.....the award winning musical comedy by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe

South Wales EVENING POST Review (re 7th March 2005 performance) - by Graham Williams

"The first production in what promises to be an exciting new era for Cockett Amateur Operatic Society is dedicated to the memory of David Thomas MBE, whose involvement with the amateur musical community in and around Swansea/Port Talbot made him something of a legend.

His daughter, Cockett's Artistic Director, Kathryn Rice, has confounded all expectations with this wonderfully spirited, fast-paced and colourful production of a show which might at first sound like kids' stuff (it is after all based on the story of The Ugly Duckling) but which actually emerges as an immensely involving, amusing, and at times, very moving piece of musical theatre.

It is rare that an amateur production is so brilliantly cast, not merely in the key roles but also in the characters who hover at the fringes of the action: this is a story in which almost every single character is brought to life with little nuances, mannerisms and accents which make all the difference. Even the chorus work is so animated and bubbly that at times the show resembles a live-action cartoon.

Gary Hinds shines in the lead role as Ugly, whose ill-fitting school uniform and gangly appearance mark him out from his cooler and more appealing siblings (Celine Forrest, Catherine Mort, Laura Williams and Charlotte Jenkins). After becoming lost, Ugly embarks on a perilous journey which brings him into contact with a variety of weird and wonderful characters including an unlikely pairing of a seductive pussycat (Cath Fraser) and a hen (Lyndy Harding), a squadron of Geese led by an RAF-style leader called Greylag (Ken Thomas) and a bullfrog with a nice line in deadpan Northern humour played by Stefan Pejic.

Nia Trussler-Jones (daughter of Little Britains's Menna Trussler) is especially effective in the pivotal role of Ida (Ugly's mum) and is ably supported by Mark Warren (Drake), Liz Stockton (Maureen), Joanne Giblin (Dot) and Peter L. Howard (Turkey). There is even a smartly played cameo role from local amateur favourite Elaine Sullivan as Grace.

The standout performance however, comes from Owen Griffiths as the farmyard Cat, a creature so determined to get his claws into Ugly that he beats Warner Brothers' Sylvester hands (or should that be paws?) down. At one point, he is dragged unconcious from the stage along with the rest of the props.

Fantastic set-pieces include a brilliantly executed snowstorm and an inventive scene in which the geese, led by their stiff-upper-lipped squadron leader, take to the skies...well not quite the skies, but it is amazing what you can do with a few small props and a bit of imagination.

First class stuff proving that fresh and adventurous works and can be every bit as exhilarating and enjoyable (if not more so) than the old favourites. Full marks not only to Kathryn Rice but also to her Assistant, Julie George amd Musical Director Lyndon Samuel for their contributions to this excellent production."

SYNOPSIS

Ever had the feeling that everyone goes Honk! ...and you go Quack!?

Spring has come to the duckyard. Drake, the Mallard Duck, and his long suffering partner, Ida, await the birth of a new brood, but the clutch seems to contain one inordinately large egg this year. Sure enough, it cracks open to reveal an ugly chick nothing like his siblings, who makes a strange honk sound instead of the expected quack!

Ida warms to him, though, and takes him out for the first swim on the lake, finding him to be a prodigious swimmer. The other farmyard fowl, however ridicule him, driving him into the eager arms of the Tom Cat, who invites him back to the "Kitty Kat Snack Shack" for lunch.

Ugly escapes by the skin of his teeth, but with night falling he becomes lost. The concerned Ida insists that Drake and the others launch a search. The next day, Ugly finds himself on open marshland in the middle of a duck shoot. He is taken under the wing of Greylag, a pompous military goose, his well-meaning wife Dot, and a comical troup of geese. Though the Cat appears and again tries subterfuge to get ahold of Ugly, his plans are once again thwarted. Meanwhile, Ida has left Drake in charge of the nest, and has gone in search of her missing boy.

Ugly finds a small cottage, home to a domesticated hen named Lowbutt and her feline companion, Queenie. The Cat appears yet again, but distracted by Queenie's charms he once again allows Ugly to escape. Back at the duckyard, Drake is learning valuable parenting skills, even as Ida's search becomes more frantic. With the onset of freezing winter, Ugly's prospects are bleak but meeting a beautiful young swan named Penny begins to give him hope. Declining her invitation to join the swan family's migration.

Ugly resumes his journey to find his mother. Befriended by an ebullient bullfrog and his froglets, Ugly is cheered considerably, until he is caught in a hunter's net. Rescued by the ever resourceful Cat, who is still hoping to dine on the growing bird, both are soon caught in a raging blizzard, and frozen into snow creatures. With the onset of spring, the swans and Ida arrive just in the nick of time, paving the way for a triumphant trip to the farmyard.