Kipps, The New Half a Sixpence Musical – The Plaza, Stockport
Flash, bang, wallop – what a show! It had vim, vigour and energy pouring through its veins. The only pity was there was not much of an audience there to enjoy it. Yet, the cast can’t do anything about that, and they were clearly giving it everything. This show from the Romiley Operatic Society was a joy to behold.
The popularity of Kipps is down to it being a rags-to-riches tale with a bit of depth. H G Wells’ novel deconstructs that age old story by not just having a poor person become rich but by exploring the idea that this new found wealth is in fact alienating for its recipient and also a tad malign.
Like Pygmalion, another story that pulls apart notions of innate class, Kipps was always ripe to be turned into a musical. Tommy Steele is synonymous with Half a Sixpence, but this...