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| Cast | |
| Narrator | Mike Higginson |
| Company | |
| Sheila Copper | David Adams |
| Maureen Hardwen | Geoff Dyke |
| Penny Holland | Andy Hall |
| Claire Kingshott | David Hampton |
| Carol La Roche | Dennis Kingshott |
| Lynda Newton | Paul Lay |
| Crew | |
| Stage Manager | Tim Hewitt |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Thelma Lott |
| Set Design | Penny Holland |
| Set Construction | Paul Jennings |
| Costumes | Eleanor McEnery |
| Lighting | Colin Lincoln |
| Piano | Judith Smith |
| Percussion | Terry Wilson |
| Bass Guitar | David Rhodes |
Thanks to Dartford Operatic Society for
the loan of the costumes used in the London sequence.
Review
Cowardy Custard, the Mermaid Theatre's champagne tribute to Noel Coward, ends the current season at the Edward Alderton Theatre, Bexleyheath, but in many respects it is something of an anticlimax. Only occasionally does the cocktail sparkle, even though the mix is a perfect blend of Coward's versatility. Not just an anthology of his songs and sketches, it also offers the view of Coward the sophisticated revue performer, the composer and librettist, the sharp social satirist, the serious playwright, and the flag-waving patriot.
As it is, we have to settle for a few highlights but in fairness, when they come, they do make the whole exercise extremely worthwhile. Claire Kingshott, nicely supported by husband Dennis, stamps class on everything she does. Mike Higginson is a little uncomfortable as the narrator but shares with David Hampton the funniest item in the second half as they combine in 'Whatever Happened to Him'. There is an extremely passable 'Mad Dogs and Englishmen' from Maureen Hardwen, and Andy Hall's 'Nina from Argentina' brightens things considerably.
Colin Shaw
Kentish Times | 2 July 1987
