A MODEL GIRL - THE CRITICS
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| Back of the flyer for the Greenwich show |
The reviews for the show were generally pretty favourable, the most enthusiastic being Quentin Letts’ four-star review in the Daily Mail, ‘Sex, scandal and some top tunes’:
“The show does … have a real spark of talent, both in Miss Williams and in the work of composer Marek Rymaszewski … Miss Williams makes [Keeler] polite, almost respectable. But her voice is magnificent and Mr Rymaszewski gives her memorable melodies. His songs are refreshingly varied, at one point enriched by classical cello, at another tripping into a Caribbean rhythm … When Profumo (Dale Rapley) falls for Keeler he sings a lovely number called 'Mesmerised'. His sung exchanges with Labour MP George Wigg (Stuart Nurse) over the Commons despatch box are funny and innovative … It's a brave musical that ends on a melancholy note but one of the numerous merits of A Model Girl is that it avoids cliché … In truth it may only be a three and a half star [!] job at present but with full orchestration and a bigger budget it would certainly not disgrace the West End.”
and Charles Spencer’s in the Daily Telegraph, “Swing when you’re singing”:
“Don't get too excited, for high hopes have a nasty habit of biting the dust, but here is a new British musical by a pair of unknowns that combines real achievement with even greater promise … What's not in doubt is the excellence of many of the songs, ranging from cabaret show-tunes to ska, and from bouncy pop to soaring romantic ballads. The instrumental passages, including a thrilling prologue throbbing with danger and sexuality, put one in mind of John Barry and the Bond movies … Nevertheless, the enduring fascination of the scandal and the excellence of the best songs (‘Vile Bodies’ is another hauntingly atmospheric cracker) ensure the show's success. With a bigger budget and sharper staging, ‘A Model Girl’ deserves to take its chance in the West End.”
A splendid geezer called David Thompson of Harmer Green sent this response to the Mail article:
“Emma Williams is as gorgeous as her wonderful voice. If this does not transfer to the West End then thousands of theatre goers will miss out on a real treat.”
to which the lovely ‘Susie of London’ responded:
“Simply want to say, what an excellent show! Saw it twice as did a few people I know, wish it was showing for a longer period of time. As David Thompson remarked, an awful shame if it doesn't go to the West End.”
Sadly, it didn’t transfer to the West End, and there are no plans at present to resurrect it.
(However, thanks to the marvellous John Craig, founder of First Night Records, for his constant and continuing enthusiasm and support!!)
