HONK! Marie Clark Musical Theatre The Arts Theatre Until 29 May 2010 Review by Fran Edwards Hans Christian Andersen's lovely fairy tale “The Ugly Duckling” is the basis for this fun musical. The styleand the music are not 'run-of-the-mill' and so it may not be to everyone's taste, but the witty lines, badpuns and quirky characters will appeal to many. Ben Morton's bright and cheerful set provides just the right backdrop and is complemented beautifullyby Peter Parry's lighting, but the sound on opening night was not good. A few unfortunate hiccups withmicrophones and an orchestra that at times drowned out the singers mean they have more than theirfair share of problems. Add to this a very loud drummer and instruments not always supplying thesupport required. Scott Reynolds, as Ugly, escapes most of the mic problems and really does well as the egg that doesn'tfit in. His solo 'Different' shows he can handle the role. Jethro Pidd steals the stage as Cat and his songwith Ugly 'Play with your food' is fun. When Pidd (Cat) teams with Eleanor Stankiewicz (Queenie) andMaxine Morales (Lowbutt) to deliver 'Together', it is the highlight of the show. The other great song 'Warts and all' gives Daniel Salmond, as Bullfrog, a chance to shine, and he does.Another high spot is 'The Wild Goose Chase', ably led by Neville Phyllis as Greylag. Some of the othersolo spots have merit but are marred by sound or other factors. As Drake, Brendan White lacks a cohesive accent which masks some of his lines, although hischaracterisation is fair. As the mother duck, Ida, Kate Brooker is unable to do justice to many of hersongs and it is difficult to tell if this is due to range or a voice problem. The other ducklings are a goodlittle ensemble and play their characters with a cheeky edge. Director Megan Dansie has done well withsome minor players. The chorus work is generally good, but much of the choreography, by Rachel Dow, lacks form andseems piecemeal. Some individual dancers do well in the blizzard, but the parts do not blend to a whole.Costumes are in keeping with the fun/fairy tale nature of the production and add colour and life. If you enjoy pun humour, Mr Andersen's stories and something a little different in musicals, then youshould go see this show - I'm sure someone will wave a magic wand and fix the sound problems!