Big musicals in small spaces have up-close appeal, and it's novel to have someone high-kicking so close they're in danger of knocking off your nose. Under the railway arches at the Union, you're just as likely to see terrific productions and 1,000-watt performances as you are on a West End stage. What's more, the theatre provides a chance to experience flawed gems that would never survive the exposure of a glitzy production in a big theatre, but which still offer an entertaining night out.
That's the case with Jule Styne's musical, with book and lyrics by that fine team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The story is rather unpromisingly set in a celebrity answering service in 1950s New York, where switchboard girl Ella Peterson gets involved with her clients' lives, despite only knowing them by their voices. But there is a reason why this variation on Cinderella, in which Ella acts as fairy godmother to several people (including her own fairytale prince, the blocked writer Jeff Moss), ran for 924 performances on Broadway in the 50s.
For all its silliness and subplots about a betting ring and a dopey policeman, it's got some terrific songs, and a fantastically kooky heroine. Anna-Jane Casey creates her own little miracle in the role as Ella goes round creating miracles for others. It's utter tosh, but of the most delicious kind, and though Paul Foster's production overstays its welcome (it needs to lose 20 minutes), its sheer oomph and Alistair David's terrific choreography kept me smiling throughout like a gummy baby.
