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REVIEW
The Power Behind the Microphone
Chelmsford Civic Theatre Live Stream
15th June 2021
It was always going to be a brave and ambitious project, attempting to put on a theatrical performance during a pandemic, but Chelmsford Theatres’ artistic director, Ian Knowles, obviously had faith in director, David Streames’ abilities and passion for putting on a show. 

Producing a play under these conditions comes with obvious risk factors and these were all allayed by undertaking strict social distancing rules within the theatre.  The other, perhaps more obvious, worry would be the issues of actually transmitting a theatrical production live via the powers of the internet.  Ironically, as the play highlights the complications of the technicalities of putting on the world’s first live radio entertainment broadcast, it would seem that modern day internet issues, can also become a stumbling block when it comes to live streaming such things.  The failsafe of today’s technology is that it can be replayed over and over beyond its live broadcast date and although there were some sound issues and frozen screens, The Power Behind the Microphone will be available to be watched and listened to forever more.
The play marks the 100 year anniversary of the first live entertainment broadcast with Marconi’s historic radio transmission of Dame Nellie Melba’s operatic voice being played down the airwaves and through the ether to radio listeners all over the world.  Initially, the play was devised as a theatrical production for stage but with the Covid-19 virus forcing our theatres into darkness with the lockdown and strict 2 metre distancing rules, this was always going to be a challenge.  Director, David Streames, then came up with the idea of performing The Power Behind the Microphone as a radio play and it was then the realisation dawned on all involved, that this could work well in both mediums.

Anna Steiger’s powerful operatic vocals are heard at exactly the same date (15th June) and time (7:10pm), a hundred years ago that Dame Nellie sung out There’s No Place Like Home to audiences across the globe.  Tim Wander’s play then re-tells the story of how this historic moment came to be, with a wonderful cast including Robert Daws, David Warwick, Jeffrey Harmer, Martin Carroll, Wendy Morgan, Lily Streames and David Milligan taking to the stage, accompanied by David Stanley on piano.  The set is a fantastic reproduction of the original Writtle shed and absolutely recreates the ambiance of the era.  The players breathe life into each of their characters and, sound issues aside, allow the audience to be drawn into the exciting discoveries of their inventiveness.  The all essential sound effects worked well throughout too.

I watched the play on the YouTube stream which unfortunately kept freezing, however, being forced to listen, rather than view was - I feel - rather more apt. ​
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The story unfolds to explain just how the famous operatic diva, Dame Nellie, came to perform in a lowly Writtle Packing Shed in 1920. It also gives focus to the young Winnifred Sayer who was an integral part of the process.  She was discovered in a local Chelmsford pub singing with Freddie Munnion and his band, the Funnions, when the head of engineering, Billy Ditcham and Head of Research, Captain Round, just happened to be looking for singers.   Initially, Freddie didn’t want to perform without an audience but Winnifred persuaded him to go for it and ended up being the one to test the broadcast with the new microphone made out of an old telephone!  Winnifred would be paid 10 shillings for her part in the experiment, compared to Dame Nelly Melba’s whopping £1,000 paid by the Daily Mail, for her 15 minute performance at the Marconi Station M2X Chelmsford’s performance of The Magic of the Wireless.

As Captain Eckersley boldly announced, “Big things can happen in a little hut,” and despite some valve issues and a humming generator in the room next door, the historic radio performance proved the engineers’ hard work a huge success.  The broadcast reached as far as Australia and America.  It was even reported that in France the windows rattled and pigeons fell from the sky!
This play was always going to appeal to radio buffs around the world with its reverence to Chelmsford’s radio history.  Marconi is a massive big deal for Chelmsford folk and from a historical perspective this play is a fabulous educational asset for future generations to discover just how radio was born.  The play itself could be said to be overly narrative and although there are moments of humour injected into the script, it does feel rather like a history lesson rather than a performance at times.  Lily Streames does a lovely job in her role as Winnifred and maybe an adaption of the play concentrating on Winnifred’s life would do well and invoke more passion and emotion into the story, with the undercurrent of the radio broadcast taking place.  It could also touch on what must have been an ultimate disappointment for Winnifred in that she never actually got to be the one who sung on the live broadcast.
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That said, this is a wonderful way to celebrate the centenary of Marconi’s first live entertainment broadcast which eventually led to the British Broadcasting Corporation leading the way in radio and proves that even during adversity us Brits will always manage to get the job done. Congrats to all involved and I look forward to being able to see the play for real once theatres are allowed to re-open.  I think we are all missing live theatre terribly right now.

To watch the performance click here or go to Chelmsford Theatres Facebook Page

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