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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 251347" data-attributes="member: 23">Nearly A Happy Ending (continued)Act Two opens with a healthy, nostalgic dose of sexual harassment when Maureen’s Mini breaks down and two businessmen stop to give her a push start:He reaches in and fondles her left knee.She smiles coquettishly. They go to push the car but the handbrake’s on, giving him an excuse to reach in again.Long story short, the grease works and the girls are persuaded to join them at The Carlton Hotel which is full of miserable businessmen: a fact which is screamingly apparent when four of them perform the next song: Businessman’s Blues. Barbershop style, they wearily sum up their way of life:It’s the kind of material at which Victoria Wood would excel over the following couple of decades, and great fun to hear it delivered in this way. The act’s next song has Maureen at her most optimistic and hopeful. On the verge of losing her virginity to a slightly more appropriate young businessman Julie’s helped her chat up, Maureen goes alone into the ladies washroom and sings How I Feel (at least that’s what I’m assuming it’s called from the lyrics). It feels analogous to the obligatory moment in Doris Day/Rock Hudson films where she’s dreamily on the verge of surrendering to him. The powder pinks, floral arrangements and ornate mirror frames all add to the feeling, but of course it’s done in the inimitable Victoria Wood stye which keeps it earthy and real. It’s during this song that Baz Taylor’s direction is at its most fanciful. One moment has Victoria surrounded by mirrors and reflective walls, so she can be seen disappearing into infinity from every angle.Then comes the inevitable rejection when Tony finds out Maureen’s reason for wanting to sleep with him and becomes upset it wasn’t about him. Meanwhile, Julie forms an unlikely friendship with the gay barman and the old comedian who wants her to consider doing a double act with him. The whole traditional northern cabaret artist thing has echoes of George and Arthur in Talent (speaking of which, the cloakroom attendant is played by Jill Summers, soon to be chasing George actor Bill Waddington round in Corrie). This leads to Act Three’s first musical number I’ve Always Fancied Bein’ A Comedienne as she extols the virtues of accepting the offer. As in Talent, the last minutes of the film sees Julie and Maureen making a decision to return to what they know and what’s safe for them. For Julie, it’s going off with Tony after he chats her up. Adding insult to injury she asks Maureen for her car keys so Tony can drive her home, with a taxi called for Maureen. Causing further injury, Julie persuades Tony to buy Maureen a box of Black Magic. The final dialogue between the two women is the show’s final song which is pretty epic and covers several emotional peaks and troughs and a number of musical styles. The two connect, then Julie picks up her bag, smiles awkwardly at Maureen and leaves with Tony. On their journeys home, Maureen tolerates the taxi driver moaning about his woes and criticising her for scoffing the Black Magic:Meanwhile, Julie listens to Tony harping on about his ex-girlfriend and gets more deflated with each word. I’m not sure how to feel about the ending. They’re miserable and apart. Julie’s screwed Maureen over. And there’s the sense that in a day or two they’ll be back where they were at the start. It’s reassuring and terribly sad at the same time. The fact that I care enough to want more for each of them is possibly the most telling thing about how the writing and performances have kept me invested. </blockquote>

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