NODA Review- June 2019
This is an extremely challenging play in many ways, not least the requirements of the set. I had recently seen another production of this play and wondered how the complex set of five practical doors with a staircase which leads to a landing with two of the doors opening from it, could possibly be fitted onto the tiny stage of this venue. But once again, stage manager, Geoff Gill had worked his magic with the help of his hard working stage crew; it was a triumph. The staircase was solid, there were no wobbly doors and the set ‘walls’ had been tastefully decorated to reflect the social position of the owners of the house. It had been furnished with a fireplace; an all important drinks trolley; a side table DSL; a sofa and armchair; and other items which made it a well dressed set. The only comment I would make is that the ‘front door’ did not look very secure, as there were no locks on it. The height of the landing gave Clive Roberts a problem lighting it, but he rose to the challenge and the whole stage was well lit. The lighting combined with the well-timed sound effects when cars were arriving was very realistic. The cast had been well costumed for a celebratory dinner party, with men in DJs and the ladies in cocktail dresses, except for the slightly eccentric Cookie.
The play had been well cast and there were some confident performances. The play has a wordy script and as it is a farce needs to be extremely well timed, which this cast handled, with no obvious stumbling. The action takes place at the home of Charley Brock and his wife, who we never see, on the occasion of their 10th wedding anniversary. Their friends Ken Bevans and his wife Chris arrive first and find a dazed Charley in his bedroom with a bullet wound in his ear lobe and his wife missing. Charley is a prominent government official, and so they decide try to keep the story from the rest of the guests in an attempt to keep it from the press. It transpires that each of the guests has problems of their own. As further events unfold the situation descends into total, hilarious chaos.
Tony Mad as Ken Bevans, took charge of the situation from the outset, trying to concoct a story to protect his friend, which everyone would believe; his ‘deafness’ was very funny, he did a grand job. Sam Stillman gave a lovely portrayal of his wife, Chris, trying to entertain the guests, keeping up the pretence of normality, and resorting to too much alcohol to get through the evening. Leonard and Claire Cummings are the next to arrive; they have just had a car accident, which has left Leonard with whiplash. Peter Wiggins as Leonard and Alison Bagnall as Claire were an excellent combination, they entered into the joy of recounting the ‘rumours’ they had heard, had lovely facial expressions when reacting to the various situations, and with such accurate timing. Peter Wiggins maintained his ‘stiff neck’ and gave a spellbinding monologue, for which he was awarded a deserved round of applause from the audience.
Ernest Cusack, a psychologist, played by Peter James and his rather eccentric wife, Cookie, a television chef, played by Alison Brown, are the next to arrive. They added to the ludicrousness of the situation with Cookie having a bad back, which went into spasm all the time and Ernest conducting a telephone group therapy session. They certainly were a well-matched couple, although I am afraid I was not totally convinced by the bad back. The last couple to arrive were Glenn Cooper, who is standing for parliamentary election, and his wife Cassie, played by Ian Cornes and Jo Plumbley. Again they were a well-matched couple, arguing continually, Glenn not wishing to be involved in any scandal, and Cassie into her ‘crystals’; they maintained their bickering well. Finally there was the unexpected arrival of PC Conklin, played by director Nigel Lane, who had come to investigate Leonard’s car accident. As the others do not at first realise this, they tie themselves up in knots with their stories, eventually convincing him nothing is wrong and he leaves. As they troop upstairs to ask Charley to explain why he had the bullet wound to his ear, there is a surprising turn of events. This play written by Neil Simon was originally set in America, but this version had been anglicised, which I think makes it more interesting for a British audience and does not require American accents. The timing of farce is so important to the success of the play and Nigel Lane had worked well with his cast to produce a pacey, well-timed piece of theatre. The characters were well defined, and had good delivery, all working together. There were good responses to the other actors and the developing situation. This play would not succeed without a well-planned and constructed set. Congratulations everyone on cheering us all with an excellent production of this hilarious play.
Director: Nigel Lane