotions.

Opposite Metcalfe is Paul Metcalfe as Eddie O’Grady. Married both on and off stage the chemistry between the two was evident and not forced with Paul’s vocals matching Hayley’s. His performance of ‘The Letter’ being my highlight of the evening, laced with emotion.

Katie Gamble and Steven Holt as Connie and Monty respectively, union leaders for the factory workers play their roles with confidence and Ian Hartley as Hopkins plays the bad guy of the first half well.

Tom Daley as Harold Wilson depressed by state of the economy and the high rates of industrial unrest gave a highly amusing performance alongside cabinet member Barbara Castle played by Lindsey Farrow. Farrow’s performance of ‘In An Ideal World’ in act two was spine tingling in its delivery.

Richard Armstrong as American Ford executive parachuted in to end the strike is brash and arrogant to which the audience took an instant disliking, the sign of a good baddie and gave an assured performance of glitzy ‘This is America’ which opens act 2.

Jennifer Riordan (Sandra), Chloe Byrne (Clare) and Joanne Cooke (Cass) provide support to Rita as she leads the strikers all the way to the TUC conference. Byrne’s performance of ‘Wossname’ had the audience in stitches.

The final lady supporting Rita was foul mouthed Beryl played by Jemma Hayes. Hayes stole the show delivering some of the best lines in the show with perfect comic timing and a huge audience favourite at the curtain call.

The sizeable ensemble supported the leading cast well with solid vocals and well delivered choreography from Michael Kirby who also directed the piece. Musical Director Ian Abbott’s 8-piece band complimented the cast well.

Made in Dagenham is not an easy show to stage as the scenes flow so quickly and Morley did a great job of keeping the show moving. I must also compliment Chris McEnvoy and Bobby Gilman on their simple yet highly effective lighting throughout.

I cannot finish this review without naming the two little stars of the show, Teddy Cooper and Faith Johnson playing the O’Grady’s children Graham and Sharon. Two stars of the future I am certain.

Made in Dagenham is a fun show with a serious message. The script and songs are at times hilarious, but balanced with emotional ballads, with the most memorable of them all, ‘Everybody Out’ was the complete opposite feeling the audience had as the curtain fell. A triumphant production which strikes all the right notes.

There are tickets left for the remaining performances on Friday and Saturday (including Saturday matinee) and it would be a crime not to see this society end their current residency of Morley Town Hall without sizeable or sold-out audiences. https://morleyaos.org.uk/

Reviewer: Paul Downham

Reviewed: 19th September 2024

North West End UK Rating: