Blonde Bombshells of 1943 was the perfect antidote to a wet, windy July evening in Keswick.
The warm and witty musical play packed with live swing performances of 1940s classics brightened up everyone.
The production shines the spotlight on an all-girl northern swing band which desperately needs new members – having lost previous ones every time they played a GI camp.
Auditions are held in a run down air raid shelter. The pressure is on as band leader Betty has agreed to a big BBC job – that night.
She and existing members, May, Grace and Vera, don’t mince their words. The straight-talking women put the band hopefuls through their paces.
They’re an eclectic bunch – a naïve schoolgirl, enthusiastic nun and worldly-wise soldier, who appears to have seen it all. Apart from when she’s driving her commanding officer in blackouts, when she’s ended up crashing into everything from tanks to Nissan Huts.
The final candidate is young Patrick, a draft-dodging drummer who didn’t fancy the Army and opted to stay home with his mum.
It’s clear how the band feels about that. Grace and Vera are both struggling to deal with the horrors of their husbands being called up. They don’t hold back. The tension is palpable.
This, along with all the anxieties of living during wartime, is beautifully mixed with a lot of humour.
We laugh to stop ourselves crying, says Betty.
But what ultimately brings this motley, exceptionally talented crew together is music. When they start playing and singing, they are united and sparkling.
The play, by Alan Plater, is done in the round, which works well and feels intimate. The instruments are pretty much the set.
Various actors move effortlessly between instruments and singing. May (Verity Bajoria) on the piano was compelling to watch.
All of the actors shone. Stacey Ghent (Miranda) is not only a talented musician but a brilliant comedy actress, effortlessly sashaying round the stage while playing the flugelhorn and twerking with a trumpet. And I don't believe anyone else could defuse a huge bomb with such aplomb – and a handy hairpin.
The audience - at times waving flags and clapping – were completely won over by the Blonde Bombshells. It was great to see the theatre packed, a true sell-out success.
Blonde Bombshells of 1943 runs at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, until July 29
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