RUMOURS
Guildonians at the Little Theatre, Harold
Wood
14.06.2014
Something of a stylistic exercise for
playwright Neil Simon – the challenge of farce too hard to resist,
maybe.
He's managed a classic of the genre –
mistaken identities, frantic activity, improbabilities piled high.
This is the British version, relocated to Surrey, though without the
nuances of class and milieu that might suggest.
Chrissie O'Connor's hugely enjoyable
production for Guildonians was pacy and meticulously plotted. The
set-pieces – lost ear-rings, phone duologue – were stylishly and
confidently done. The six-door split-level set was a masterpiece, and
the Eighties were lovingly evoked – big hair, shoulder pads, La
Bamba on the huge stereo, hostess trolley … The guests at the party
were elegantly dressed, though not everyone convinced as the sort of
moneyed person who flits from one charity do to another.
But there wasn't a single weak performance
in this ten-strong cast. Particular plaudits to Kevin O'Connor as Ken
– hilarious when deafened – and Charlotte Jones as his wife
Chris, with a nice line in terminal exasperation. Copy-book comic
timing from Tim Tilbury as Len, with a brilliant monologue in the
closing minutes, and a splendid stock character from Tony Szalai as
the weary copper who tries to make sense of all the stories.
