★★★

“acted with eloquence and assurance by an outstanding cast”

We find ourselves in the year 1969. It’s an era many look back on with nostalgia — a time often imagined as simpler and less complicated. People had less, but were happier. For people of my age, all that we know is that which is taught to us by our parents and grandparents, or what we may have learned from documentaries. The setting for this play exactly matches the vivid, idyllic depiction that we have of this period.

The subjects of this narrative are the Deacon family. Again, they are typical of their era. Frank Deacon (Gary Webster) is the breadwinner, and Dorie is the stay-at-home Mum. Two of the four children, Martin and Penny, have moved out but are home often enough, while the other two: Frances and Sally, remain living at home. It all seems normal – and that ordinariness is the point; if things seem normal, then they are normal. Blessings is an intriguing tale about the story of a family yet to come to terms with its own secrets, where the cover-up may be worse than the truths that are uncovered.

One of the most impressive aspects of this play is its authenticity to the time in which it is set. Sarah Shelton’s writing is delicately detailed, dropping in countless era-specific references. The family discuss the first moon landing which would take place a few months later. The Troubles in Northern Ireland are the biggest thing in the news. Frances and Sally talk about going to see “that new Michael Caine film: The Italian Job”, while the brutal murders masterminded by Charles Manson can be heard described on the radio.

The set and costume design is equally as impressive (Alice Carroll). Patterned wallpaper adorns the back wall. A Beatles LP can be seen by the radio and the daughters are seen reading from the teen magazine ‘Jackie’. Simple staging — a bench and table on either side of the room — creates three distinct locations, allowing scenes to flow smoothly.

The star quality of the performance comes from Emily Lane who plays the role of Sally Deacon. Sally emerges as the focal point, with all storylines connecting through her She faces the painful honesty of her family, who “don’t really see her in a career,” yet her resilience shines through as she drives the story to its climax. It’s a performance that reflects Lane’s West End pedigree.

Gary Webster and Freddie Webster are praiseworthy in their roles too. Both actors take on two roles with skill, particularly Gary Webster, doubling as Frank Deacon and parish priest Father O’Brien. While their performances are excellent, the play suffers from the fact that these characters are never on stage together, which would add a new dimension to the show.

The plot twist is wonderfully delivered by the cast in a fitting finale, however, this scene, is slightly rushed and when it does arrive takes us by surprise, rather than the crescendo it should have been. Nonetheless, the play is acted with eloquence and assurance by an outstanding cast.

HELLO, DOLLY! at the London Palladium

★★★★

“Nothing seems out of place in Dominic Cooke’s staging of this revival”

By interval, while slowly making my way through the bottleneck towards the bar, I’m feeling a bit like the child from ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ folk tale. Only the joke is on me, apparently, rather than the other way round. It takes the second act to make me realise this, and my puzzled expression turns to one of realisation, all the while a smile reluctantly spreading across my face. The belated appreciation is inadvertently symptomatic of a musical that is, after all, fundamentally about second chances.

You have to ignore the flimsy plot to get to its heart. On the surface the story follows the celebrated matchmaker, Dolly Levi, as she travels to Yonkers, New York, to find a match for the miserly half-millionaire Horace Vandergelder. It soon becomes clear, though, that Dolly intends to marry Horace herself. We think it’s all about the money, but as the twists unravel, we discover the true threads of the tale. Love is in the air, ultimately, conquering feelings of grief and bereavement as it sweeps through the auditorium in waves of feelgood farce. In the title role, Imelda Staunton gives a fantastically understated performance as she slowly lets go of her late husband’s ghost to find her way back to where she belongs.

Based on Thornton Wilder’s 1930s ‘The Matchmaker’, it premiered in 1963; so there is always the danger that today’s audiences will find it outdated and out of style. Yet it conveys a bygone age that we are willing to be transported back to. Escapism is the key. Rae Smith’s sumptuous sets mix turn of the century realism with animated backdrops; rickety trolleybuses and sandstone buildings with blue skies – into which, at one point, a full-size steam train billows out clouds of steam. Smith’s costumes match the opulence of the production, particularly during the signature scene in which Dolly descends the famous staircase of the Harmonia Gardens restaurant. The title number of ‘Hello Dolly’ builds slowly towards its ovation-grabbing finale. Dancing waiters and chefs epitomise Bill Deamer’s extravagant and flawless choreography. Nothing seems out of place in Dominic Cooke’s staging of this revival, except for a few lines of Michael Stewart’s book. Yet the execution is faultless, and Jerry Herman’s music and lyrics are given full flight, buoyed up by the twenty strong orchestra down in the pit.

Staunton, to her credit, never steals the show in what is pretty much an ensemble piece (that also boasts one of the largest ensembles in London – it has more swings than a holiday camp playground). Andy Nyman’s Horace Vandergelder is a gently mocking Scrooge, extending his derision to himself as much as anyone else. His rebellious employees, Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker (respectively Harry Hepple and the underused Tyrone Huntley) make a fine comedy double act that borders on cliché but thankfully just stops short. The other star turn comes courtesy of Jenna Russell’s Irene Molloy, the milliner who craves to swap her hat shop for a love nest yet is more than twice shy having been bitten by grief too many times.

The songs are not so much old fashioned as old school. Refreshingly nostalgic and timeless. Russell delivers one of the highlights; ‘Ribbons Down My Back’ with an aching hunger while some of the other rousing numbers fill us with joy. Staunton, of course, makes ‘Hello Dolly’ (the song and the show) her own, betraying a unique sense of self-doubt within her layered character. She likes to be in control of everybody’s lives, including her own, but her femininity is never victim to her feminism. There is strength and vulnerability. But also a glorious sense of fun. “It’s no use arguing – I have made up your mind” Dolly says to the redemptive Vandergelder.

There is no arguing with the success of this show either, or the ovation it received. Admittedly the first act drifts a bit, but by curtain call it is well and truly ‘back where it belongs’.

BLESSINGS

Riverside Studios

★★★

“acted with eloquence and assurance by an outstanding cast”

BLESSINGS

Riverside Studios

Reviewed on 2nd October 2025

by Luke Goscomb

Photography by Lidia Crisafulli

Previously reviewed at this venue:

BLESSINGS

BLESSINGS

BLESSINGS

HELLO, DOLLY! at the London Palladium

★★★★

“Nothing seems out of place in Dominic Cooke’s staging of this revival”

HELLO, DOLLY! at the London Palladium

Reviewed on 18th July 2024

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Manuel Harlan

More reviews from Jonathan:

HELLO, DOLLY!

HELLO, DOLLY!

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