Stepping Out

Silchester Players

Silchester Village Hall

THE dancing was dire in the majority of Silchester Players’ production of Stepping Out - but that’s the way it was meant to be! 

Stepping Out tells the story of the complicated lives of an assortment of women (and one man) in their North London tap dancing class.

There were no weak links in this cast. Dance instructor Mavis was beautifully played by Claire Humphreys, who was utterly believable throughout the proceedings. 

Sarah Oliver portrayed considerable emotional depth as the repressed Andy and Brian Gillett was excellent as the shy and awkward Geoffrey, the only man in the group.  

Maxine (Natalie Edgson) fancied herself as a dancer but had her confidence knocked when the hats she volunteered were an assortment of styles and not the boaters or bowlers they’d been expecting.

Caroline Martin attracted many laughs in the role of Vera. This was a nicely judged performance showing Vera not only as snob but also a sad and lonely figure. 

Lena Young sensitively played Lynne, a tender and slightly nervous nurse. There were strong performances from Mandy Larby as mouthy Sylvia, Amanda Albrecht as the rather earnest civil servant Dorothy and Jill Gillett as Rose.

Completing the cast was Rebecca Brookes as the bolshy pianist Mrs Fraser.

The opening scenes seemed a little slow but the pace soon picked up as everyone settled into their roles.

The dance steps gradually improved and we were treated to a fabulous final routine. However, it wasn’t all about the finale but how much we cared for the characters. 

The set was perfect, and everything worked well thanks to the deft direction of Keith Graham, his experience enabling him to get great performances. The latter were also in no small part due to the choreography of the talented Katie Hawkins.   

Chris Horton