Ad
Hoc Players
at
Brentwood
Theatre
04.06.2014
Ayckbourn's
state-of-the-nation play has a very topical feel – ordinary people
sliding into extreme actions, their fears magnified and exploited.
Hayley
Joanne Bacon's production raised chuckles of recognition from the
first night audience, and although this is far from vintage
Ayckbourn, there is
some fun to be had from watching the do-gooder Christian siblings
[played convincingly by Wendi Sheard and David Lintin] organize their
neighbours to fight the perceived threat from the sink estate just
down the hill.
Good
character support from Shealagh Dennis as the nosy-parker from the
local paper, and Paul Carey as the angry
little engineer with an unhealthy interest in medieval instruments of
torture.
This
rather predictable piece, with none of the playwright's trademark
theatrical devices, needs a deal of help from the performers, more
perhaps than it gets here, where hesitation and uncertainty affect
all the actors to some degree.
The
challenging opening monologue – a funeral eulogy to the brother
lost in a police shoot-out – is
confidently done but seems
overlong. The closing scene [all the rest is flashback] sees his
mansize monument unveiled, but we are left in the dark about the
future of Bluebell Hill and its unhinged residents. A sequel from Sir
Alan, maybe …
and for Remote Goat:
and for Remote Goat:
This
was Sir Alan's 75th
play, and was well received [even by the critics] a few years ago in
Scarborough, and in New York.
Hard
to see why, based on Ad Hoc's slow-paced production. The unlikely
story centres around Hilda and Martin, sister and brother, annoyingly
devout busy-bodies [Jesus always lurking in the bushes] who set up a
neighbourhood watch group to defend their green and pleasant
development from the threat without. Hilda, who has the long funeral
prologue, was done with some style by Wendi Sheard, and the pompous
Martin was nicely characterized by David Lintin, with more than a
hint of that comedy genius Jim Broadbent.
They
are joined in their green lounge by assorted neighbours. Good work
from Shealagh Dennis as Dorothy, fifteen years on the local rag
[though only taking small ads, it transpires] and from Paul Carey as
Gareth, forever tinkering in his shed and dreaming up medieval
chastisement for his wayward wife [Leanne Gibbs, who had a promising
alphabetical duologue with Lintin but elsewhere was often hard to
hear].
Rod
– ex-army, security mad and a close cousin of Harvey in Season's
Greetings – was played by Stewart Goodwin. He has some of the best
lines - “The
country’s flooded with them … Eastern Europe. Never should have
torn down the Iron Curtain. Biggest mistake we ever made.”
- but unfortunately had his words [and his eyes] glued to his
clip-board. Martin Wilderspin was menacing as Luther, the violent
voice of sanity [but an unlikely Guardian reader], with Candy
Lillywhite-Taylor as his kindly clarinet-teaching wife.
The
room – with its controversial wallpaper – was well furnished, and
the fire next door was effective. It was a shame there was no light
for the garden and the other rooms; or even a glimpse of the stocks
and the razor wire …
Hayley
Joanne Bacon's production was sometimes a little static, but had some
lovely moments of conflict and [occasional] intimacy. The chief
obstacle to our appreciation of this dark, late Ayckbourn was the
uncertainty of the actors – no prompts, it's true, but far too much
hesitation and approximation. Comedy needs confidence and careful
timing.
1 comment:
The mystery posed by this production is as follows:- is Alan Ayckbourn losing his touch and following John Godber's well-trodden path of recycling the same play over and over again or is Yorkshire's finest living playwright finally losing his acid touch?
Neighbourhood Watch was so clichéd and uninspiringly boring that the audience could have spoken the lines along with the cast. Mind you that also raises yet another problem.
Whilst leading characters brother and sister Hilda and Martin were given strong, interesting performances by Wendi Sheard and David Lintin, who both carried this production extremely well. They made their stereotypical roles as believable as possible and created some good laughs. Supported in their efforts by Paul Carey's twitchy, neurotic Gareth manufacturing torture implements as a hobby. Luther Bradley's thoroughly unpleasant nature was brought out most emphatically by Martin Wilderspin.
These actors did their best despite a lot of underperforming and underprojecting by other cast members. One of whom read his many lines in a monotone from the script on a clipboard without any attempt to characterise his role. As a result on the first night applause was not overenthusiastic and often absent between scenes.
The sound effects were frequently too loud and director Hayley Joanne Bacon, whilst she had obviously worked hard on this production, had succumbed to what I call Brentwooditis.
This happens all too often with groups performing at Brentwood Theatre when each scene ends with a total blackout, followed by noisy and/or lengthy scene changing. Then at last the cast return, the lights go up while the cast has the task of building up the tensions again.
There's absolutely nothing wrong with changing scenery in full light. It helps to pass the time for the audience and maintains the energy previously built up by the cast. If this makes some directors uneasy, add some incidental music and choreograph the scene change and keep set dressing to a minimum.
As a theatre critic I always want the group I'm watching to do well. It's unfortunate and a sad reflection too, that by the second act, I even contemplated going to the "little girls' room" in the knowledge that, under Brentwood Theatre's new seating rules, I would not be allowed back in to the auditorium.
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.