Inverness Musical Theatre gets standing ovation on opening night of Made in Dagenham with heart-warming performance
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Inverness Musical Theatre received a standing ovation on its opening night of Made in Dagenham - and very rightly so, as it was certainly a heart-warming and electric performance.
Set in 1968, Made in Dagenham follows Rita O’Grady as she leads the sewing machinists of Ford Dagenham in their strike against a pay decrease and the new classification as ‘unskilled workers’. Based on the 2010 film, the story has its roots in real-life-events which ultimately inspired the Equal Pay Act 1970, coming into force in 1975.
From the moment the curtains came up, the crowd were hooked onto Alison Ożóg - a physiotherapist by day - who played the starring role of Rita O’Grady. She was quickly joined by her on stage husband and children, Eddie O’Grady who was played by Matthias Kremer, and Sharon & Graham played by Harper MacRae & Tobbi Wood.
Singing about being ‘Made in Dagenham’ the whole cast was soon on stage, with an impressive array of costumes and set. We were quickly taken to the women in the sewing factory, with the scene set with plenty of humour, an appropriate level of cursing, but most importantly a level of relatability which engaged the packed out theatre.
Special mentions in this scene go to Nicola Gray, who played the loveable character of Beryl - a woman who says what she thinks and created a lot of laughter. Zoe Kinnear McIntyre playing the role of Sandra Beaumont, wowed the crowd with her impressive vocals.
The audience hung on to every word the girls said as they decided that ‘enough was enough’, and ‘nothing changes if nothing’s challenged.’
We watched as Rita rose from complaints of pay, to being thrust into the pivotal position of leading the strike. It was powerful, humorous and heart-breaking.
It also showed the picture of how her marriage became frayed as she no-longer played ‘the housewife’ and was criticized by her husband for having no time for the family.
Matthias Kremer gave a powerful solo number, singing the words of a letter that his character had left for Rita, as he took the children away.
The play followed the girls going to Westminster, to meet with Barbara Castle, the then Secretary of State for employment and productivity, who was instrumental in the outcome of the strike. She intervened on behalf of the factory machinists who eventually returned to work after three weeks of strikes, with their pay raised to 92 per cent of that of the men.
The role of Barbara was played by Margo Fraser, who I think personally gave the most impressive solo of the night with her performance of ‘Ideal World’.
All in all the production was seamless, with every person on stage claiming a presence. From the music to the choreography, to the props, staging and acting it felt like I was sitting in the West End.
The crowd obviously felt the same, as everyone rose to their feet as the curtains came down.
Everyone left inspired, with the conversation of equality and standing up for what’s right in the forefront of the mind.
There is still time to catch the performance, as it runs until Saturday 30 at Eden Court.
