If you’re Officer Crabtree, a bumbling British spy posing as a French gendarme in Second World War France, there’s only one way to greet the locals: “Good moaning!”
That mangled greeting became a national catchphrase in the 1980s and ’90s for the hugely successful BBC comedy series ‘Allo ‘Allo!, which dominated television screens for nine consecutive seasons. Officer Crabtree became world-famous for his hilarious—and often unintentionally suggestive—attempts to blend into the French countryside.
For Bairnsdale actor Tomas Carrero, getting his tongue around Crabtree’s mutilated dialogue is one of the biggest hurdles as he prepares to take on the iconic role in Bairnsdale Production Line Theatre Company’s October stage production of ‘Allo ‘Allo!.
However, getting the words right — or rather, wrong — is only part of the battle.
“Crabtree is oblivious to the confusion and chaos he causes when he tries to speak fluent French, so he delivers everything with a completely straight face — he sees nothing funny in what he’s saying,” Mr Carrero said during rehearsals this week.
“The reactions of the rest of the cast are genuinely hilarious, so I have to fight the urge to burst out laughing mid-sentence. It’s going to be even harder to resist when we have several hundred people in the audience all laughing at what I’m trying to say.”
Mr Carrero isn’t the only one mastering unfamiliar dialogue. Amongst the large ensemble cast, there are only a handful of traditional English accents — and certainly no Aussies.
Set in a 1940s French café following the German invasion, the play features a colourful cast of French waitresses, Resistance fighters, and local villagers, alongside German military officers, Gestapo agents and an over-the-top Italian captain.
Navigating the web of accents is just one layer of complexity for director Susan Hawton.
“Mastering an accent without it becoming unintelligible is a challenge for any actor,” Ms Hawton said.
“But I have never met an actor who didn’t love a challenge — and that includes me.
“We have a mixture of old hands and relative newcomers on stage, but they’re all doing a terrific job, and I have no doubt they’ll be more than ready by opening night on October 15.”
The enduring popularity of the television classic is already showing at the box office.
Ticket sales for ‘Allo ‘Allo! took off as soon as bookings opened, with Production Line setting its sights on strong crowds throughout the season.
In the meantime, for the hardworking cast, practice makes perfect — or, as Officer Crabtree might say, “Lactose makes prefect.”
‘Allo ‘Allo! opens at the Forge Theatre in Bairnsdale on October 15. Tickets can be booked via the Bairnsdale Production Line Theatre Company website, Facebook page, or directly through the Forge Theatre box office.
