Review: Made in Dagenham - Tullyvin MS

Public Adjudication

Society name: Tullyvin Musical Society

Show name: Made in Dagenham

Date of attendance: 18^th October 2025

There is something so uplifting about amateur musical theatre produced by local, community-based groups. There is a palpable passion and sense of togetherness as collective energies come together to create a unique, shared experience for performers and audiences alike. Tullyvin Musical Society’s ‘Made in Dagenham’, performed at Tullyvin Community Centre, was exactly that kind of evening. Life imitated art, as cast and crew pulled together and supported one another, in difficult circumstances, to achieve something they believed in, just as the Dagenham Ford workers had done before them back in 1968. Based on a true story, ‘Made in Dagenham’ poses many challenges for any society. A myriad fast-changing locations, challenging music, and the need for sharp comedic delivery keep the cast and crew on their toes from start to finish. Tullyvin Musical Society faced these challenges head-on, mirroring the very spirit of solidarity at the show’s core.

The beautifully decorated foyer set the perfect tone for the evening. As we entered the community centre, we were immediately immersed in the world of the show. Great effort had gone into the atmospheric décor and the front of house team’s 1960s-themed attire. It was a nicely nostalgic touch. There was something very special about the genuine, warm welcome which was extended to everyone with such enthusiasm and efficiency.  It was clear that Tullyvin’s front of house team had thought carefully about audience experience. 

Aoife Shalvey made her directorial debut, having worked as Assistant Director for the society’s last production. And what a show to take on as a first-time director! Ms. Shalvey had a good awareness of pace, ensuring that the show moved along in a fluid, entertaining way throughout. She balanced comedy and conviction well and she had a good handle on the show’s tone. She embraced the humorous tone without losing sight of the emotional core of the show. It was an impressive debut and Ms. Shalvey will have learned a great deal from the experience. A bit more attention to detail would have brought this production to another level. Of course, that will come with experience and Ms. Shalvey has a bright future ahead as a director. 

Dave McGauran’s musical direction was nothing short of excellent. From the first bars of the overture, the audience was enthralled by the precision and gusto of his very accomplished eight-piece band, which was impressively well-balanced and never overpowered the cast. The wide range of styles was very well handled, from rousing anthems like ‘Everybody Out’ to poignant ballads such as ‘The Letter’. Vocal dynamics were generally very good. Harmonies in ‘Made in Dagenham’ were nicely balanced, even if the male chorus ran slightly ahead of the band in their excitement. The ensemble sound in ‘Pay Day’ and ‘Viva Eastbourne’ was raucous and energetic, adding greatly to the narrative context. There was a very strong rapport between the pit and the stage overall. Underscoring was exceptionally well handled, with the band level being pulled right back, where required, to ensure that dialogue was always heard. Excellent work all round.

Aisling Rountree’s choreography was inventive and full of purpose, always driving the narrative. Ms. Rountree has a keen eye for creating routines that feel organic to the world of the show and her ability to tap into the heart of the story was very clear. All of the factory floor sequences worked very well. Routines were well-rehearsed and precise whilst still maintaining the raw energy required. I loved the guys in the titular number with their industrial energy perfectly matching the setting. Their use of props, such as tyres and torches was great fun. ‘Cortina’ was a comic highlight, poking fun at 1960s advertising with the cheesy performance style of the ladies and the equally cheesy, gyrating Cortina Man. The routine was slickly staged, funny and very well performed. There was great unity and power in ‘This Is What We Want’ and ‘Always a Problem’ was quirky and fun with Harold and his aides. ‘This is America’ was suitably precise, with its well-rehearsed military exercises and there was lovely work from the two majorettes and their twirling batons. ‘Stand Up’ was uplifting and organic in its movement, leaving anyone with a pulse feeling a heartfelt sense of togetherness and solidarity. A super job from Ms. Rountree.

At the centre of the production was Andrea Fitzpatrick’s strong performance as Rita O’Grady. This was a convincing portrayal with Ms. Fitzpatrick demonstrating great emotional depth and vocal power. There was humanity to Ms. Fitzpatrick’s interpretation of the role that was most compelling. Her Rita felt very real. She was warm and witty, endearing herself to the audience from the start. She demonstrated considerable strength throughout the show but managed to balance this with some lovely moments of vulnerability. Vocally, Ms. Fitzpatrick was very strong. Her performance of ‘Stand Up’ was an emotional high point of the evening. Her powerfully delivered speech segued into the song with conviction and passion that literally encouraged everyone to “stand up”. An impressive performance all round.

