THE RAILWAY CHILDREN

THE RAILWAY CHILDREN

Guildonian Players at the Little Theatre, Harold Wood
11.06.16


Mike Kenny's adaptation of the E Nesbit classic – as seen at Waterloo and King's Cross - owes something of its narrative structure to Edgar's legendary Nicholas Nickleby.
The staging is simple, the story is moved engagingly along by the characters, with everyone chipping in. It starts, in fact with the three youngsters squabbling over details as they recall that summer when they became the Railway Children.
They're convincingly played by Genevieve Allen as Bobbie, the eldest, who becomes a grown-up thanks to the crisis that sends the family up to Yorkshire; Ben Sylvester as Peter, well-meaning and impetuous, and Abigail Farenden as Phyllis, acutely aware of being the baby of the family.
Two wonderful performances from Chrissie O'Connor as Mother, nobly coping with adversity, and Tom Hind as a genial, pipe-smoking Perks the Porter. And three cherishable below-stairs cameos from Carole Brand. Not to mention a clutch of actual children, including a tiny Edwardian tot in the opening scene.
Susie Faulkner's production has no rolling stock, but no shortage of theatrical magic. The sun comes out and a marvellous moorland backdrop is revealed. Revolving flats for slick scene changes, tunnel entrances framing the emergency exits, even a moving grove for the landslip disaster.
And in a triumph of total theatre, the techies run the show from a specially constructed signal box [doubling as ticket office], there's bunting in the buffet, and a fine collection of railway posters adorning the walls.

A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED

A MURDER IS ANNOUNCED

Guildonian Players at the Little Theatre Harold Wood

13.03.15

“Nothing happens here; it's another world.” But they're overlooking the presence of Miss Jane Marple, taking the waters in this neck of the woods. Murder and mystery dog her footsteps through Middle England, and within minutes the Chipping Cleghorn Gazette serves notice of death on Little Paddocks, the lovely home of Letitia [a stylish Susie Faulkner] and her dowdy, muddled companion Bunny [Margaret Corry]. It's Friday 13^th, both on stage and off, which adds to the sense of doom.

Vernon Keeble-Watson's production has a good old-fashioned set, and some tense, chilling moments – the clock chiming six-thirty – and is enlivened by some nice character work from the ensemble.

The refugee housekeeper [a consistently entertaining Emma Stacey], the dyspeptic Inspector Craddock [Tony Szalai] and of course the clever old busybody herself [portrayed with charming subtlety by Carole Brand] keep us entertained through the convoluted plot. Ian Russell makes a nicely weird Edmund Swettenham, the cynical young writer who's taking notes for his own whodunnit. But too often actors are relying on the prompt to set them right – surely that's Miss Marple's job …

GHOST WRITER

GHOST WRITER

Guildonians at Harold Wood Methodist Church Hall

12.11.2014

“The play's the thing ...”

David Tristram's “haunting comedy” gleefully blends Shakespeare and Blithe Spirit in a clever whodunnit with plenty of laughs, plus a scream and a shudder or two along the way.

A grotty bedsit at 2B Elsinore Gardens, where playwright Edward [Tim Tilbury] is discovered, in an impressive opening tableau, about to make his quietus with a revolver. He's rescued, not for the first time, we surmise, by his cuddly, camp landlord from downstairs [Tom Hind]. But, spoilers hard to avoid here, his ex-wife, the late Ruby – a lively, likeable Chrissie O'Connor – appears, like Peter Pan, through the open window and demands he avenge her “murder most foul”.

In Susie Faulkner's pacy production there's lots of Coward-ly fun and crackling cross-talk with this mischievous spectre, before the hapless Edward agrees to round up a suspect or two and catch the villain out as they read through his new play, remarkably similar to the “real-life” dialogue we've just heard, where one confession follows another, drinks are poisoned, and mind-games play out over the gin ...

Sounds complicated ? So it is, but witty and well crafted, and confidently delivered by an experienced cast. The principals are joined by Abi Farenden as an innocent actress, Enid Law as the grande dame Frances, and Iain Attiwell relishing every moment as the ageing luvvie in a strawberry wig.

The set, with its supernatural special effects, is well designed and nicely dressed, with movie memorabilia and some pretty posters from the professional house just up the road ...

RUMOURS

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.

CAUGHT IN THE NET

CAUGHT IN THE NET

Guildonians at the Little Theatre

12.10.13

"I can't believe what's happened in this house today …"

Well, that's farce for you. Seven doors, three phones, and over fifty sound cues.

Ray Cooney's smash-hit Caught In The Net – sequel to Run For Your Wife – is a gem of the genre. But, like all farce, it is a challenge for any company, and devilish difficult to do well. The experienced farceurs of the Guildonians rose magnificently to this challenge, and kept the matinée audience in stitches.

If you've seen Run For Your Wife, you'll recognize the two superimposed lounges, lived in, alternately, by bigamous cabbie John Smith. Tom Hind was pleasingly credible as a taxi driver who's partial to Kit Kats and Mars Bars, "with enough energy for two people". Deft, precise delivery, with impressive set pieces including a tour de force final solution. His best friend, and long-time layabout lodger Stanley was confidently done by Tony Szalai, excellent at thinking on his feet, and increasingly frantic as the complications piled up.

As before, the two women have relatively little to do, but Angela Riches gave a nice spare-time stress counsellor, with Gill Bernie as the more mumsy Mary.

The children [it's fifteen years and two pregnancies since the earlier show] who meet online – a novelty back in 2000 – are Andrew Spong and Beth Smith, who both seemed very much at home in the world of farce, where pace and momentum preclude much reflection.

Alas, nothing is seen of "potty Auntie Rosie in the attic", but we do meet Stanley's confused old dad [Peter Farenden], dapper in his holiday togs, who had some great laugh lines and a couple of spectacular tumbles.

Chrissie O'Connor's slick production handled the doors, the phones and the cues with some style, with very few lapses of pace.

And in a master-stroke of product placement, those all-important locks on the doors were supplied by Open Locksmiths.

Who will sponsor the next Guildonians show – Agatha Christie's much re-badged And Then There Were None ?