HISTORY WAS MADE at the Garage Theatre on 28th November when the booked entertainment ex- tended beyond the script’s end by the longest ever recorded curtain call (in Gordon Street, anyway). Pagoda Street, a musical written and directed by De- clan Ee, provided an evening packed full of love, deceit, sin and redemp- tion mixed in with some powerfully intoxicating humour. The wit and schmaltz reached a sentimental cre- scendo at a beautifully acted marriage proposal scene, and the complemen- tary CD of the music will remain a prized possession by many. The great ambition of this production was clear, and its success even more so.
Yet this was not the end! Indeed it was barely even the beginning of the end! No, a curtain call and encore continued the story for another three acts. First the actors were all present- ed with roses, then the numerous crew were brought out to take their ap- plause. Act two saw Declan himself make an illustrious appearance. He made a series of monologues about the cast, the crew, the play, the audience, the night, his friends, his parents and his cat. He then entered into a medi- tative speech, complete with a coastal wave soundtrack, which implored the actors to allow this moment on stage to stretch on forever. At the same time, no doubt, a few of the audience mem- bers began to wish their bladders could stretch on forever.
Act three picked up the pace a little with a few more delightful songs from the cast, sending up elements of the performance. This clever extra material would have been most wel- come had it not combined with the previous act to ensure that this alco- holic hack missed his crucial post-the- atre drink. The Cheese Grater congrat- ulates all involved on a magnificent performance but implores the Musi- cal Society to take action, and demand a thirty second time limit on all direc- torial/authorial speeches (Some hope — Ed.).