Stepping Out

This is a fabulous warm hearted comedy where six women of very different backgrounds come together for tap dancing classes. Geoffrey is the only male client of plucky dance teacher Mavis who has to cope with all the differing abilities and temperaments, especially posh Vera. Julie Waters and Liza Minnelli played Mavis and Vera in the famous film version, although nothing can capture the wit and pleasure of this church hall mayhem like a live performance.

CAST

MAVIS – LAURA CHANDLER
LYNN – GRACE GARSIDE
SYLVIA – LISE BANKS
ANDY – ROS GREENWOOD
DOROTHY – APRIL MILLAR
VERA – DAWN FLINT
GEOFFREY – KEVIN PROCTOR
MAXINE – KLARA JEYNES
ROSE – NANCY NORRIE
MRS FRASER – CHRISTINE PERRY
ASM’S: Carole Gibson & Pat Head

MANY years ago I interviewed someone about being involved in the amateur arts scene and asked him what he enjoyed about his involvement in it. He said it brings together people from all walks of life, with all sorts of experiences and nowhere is this more apparent than in Stepping Out, Altrincham Garrick’s penultimate show of the current season. Take a group of dancers with very different personalities and you have the recipe for fun and friction. But Richard Harris’s heart warming comedy isn’t just the ‘laugh at the hopeless hoofers show.’ All the class members, including teacher Mavis, have a story to tell, most of which tug at the heart strings. While Stepping Out falls into the feel good category the real world, with all its trials and tribulations, does have the audacity to intrude on occasions. Director Steph Niland obviously has a deep-seated affection for the show and this is there for all to see in this highly watchable production. Ros Greenwood is perfect for the role of Andy, mousy and quiveringly unsure of herself, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who sat there willing Andy to get together with Geoffrey, the class’s solitary male. There’s a touching chemistry between Ros and Kevin Proctor, who plays this lovable doormat quite brilliantly. Christine Perry is also very funny as the little Hitler of a pianist Mrs Fraser, a woman you cross at your peril. You’ll certainly find yourself rooting for Mavis (Laura Chandler), the tap dancing teacher charged with the unenviable task of making her charges fit for a performance on a real stage. If I have a criticism it’s that Stepping Out is 15 minutes too long but you’re sure to leave the Garrick with your spirits well and truly raised. Star Rating ★★★

Remotegoat.com review by Julia Taylor

‘Stepping Out cast stand Out’

Stepping Out, Richard Harris’s comedy about a group of would-be tap dancers who practise in a church hall, has timeless appeal. Set in the 1980’s it has little to do with the group’s prowess at dance or lack of it, but more to do with their ability to tackle life’s problems. Laura Chandler’s Mavis, their enthusiastic, ex-professional dance teacher, has problems herself but puts them on hold to nurture her pupils so they can perform at a charity do. Laura is, in fact, an excellent dancer who performs an unforgettable tap solo. Her style of teaching is forceful and realistic. She makes the cast not just step out but stand out. I suspect that all of them are just as good as Chandler but they do an excellent job of hiding it to appear as clod hopping beginners. The token male among the eight learners is played by newcomer, Kevin Proctor. His Geoffrey is the most ham footed of them all. In real life Proctor is a choreographer and, although not listed as such, I suspect he offered his expertise to the other dancers. A close runner up in the graceless stakes is Ros Greenwood’s Andy who carries a torch for him. She’s a serious specky four eyes type. Dawn Flint’s Vera wears glamorous clothes but, under the skin she is anything but. In fact, she is a nosey, self-centred snob. Another interesting character is Lise Nivern-Banks garish Liverpudlian Sylvia. She deservedly gets a lot of laughs from her unladylike actions. The beauty of this production is the interaction of the characters. Mavis’s relationship with her cantankerous pianist is a good example. Christine Perry captures well her staid personality and often makes the audience laugh especially in the way she walks. The last scene is the best but I won’t give the game away on that.Star Rating ★★★

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