Having read the review for the first performances of ‘Smile’ back in April (see  REVIEW: ‘Smile – A Charlie Chaplin Musical’ – The Niton Playbox – IWtheatre), I arrived at Niton Village Hall with high expectations – and they were more than met. The show is a delight from start to finish and every cast member absolutely shone on stage.

The story is a very clever interweaving of the true family histories of the famous Charlie Chaplin and the Babingtons, who lived in Lambeth at the turn of the 20^th Century. Daisy Babington was a school friend of Charlie’s, the grandmother of Val Hayward who wrote the show; great grandmother of pianist Rosie Hayward and great grandmother of Rosie’s daughters Ellen and Polly who took roles on stage. With Ellen as director and choreographer and Rosie’s husband Tony Careless on guitar and taking the role of The Chairman, this was truly a family show.

Talented as the Hayward/Careless family clearly are however, an equal amount of talent was on display across all the actors, all of whom were perfectly cast – in most cases in multiple roles. For instance, Florence Fradgley appeared along with Sophie Crombie and Connie Cronin as high kicking showgirls: she dominated the stage as the fearsomely strict and somewhat ironically named Sister Mary Mercy, yet drew sympathetic tears in her portrayal of Lizzie Babington, Daisy’s mother, deserted by her husband and struggling to raise her family.

There were wonderful supporting performances from Ozzy Cornes, Noah Walker-Green and Alannah Griffiths, while Maisie Walker-Green was amazing as Young Daisy, especially her singing in the schoolroom scene. Another young performer to look out for is Polly Careless who played Young Charlie and then Daisy’s brother Billy: her stage confidence is fabulous, as is her singing voice, comedy timing and cheeky grin.

The three main roles however, taken by older cast members – though still in their mid-teens – were perfectly portrayed, with the three-way love triangle and onstage chemistry as good or better than most adult productions. George Sales showed his versatility by taking both the role of George Gaunt, the self-proclaimed ‘bad’ and grasping landlord who threatens to throw the struggling Babington family on to the streets, and the gentle, kind-hearted Will Connell, who loves Daisy with all his heart. As an aside, George, Ozzy and Connie show their singing and comedy talents in a couple of variety numbers which are a real highlight and had me in stitches!

Ellen Careless managed to successfully direct the show and take the roles of Hannah, Charlie Chaplin’s manic depressive mother, and Daisy Babington. Her beautiful singing voice was in evidence as well as her impressive acting talent – I loved the scene where Will and Charlie are vying for her affection, singing ‘If You Were the Only Girl in the World’ and ‘Let Me Call You Sweetheart’ – Ellen’s facial expressions clearly showed her preferences….

Oliver Back was exceptional as Charlie, book-ending the story with monologues detailing Chaplin’s life which could have come across as dry factual history but which he imbued with a real empathy for the boy who suffered so much as a young child. While also displaying great acting talent and comic timing, he also provided a tearjerking moment when he sang ‘Smile’ to Daisy as she mourned the death of her baby brother.

Indeed, the songs provided the backbone to the story, whether traditional London tunes like Daisybell; music hall favourites like Champagne Charlie, or more recent show songs such as Tallulah and Bad Guys from Bugsy Malone (a nod to the musical tastes of the younger performers and audience members). Every song was perfectly delivered with clear diction, and the sound system made sure it was audible throughout the hall; a mention has to be made here of the delightful music which not only accompanied the songs but set the atmosphere for the show, all accomplished with just a piano and guitar – and the talents of Rose Hayward and Tony Careless, whose turn as the Chairman also contributed to the music hall flavour.

I took two visiting relatives, themselves real East Enders, to see the show and they sang along to all the songs, were enraptured by the young talent on the stage and absolutely enjoyed every single minute – as did the whole audience judging from the long, loud applause at the end of the show. Everyone associated with ‘Smile’ can feel very, very proud of what they have achieved – well done all!