After my false start the other week, when I went to the wrong show, I finally managed to catch this latest offering from the wonderful Mikron, in beautiful downtown Bingley. It was well worth the wait, even though there were no fish and chips involved. A Magnum ice cream at the interval was my only indulgence. As you will see later, I think that there could have been a sinister plot by the company to lure me to Guiseley.
The cast: Catherine Warnock, James McLean, Georgina Liley and Rob Took.
I must begin by saying that I found this show really hit home, as it told the story of Bletchley Park, a stately home in Buckinghamshire, which was converted into a top secret code-breaking ‘factory’ during the Second World War. The secrecy was such, that even though it had a staff of 10,000, it never officially existed and not even the locals were aware that anything was going on. Although providing a crucial contribution to winning the war, those who worked there were reviled when they returned home for not appearing to have joined up to fight on the various fronts.
Whilst not as spectacularly effective, my late mother was in the WAAF, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, and she had a posting which, although not in combat, was about as stressful as you could get, in that she, and the other girls, had to plot the progress of aircraft flying on raids over the Continent. There was no GPS so just a map of Europe on a huge table, with card holders bearing the details of the planes involved. They would be moved across the board with the use of long poles, a bit like those which roulette croupiers employ to rake in the chips. She would tell me of the nights, or early mornings, when their job was done, how most of them were in bits, realising that the cards which failed to make the return leg represented planes full of young men. Whilst there would only be a few in bombers and one in fighters, some were full of paratroopers. To add to that, for purposes of morale, they were not allowed to tell anyone any operational details so they had to bear the grief alone. The WAAF also supplied specialist staff for Bletchley Park. Judging by the demographic of the audience, I am sure that most of them had a story to tell about the hostilities.
As you may surmise, this production, although full of humour and songs, had a bit more of an edge than those about beach huts and weather forecasting.
The show opened with what appeared to be a shooting party in the grounds of Bletchley Park, but was a fact finding mission by the military, to sus out the place regarding its suitability for the job in hand. They had decided to move out of London in the event of war, to avoid becoming collateral damage in any attack and also it would be easier to spot interlopers in a small village. The pile was purchased by Sir Hugh Sinclair, head of the Secret Intelligence Services in 1938 just in case.
The story centres around Hut 3, which is where the top notch codebreakers were accommodated. It was here that Alan Turing invented his ‘bomb’ which was a sort of computer which could translate the German Enigma code machine. Primitive by today’s standards it was a huge leap forward at the time.
The tale was told through the eyes of 18-year-old Peggy, who had been sent to Bletchley Park as she was gifted with the ability to see messages in complex coding, and arrived not knowing what she was there for. She was billeted with Mrs Walters, whose son was in the army in the Middle East. This gave a view of the war from a ‘normal’ person’s perspective.
The time span is from 1938, when the shooting party was arranged, to VE Day in 1945. The Normandy Landings on D-Day were very poignantly dealt with and most moving.
The four actors; Catherine Warnock, Georgina Liley, James McLean and Rob Took, once again, demonstrated their versatility, taking multiple parts with minimal costume changes – mainly hats – and playing several instruments. These were not only there to provide music, but also the sound effects. A triangle was the telephone ring, the violin the air raid siren and the trombone gave a great impression of an aircraft flying overhead. The conventional music was composed by Greg Last, with lyrics from Lucy Raine, who also wrote the script. It was arranged and directed by Robert Cooper. The Director was Elvi Piper.
A celebratory jive.
The ingenuity of this company never ceases to amaze me. Tonight the props were mainly improvised, which added to the air of austerity during wartime Britain. The telephone was a watch chain and a pipe, the field radio a tin mug and the backs of the guitars were desks.
The dialogue was firmly based in the time and they managed to include most of the propaganda slogans issued by the Ministry of Information, so we had Be Like Dad and Keep Mum, Loose Lips Sink Ships and, to end the first half, a unique take on probably the most famous of them all. I will not spill the beans as Careless Talk Costs Lives.
I must also mention Celia Perkins, who not only designed the set, but also the costumes, which were spot on. The outfit worn by Georgina Liley, and her hairdo, were almost identical to a photograph I used to have of my mum.
This has been another cracking season from Mikron, and I can’t wait to find out what 2026 brings. After every production, not only have I left in a happy mood, but also learned a great deal on the way. The main lesson from 2025 is that I need to be at the right venue on the correct night. Actually, I am not so sure that going to Guiseley was my mistake after all. Perhaps Mikron might have gleaned a trick from Bletchley Park, and changed the road signs round to send me to the wrong place.
Photographs by Robling Photography. Feature image from Mikron.
For more about Mikron and to book shows, please go to https://mikron.org.uk/
Full details of everything at Bingley Little Theatre it is https://www.bingleyartscentre.co.uk/
Tyke It To The Limit 