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Boys with dapper hats and girls with bobs, head-hugging curls and ringlets, accessorised with cloche hats, wide, soft headbands and short, straight dresses from the flapper era are among the highlights of the all-children play, Bugsy Malone & Friends, which opens at the British Club tomorrow night.
A MASK (Music and Stage for Kids) production, directed by Joanna Pascoe, the multi-national cast of 31 children are aged from 10 to 16, who hail from various schools in the kingdom.
The children are knit together by their love for acting, said producer Carrie Bell. "They are from a mix of different schools and what they have loved is coming together, meeting each other and making new friends," she added.
Through song and dance and slick dialogues the young cast stage the story of the 1970s musical film, Bugsy Malone, which relates exploits of New York City gangsters like Al Capone and Bugs Moran. The original film, directed by Alan Parker, featured an all-child cast including Hollywood star Jodi Foster but the songs were voice over's by adults.
In Bahrain's debut production, children sing the songs, music to which is provided live by musicians from the Saar Music Centre.
It's a love story between Bugsy Malone and a 'wannabe singer' Blousey Brown and a war for supremacy between two gangs - Fat Sam's and Dandy Dan's.
Producer Carrie Bell promises an evening of action and humour with some home-grown innovation. She said: "It is a family show ... it is fun and it is non-stop action. From scene to scene we have singing, dancing and quite a lot of comedy.
"We have lots of lovely costumes and lots of songs and music. A lot of research has also been done to make the experience authentic. The make-up and costumes and hair are all from the 1920's.
"We also have lots of splurge, which is shooting each other with specially designed guns that shoot snowflakes. So, they end up splurging each other. We also have spaghetti pies. So, it's a messy show too!"
Make-up and costumes have been researched and put together by parents and volunteers. The directors and producer have full-time jobs but have come together for the love of theatre. There are 140 costumes and some children have up to six-changes.
This is the third production put together by MASK, the first two being Oliver and Wizard of Oz. Carrie said: "It is all about giving children the confidence to be on stage while enjoying the entire experience."
Lead roles in tomorrow's performance include Bugsy played by Chris Beaty, 13; Blousey by Jenna Kamal, 15; Tallulah by Annabel Browne, 11; Fat Sam by Shwan Adams, 14; Dandy Dan by Hugh Harris, 16 and Knuckles by Caleb Trow, 16. Rory Adamson is the stage director and Lydia Martin is the show's musical director.
Bugsy Malone, a two-act, 90 minute performance with a 15 minute interval, will be performed at the British Club on Thursday to Saturday at 7pm. Tickets are available from Alosra, British Club and Sar Music Centre.
