|
|
| 27/28/29 April 2007 at Sherfield Village Hall,
|
Imagine a group of amateur thespians,
meeting at their summer barbecue when next season's play is to be announced and
the Society's business manager has promised a different show and the plum roles
to four different people. Complex relationship, slapstick and farce alternate
with real drama and pathos. Not every hitch is resolved by the end of the
evening but we leave the Trealaw and District Operatic Society ready for
another season, testing the magic and artifice that is theatre!
Director:
Chris Horton |
Review from the Basingstoke Gazette (Denise Martin):
"A summer evening's barbecue
was the setting for this play about a meeting of the local operatic society.
Next season's play was about to be announced but Nick (Peter Francis),
the Society's director, and host of the barbecue, had promised different shows
and the lead parts to four people.
As the evening progressed, we saw
each character's eccentricities revealed and the relationships between the
players proved to be more involved than they had seemed at first. This resulted
in some moments of pure humour and farce.
The first act succeeded in
setting the scene and introducing the main characters in varying stages of
inebriation, though how they each remembered which glass was theirs remains a
mystery.
The director, Chris Horton, did a good job in selecting some
talented actors and I especially enjoyed the performance given by Danny
Spurrier who was in top form, as Teddy, the understated effeminate prima donna.
Jane Torr was also excellent and gave a convincing performance as the
rather progressively drunken Joyce; as too did Margot Konitzer as the always
moaning Mona.
Other members of the group included the morose and boring
Derek; who was sensitively played by Gordon Sutton, a newcomer and real find
for the group. Alex Thomas, too, gave a credible performance as Deidre, his
soon to be ex-wife.
The set was imaginative with good use of the garden
furniture to hide the offending barbecue - until the moment it caught fire!
The silver streamers of the finale worked well to reveal the cast of 10
performing "If my friends could see me now" from Sweet Charity, led by Teddy as
Charity!
All in all a very good evening out - as evidenced by the
enthusiastic applause of the audience. "
|
Reviews from the Audience:
"We enjoyed the play - WELL DONE. We thought the lady
who played Deidre was particularly natural - but they were all good - and a
great finale! Didn't Sweet Charity have great legs!"
"Just wanted to
say many thanks and well done to you all – we really enjoyed the play
yesterday."
"We really enjoyed the show - it went very well - well done
for all your hard work. Lady did well who stepped in at last minute too - look
forward to the next one!!"
"Congrats on producing a very entertaining
play, everyone was great and particularly Teddy and Joyce - and what a
wonderful finale, well done, I thoroughly enjoyed it! Thanks for a lovely
evening."
"thought it was great!"
"Congratulations on your
production of "Trivial Pursuits" - highly entertaining and so well acted by all
the cast. The finale was brilliant. Terry, Phillip and all the other workers
behind the scenes obviously worked very hard as well. You must be very happy
today." |
|
