There was much to admire about Maldon Drama Group's latest production, Cable Street Blues, which was an ambitious collaboration with Maldon Orchestra that truly paid off. 

The orchestra greeted audiences by flexing their Klezmer muscles, providing and upbeat and jolly welcome. It was an appropriate nod to the production's theme.

A full orchestra is not something local amateur dramatics audiences are often treated to. You could tell by the packed house on opening night how many residents and Maldon Drama Group (MDG) regulars were eager to experience it. 

The play begins in 1917 with a pensive Jewish musician named Aleksandr, nervously awaiting the birth of his baby boy. Shortly after the birth, tragedy strikes early on as we learn he must raise the boy alone. 

The music helps tell this story without a single word uttered, conveying the darkest moments in this new widower's life. Nathan Songer's performance bares Aleksander's heartbreak and despair expertly for all, although his thick (Russian?) accent did slip at times, occasionally drawing audiences away from the story. 

A Russian Jew in London (not to be confused with the 80s horror flick), Aleksander goes off to America. He leaves his baby son at an orphanage, with a cornet and a small pile of clothes. 

Colin Bellett belts out some incredible ballads with backing from Maldon Orchestra. (Credit: David Weller)

An excellent rendition of Blue Moon, performed by Colin Bellett and Maldon Orchestra, aids the transition to Percival's Grocery Store. Middle-class Rose Percival (Nikita Eve-Mansfield) has returned to her family shop after studying in Bournemouth, where she is reunited with best pal Lizzie (Holly Stanhope). 

Despite a "surplus" of two million women following the Great War, Rose managed to snag a well-to-do man who was nearly a decade older than her. 

MDG made great use of the technology available to them at Plume Academy's main hall. Projections and music were used to present a montage which moved the story forward with little need for exposition.   

Rose's lover is sent off to fight, while she is left in London. Mother Noreen (Stephanie Ireland) worries about her daughter's sudden weight gain in a humorous exchange with father Henry (Dave Ford). While Noreen implies Rose may be pregnant, Henry is more concerned that his shop could get looted if Britain loses the war. It's a great bit of foreshadowing from writer Neil Fisher. 

Nikita Eve-Mansfield demonstrates excellent vocal control and some powerful lungs during 'Careless Love'. But they may have been a bit too powerful for the sound system, with audible clipping at times. 

Rose admits she's in "the oldest form of trouble", but her father forbids an abortion. Later, while staying at a mother's refuge, Rose's baby is taken away. 

Running alongside the main plot are occasional inputs from a narrator, tracking the timeline of Oswald Mosely's rise to fascist power. The first, from 1919, declares "the ambitious 21-year-old" has just been elected to Parliament. It is a useful way to move the story on without losing the audience. 

Rose meets a Jewish orphan named Samuel at a jazz club, and their relationship quickly blossoms. (Credit: David Weller)

The Roaring Twenties are in full swing. Despite not having much luck at the jazz club, Rose feels a spark with a musician (Barry Taylor) who "couldn't take his eyes off her". Samuel, as we learn, has been playing the cornet all his life – a gift from his musician father Aleksandr. 

An excellent rendition of The Way You Look Tonight accompanies a montage of Rose and Samuel's blossoming romance over six months. 

But the happiness doesn't last long, thanks in part to Rose's father Henry forbidding his daughter marrying "a Jew". Samuel's optimistic parade is devastatingly rained on and he decides to go off to America alone, in search of work. Dave Ford and Barry Taylor gave a passionate portrayal of the frequently frictional father and son-in-law relationship. 

When Rose's baby is found at a "baby farm" in Australia and a plan is hatched to return the now three-year-old to his family, she adapts to life without Samuel. 

Nathan Songer (Aleksandr) doubles as a gifted pianist, playing jazz number 'St James Infirmary' as the scene changes once more. Unfortunately, it would be the last we saw of Aleksandr, as he took his life shortly after writing a letter to his son, Samuel. 

Cable Street Blues' much larger cast is shown off during scenes such as Lizzie and Nat's wedding. (Credit: David Weller)

The second half opens with a joyful Jewish wedding, with Lizzie and Samuel's friend Nat getting married. A forlorn Rose and Samuel look on. 

Both have experienced loss and change during their time apart, such as Rose losing her father. Finally, she admits to Sam that the "adopted brother" she'd been seen with was really her long-lost son. 

Orphan Samuel's reaction is one of betrayal and frustration. Of course Rose's baby wouldn't have dampened his passion for her – what kind of child doesn't want their mum around? The scene is heart-wrenching at points, as they both lament the three years they wasted. 

"You've ruined everything," Samuel says. 

Samuel visits his rabbi, where a letter from his recently deceased dad informs him he's been left a lot of money. Who better, then, to snap up Rose's family shop just as she's forced to sell it? 

A destitute war veteran (Colin Bellet) belts out a stirring rendition of Brother, Can You Spare a Dime. 

The sinister arrival of Oswald Mosely is marked by a shady figure on a soapbox (played by writer Neil Fisher), spouting hateful rhetoric to a growing audience. Jewish residents are increasingly cast out, abused, and bullied. 

'Sing, Sing, Sing', underscores the rapid changes in Britain as time marches on. By 1936, Mosely established the British Union of Fascists (BUF). 

Meanwhile, Rose's son is 18 and in the military. Samuel and Rose also have an eight-year-old daughter named Becky. 

Rose bravely defends her daughter and her shop from a couple of Blackshirts. (Credit: David Weller)

One day, a couple of Blackshirts visit Rose in her shop, as one warns her to shut up shop ahead of a BUF "demonstration". An armed Rose tells them, in no uncertain terms, to leave her and her frightened daughter alone. 

It is an unabashed reminder of the ignorance and bubbling undercurrent of hatred harboured by Mosely and the BUF. 

The line: "I fought at Passchendaele and haven't had a job since," is a nod to the more unsavoury political factions of the present, fuelled by economic hardship. 

Antisemitism is on the rise. Tension builds with music from the orchestra as Samuel and his Jewish neighbours plan to defend their homes from the BUF during the impending Battle of Cable Street. 

Maldon Drama Group uses the technology available well, projecting a montage of archive footage from the real battle. It effectively hammers home the chaotic and unrelenting animosity. Maldon Orchestra appropriately underscores the montage with suspenseful music which marches to a similar rhythm as soldiers heading into battle. 

Throughout the production, Maldon Orchestra provided a largely polished score to complement each scene. It may have been even better to hear more of them, especially during silent scene changes. (Credit: David Weller)

But although Samuel and his friends celebrate their victory over the BUF and "the defeat of fascism everywhere", Mosely's doctrine remains a growing threat. 

Finally, a lone Jewish refugee boy arrives at Liverpool Street Station and is taken in by a British family. It signifies the start of a new World War – as writer Neil Fisher wisely leaves the rest of the story to the history books. 

It is a fitting and thought-provoking end to a production which is sure to stick in the minds of audiences for many years to come. Maldon Orchestra was on fine form, perfectly complementing the slick and professional work of Maldon Drama Group. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - FIVE STARS

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