Made in Dagenham: CLOGS Musical Theatre

Thursday 23 March 2023

 Reviewed by Delia Lee on behalf of Debi Weaver, District 16 Representative, South West Region.

Based on the 2010 film, this musical tells the true story of the sewing machinists at the Ford car factory in Dagenham, who decide to go on strike initially due to their work being downgraded but ultimately in an effort to get equal pay to the men. Set in 1968, it is a period of time remembered by some in the audience and includes some notable characters from the period.

The set was well conceived with the numerous scene changes handled efficiently and at good pace. The sewing workshop will have been challenging to recreate but this all looked very impressive and in keeping with the period setting. The props team had clearly had a lot of work to do, most notably in constructing the front section of a newly launched Ford Cortina model! There was also great attention to detail in costuming the cast with a delightful assortment of 1960s fashion adding much colour and interest to the stage.

The leading character, Rita O'Grady (Lucy Ibbetson), was played by an exceptional actress and singer who moved effortlessly from housewife and mother to reluctant trade union activist and sex equality campaigner, delivering her rallying speeches to the TUC conference in Eastbourne with real passion but also showing her softer, more sensitive side as she tries to balance her home life with her new role. This was a really stand-out performance.

Her two children, Graham (Alt. Ernie Munns & Benji Howlett) and Sharon (Alt. Martha Rees & Lucy Forman), were delightful with good clear voices and both gave confident performances.

Rita's fellow machinists were a strong, gutsy group of women with individually drawn characters which were well portrayed. The Essex accents were convincing and the comedy banter between them was handled skilfully. Vocally they produced a terrific sound, with some lovely harmonies. Clare (Rebecca Owen) in particular showed great characterisation and used her facial expressions well to convey her goofiness. The men also did a great job of playing an assortment of characters working at the factory.

The Factory Management, led by Mr Hopkins (Luke Hockett), have to deliver some quite tricky language at times, with extremely outdated views about women in the workplace. It was certainly an uncomfortable reminder of what it was like in the 60's for women and how things have progressed. However, they delivered their lines well and highlighted the misogynistic attitudes that were rife at the time.

Connie (Debi Weaver), the union shop steward and Rita's mentor, had lovely clear diction and a fine singing voice. Likewise, Monty (Graham Davison-Smith), the other union leader who wasn't always on the side of the girls, gave a very believable, sensitive performance as he tried to keep both sides happy. We also understood his devastation when his secret love Connie unexpectedly succumbed to cancer.

Eddie (Chris Howlett), Rita's husband, was also an extremely intelligent and thoughtful portrayal and provided one of the most poignant and emotional moments in the show when he sang 'The Letter. During the number we saw a heartbroken Rita reading the letter and realising her new role had come at the expense of her marriage. It was beautifully sung with real heart and we could clearly see that he was finding it hard to balance the love he had for his wife with his outdated views of a woman's place being in the home.

I particularly enjoyed the performances from Barbara Castle (Sandra Mayo) and Harold Wilson (Gary Ibbetson) who provided some great moments of humour with their tongue in cheek performances.

Lisa Hopkins (Kirsty Newlove), the boss's wife with a social conscience, was also well acted and provided a nice contrast to the factory girls.

The choreography (Lucy Mayo, Charlotte Jeans & Hannah Wilson) was impressive with strong patterns and a good assortment of moves.

The opening to Act 2 was particularly effective as Mr Tooley (Paul Whelehan), the brash American, sings 'This is America' with an ensemble in patriotic American costumes and waving flags.

The hard work of the Musical Director (Helen Heaton) was clear to see with some strong vocals and wonderful harmonies in the ensemble numbers. A very good band consisting of eight players did justice to the up tempo 1960s pop and rock style score and produced a fabulous sound throughout.

Likewise, the Director (Matt Heaton) kept the action moving along at a good pace with well worked out scene changes that did not stop the flow of the piece and some detailed characterisation from the excellent cast. This was a very enjoyable production with plenty of humour alongside uplifting speeches about doing what is right and showing what ordinary people can achieve when they work together. Congratulations to all involved on a great evening of entertainment.

Delia Lee