Enda Gill gave a heartfelt performance as Rita’s husband, Eddie. He played Eddie’s struggle to adapt to the changing world around him with great sincerity. Mr. Gill had a fine comic touch and a natural stage presence which made him instantly likeable. This made his inner conflict all the more poignant. ‘The Letter’ was one of the highlights of the show, performed with heart wrenching sincerity and well-judged emotion. Mr. Gill’s scenes with Ms. Fitzpatrick were very well paced, capturing all of the complexities of their relationship, from the tenderest moments, to the heartache, to their eventual reconciliation. 

Pamela McCormack was quite the scene stealer as the irrepressible, often foul-mouthed, Beryl. Her peppering of expletives into almost every interaction, was a source of great hilarity. Ms. McCormack’s comic timing was strong and her energy lifted every scene she was in. She didn’t overplay to the point of caricature, thus ensuring that we never lost sight of Beryl’s humanity. She was vocally strong and added much to the ensemble numbers. A very entertaining portrayal.

Emily Smith gave a quietly understated performance as Clare. Ms Smith played the role with an endearing sincerity. ‘Wossname’ showcased her fine soprano voice, as she belted out one of the most entertaining numbers of the night. She did well at capturing the character’s vulnerability and determination. I did feel that more work could have been done with the director to help push Clare’s quirkiness and comedic side. This could have elevated a very good performance to an excellent one. 

Only seventeen years old, Aiveen Sexton was charming as the wannabe airline pilot, Cass. Her sincere delivery and optimistic outlook endeared her to the audience from the outset. Ms. Sexton was a beacon of quiet hope throughout, in total contrast to Beryl and her tougher, more vocal colleagues. Vocally, she contributed well to the strong ensemble sound and she had excellent presence during choreographed numbers. It was a well-judged performance which highlighted great potential for future productions.

Alannah Pepper did very well in the role of Sandra. She had strong comic timing and clearly understood the tone of the show very well. Ms. Pepper balanced the glamour and the grit of her character nicely, making Sandra more than just comic relief. Her friendship with Rita felt natural and warm. Ms. Pepper had very good stage presence and natural timing, which suggests wonderful potential for leading roles in future productions. Vocally, she shone in ensemble numbers, demonstrating impressive range and a great sense of musicality. Her range was slightly stretched at the end of ‘Everybody Out’ but that isn’t surprising, given that it was the second performance of the day, at the end of a week’s run.

‘Veteran’ society stalwart, Jackie McQuillan, played veteran union stalwart Connie, bringing a commanding presence and gravitas to the stage. Ms. McQuillan played the role with a no-nonsense attitude and a dry wit which contrasted nicely with the younger factory workers. ‘Same Old Story’ was delivered with genuine emotion, in what was a very moving and understated performance. Her warm connection with Rita was both believable and touching. 

Liam McEnerney provided much levity as Harold Wilson. His caricature of the Prime Minister bordered on farcical but it was very funny indeed. From his silly mannerisms to his often salacious asides, Mr. McEnerney enjoyed every scene he was in. There was good comedic chemistry between himself and Barbara Castle and ‘Always a Problem’ was most entertaining. He didn’t always nail Harold’s Yorkshire accent. However, this was easy to forgive, given how much fun he brought to the production.

Gemma O’Reilly was a strong, “fiery” Barbara Castle. She had a great mix of authority and comedic timing which made her an audience favourite from the start. She had a fabulously expressive voice and her performance of ‘Ideal World’ was a musical highlight of the evening. 

Brian Feerick demonstrated great comic timing in the role of Monty and his early scenes with the girls on the factory floor were very well played. His reactions and facial expressions as the girls laid it on the line during ‘This is What We Want’ were very funny. But it was his hospital scene with Rita, after Connie’s passing, that showed Mr. Feerick’s real skill as an actor and his excellent emotional range. 

Paula McEntee’s Lisa Hopkins was a well-realised portrayal. The plant manager’s wife was an unlikely but essential ally for Rita and Ms. McEntee did very well as her quiet admiration grew and her warmth and support for her husband’s adversary became stronger. 

Eugene Hill played Mr. Hopkins with comic frustration and bluster that made him instantly likeable. His rather desperate focus on keeping the American overlords happy was very funny and he managed the fine line between authority and silliness very well. 

Colm Shalvey gave a larger-than-life performance as the cigar-chomping executive Mr. Tooley. This was a very entertaining portrayal of the American corporate villain, full of arrogance but with a good comic edge. Mr. Shalvey had a very strong voice and ‘This is America’ was sung with the authority of a man enraged at finding a group of working-class women standing in his way. 

The younger O’Gradys, Sharon and Graham, were delightfully portrayed by Zoe Hannigan and Tighearnán Ó Maol Tuile. There was a touching innocence to their portrayals, which were grounded in reality as Rita’s family life began to crumble. Tighearnán sang beautifully at the top of ‘School Song’ and Zoe’s recorder playing was very impressive. 

