REVIEW: Rumpy Pumpy, Landor Theatre ✭

Rumpy Pumpy

Landor Theatre

14 April 2015

1 Star

New musicals require the tenderest care and support if they are to be encouraged to the point where they can bloom and grow. The Landor Theatre is one of the few remarkable spaces which supports new musicals in London, through its hosting of readings, workshops and productions.

Now playing there is Rumpy Pumpy, a new musical by Barbara Jane Mackie (book, lyrics and score), which is billed as "a case of tea and crumpets" based on a true story. It's directed by Thom Sellwood with musical direction by Tom Marlow.

The notion which underpins Rumpy Pumpy is an excellent one: the clash of worlds that occurs when members of the Women's Institute commit what some of their comrades consider heresy by deciding to campaign for a reform of the archaic laws regarding prostitution in order to vastly improve the lot of working prostitutes in the UK. The comic and dramatic possibilities of the situation are immediately obvious: village hall meetings with crumpets at Dawn; prostitutes mingling with middle class older woman, shocking them with stories about the realities of their life; the visionaries in the Institute slowly converting their more staid colleagues; field trips where conversions to the cause are achieved; a meeting with the Minister. You can clearly see where the piece could go.

But it does not go there, not in any meaningful way. Instead, there is a lot of soap opera material involving the prostitutes, none of whom are particularly likeable. Spousal abuse, police intimidation, the arrogance of moral crusaders, the difficulties of supporting a child or having an education - these are issues which could have been the centre-piece of the cultural clash, as eyes were opened. But they are, instead, presented as the soiled backdrop to the lives of prostitutes and, accordingly, in this context, diminished.

Some of Mackie's tunes are pleasant and catchy - the music is easily the superior component in the work. The title song is engaging and other numbers, such as Wouldn't It Be Nice and The Perfect Brothel, could easily be tweaked into show stoppers. In fact, the best moment of the evening comes when the inquisitive and good-natured WI ladies are in New Zealand investigating brothel best practice. (One can instantly see how making that investigation the central spine of the piece, with the social issues in the background, would improve the narrative immeasurably).

While it has an obvious, and acknowledged, thematic link with The Full Monty, Rumpy Pumpy really has more connection, unacknowledged, with Calendar Girls. But it is held back, both by poor lyrics and, generally speaking, poor singing. Sellwood needs to take firmer control of the piece, and the dialogue needs to be totally reworked so that people don't talk in cliches constantly.

Marlow does his best with the presentation of the score, and the playing proves the most musical part of proceedings.

Unfortunately, Sellwood's direction leaves much to be desired. Some inventive verve in the presentation may have assisted enormously. Simple things could help: Choreographer Courtney Daly might, for instance, have created a shared body movement for the working girls, contrasted to that of the WI women, with the two working together contrapuntally and then, over time, harmonising. The male clients might have had their own body language. Whatever - the piece needs life injected directly into its central heart.

The acting is rudimentary for the most part, mainly because the book does not permit real characters, merely archetypes. Elimination of some of the sub-plots (the yawn-inducing vengeful policewoman's actions; the half-hearted lobster dinner love story) would help focus on the main game: the courageous, far-sighted understanding of two women from the WI, one of whom gives her life to the cause they pursue on behalf of all women.

There is an excellent idea here and the score shows real potential. It's great that Mackie has the opportunity to see the work performed, because what needs to change will be much clearer now, the production having exposed the inherent weaknesses in the current draft.

Titles can be troubling. If you are going to call a musical Rumpy Pumpy, then it needs to be sexy, energetic and naughty. If it is not, the battle to win over the audience will be all but lost. As it stands, this production is more Grumpy Slumpy than Rumpy Pumpy.

I look forward to its next workshop performance.