ianlouisiana Review of In Love with Alma Cogan

In Love with Alma Cogan (2012)

Eccentric,warm - hearted,gently funny...if you can find it.

[10/10 · 17 October 2014]

The Pier Theatre,Cromer,an Edwardian English seaside town on the bleak North Norfolk coast is about as far from the glamour the West End as it is possible to get in Show Business terms,but Norman(The late Mr Roger Lloyd Pack)has produced shows here for thirty years and they have always been in the black,financially speaking, but the Town Corporation are after closing him down and trying more modern forms of entertainment. They bring in his former friend Eddie with the hope that Norman's pride will force him to resign but all it does is make him even more determined to carry on. With the help of his long - suffering assistant Sandra,(the lovely Miss N.Cusack),he and Eddie rub along and decide to book an Alma Cogan tribute act,a serendipity that helps save all three of them. It is revealed that Norman as a young stagehand had a brief romance with Miss Cogan at the peak of her career and has held a torch for her ever since. "Were you in love with Alma Cogan?" Sandra asks gently as they sit in a wind - swept shelter on the seafront. "I was obsessed with Alma Cogan",says Norman sadly. The story of how Norman and Sandra discover what has been obvious to the rest of us from the start- that they are made for each other - and Norman's courage as a member of the Cromer Lifeboat crew is beautifully revealed by Mr T.Britten,the Norfolk - based director whose next project "Chick Lit" also set in that county is in production. In these days of TV spinoffs,CGI,youth - based Sci Fi and vampire movies there seems little place for gems like "In love with Alma Cogan" made for little money for a grown - up audience who like to see people of their own age portrayed on screen.And that is very sad,because,given the chance,they might well flock to it.