The ensemble work was strong throughout, with the factory workers and government aides providing great energy and commitment to the storytelling. Chorally strong, they brought numbers to life with a very good understanding of dramatic context.  ‘Pay Day’ and ‘Viva Eastbourne’ were suitably raucous and there was excellent strength and resolve in the uplifting ‘Everybody Out’ and ‘Stand Up’. There was a real sense that the strength of community offstage contributed greatly to the solidarity onstage. 

The set design worked very well for this production. Dominated by brickwork, we had an immediate sense of industrial working-class Britain in the 1960s. The dominating Ford logo on the back wall provided further context, as did the various safety signs. The two side aprons, with steps leading to doors with their cleverly detailed, faded paintwork, provided some nice staging opportunities throughout. The use of two upstage revolves, a tried and tested feature of previous productions of ‘Made in Dagenham’, ensured slick and seamless transitions between the show’s multiple locations. Overall, this was a wonderful use of limited space; flexible, functional and visually appealing.

Scene changes were executed very slickly, thanks to stage manager Stephen Hannigan and his well-rehearsed crew. The revolves contributed greatly to the fluidity of these changes. The crew is to be commended for both the timing of these transitions and their quiet preparation of locations when the various ‘rooms’ weren’t visible to the audience. Props and set pieces moved on and off silently and efficiently, a sign of careful planning and strong backstage coordination. 

Lighting was an area that I felt needed more creativity and more directorial input. Overall, the design was basic but functional. Creation of atmosphere is paramount when lighting musical theatre and there was a number of missed opportunities in this regard. The ‘throwback’ to Connie joining the Labour Party during ‘Same Old Story’ needed attention. It was in her mind, not in real time, and, as such, required separation and a more ‘other-worldly’ feel. Sudden lighting transitions and unnecessary ‘snap’ cues jarred at times. Slow fades over a few seconds would have complemented moods nicely. Some scenes were very well lit. There was good separation of locations and excellent timing for the challenging ‘Everybody Out’. There was creative use of colour, with the red, white and blue, in ‘This is America’. There was lovely work in creating focus once we got into ‘We Nearly Had It All’. Overall, a basic but functional design, operated very well, which could have benefited from more attention to detail in general.

Sound design was very well-managed, with only occasional balance issues in larger choral numbers. The band was particularly well mixed. Dialogue was clear throughout, with suitable EQ levels and cuing of microphones was solid. Sound effects were generally well-chosen and, for the most part, set to appropriate levels. These included all of the factory effects as well as the Liverpool-bound train during ‘Everybody Out’. The feedback when Rita tapped the conference microphone was a nice touch but I felt that the absence of additional reverb on her mic during the speech was a missed opportunity. Very good work overall.

For the most part, props, were impressive for a production of this scale. Everything from sewing machines and period telephones to kitchen dressing, such as the cornflakes box and other items, looked authentic and era appropriate, helping to place the action in its historical context. The pull-out ‘profit’ sign worked very well in ‘Always a Problem’ and Graham’s football was perfect. Sharon’s stethoscope was a really nice touch, as were the aides’ mini Union Jack flags. A few things were in need of some attention. Harold’s desk was very underdressed for a busy Prime Minister and the same distinctive red and white chairs turned up in multiple locations. 

The costume department did great work in recreating the late 1960s aesthetic. The women’s dresses were evocative of the era and their factory coats were reflective of the industrial conformity of the Ford plant. I felt that Barbara Castle’s dress, as lovely as it was, could have done with some more length to be more ‘politician-like’ and a change of costume for her trip to Eastbourne would have been appropriate. Tooley’s stars and stripes robe and his white cowboy suit were suitably arrogant. The stars and stripes dresses and military fatigues for ‘This Is America’ were excellent choices. ‘Viva’ Eastbourne’ was great fun with good colour choices adding to the celebratory feel.  

There was good work from the hair and makeup department too. The 1960s aesthetic was well captured with good attention to detail for hairstyles and makeup colour choices. There were some very well-chosen wigs too; most notably Barbara’s “fiery” do and a very fetching blonde for Cortina Man.

Tullyvin Musical Society’s vibrant production of ‘Made in Dagenham’ was everything that amateur musical theatre should be. It captured the beating heart of the Ford workers’ tight-knit community, through the collaboration, commitment, and creativity of their own. It was touching, it was funny and it was uplifting, prompting a capacity crowd to spontaneously “stand up” and show genuine appreciation. A shining example of what happens when a community stands together.

Pat McElwain

Sullivan Adjudicator 2025/2026