UNCLE VANYA

UNCLE VANYA

Marlborough Dramatic Club at the Memorial Hall, Brentwood School

08.04.17

Michael Frayn's neat English version – Gambon its first Vanya, I believe – fits four acts into an audience-friendly couple of hours; even slicker in William Wells' production, with all the action set in the garden of Serebryakov's dacha.

The sombre mood is set before lights down – the samovar, Jean Morgan's nanna Marina knitting, Astrov reading. And at the end, the final moments of tearful optimism, as those left behind prepare to live out their wretched lives.

A compelling Vanya from Darren Hannant, his untidy idler contrasting with his smartly suited friend Dr Astrov [Gavin Leary]. Sara Thompson is the plain, unloved Sonya, her clumsy attempt at seduction one of several moving moments. The elegant Yelena, the professor's young second wife, is stylishly done by Juliette Bird. Good support from an equally stylish Margaret Corry as Vanya's mother, and Harry Morrison as the pathetic, desiccated Telegin.

This polished production has many telling moments: an impressive entrance through the audience for the “great scholar” [Keith Morgan] and his party, the carefully plotted trio that begins Act Three, the dramatic impetus sustained right through to Yelena's soliloquy, Vanya's rant, and his desperate disillusionment in a speech which he starts slumped with his back to the audience.

PIRATES OF THE PANTO

PIRATES OF THE PANTO

Little Waltham Drama Group at the Memorial Hall

17.01.17

A winning blend of originality and tradition for this year's Little Waltham village panto. Not so many local jokes, but still that warm, confident interplay with the supportive, up-for-it audience.
Festive favourite Richard Butler brought his trademark anarchy to the role of Squire Flinders, heading an excellent comic team which included Ken Little's dim Bobby and Gordon MacSween's lovely Scottish Dame, a wicked glint in his eye, sporting a wonderful wardrobe of fancy frocks.
Good supporting work from a double helping of duos: feeble seamen Poop and Deck [Hugh Godfrey and Julie Cole] and Skull and Bones [Kathy Jiggins and Verity Southwell], sidekicks to Ash Cobden's dashing villain Captain Spongebag Roundpants. Plus cameos from Jenni Money as Harry the Harbour Master, Brian Corrie as Honest [“no tic”] John and Martin Final as Bosun Rollicks [Rowlocks?] with his knobbly cosh.
Love interest from principal boy Zac Sparrow – a swashbuckling, thigh-slapping Tash Wootton – and Rebekah Walker's demure Moll Flinders. Karen Allen's Queen and Marea Irving's Priestess led the denizens of Discomania Island.
This being Little Waltham, there was a generous supply of disco routines from the hard-working chorus, impressively choreographed by Sue Butler and Karen Allen. A lovely undersea scene change, too, with bubbles and giant jellyfish. MD Karen Wray treated us to an eclectic play list: Barbados, Montego Bay, Otis Redding, Nelly Furtado, Michael Buble, Avenue Q, not to mention Prokofiev for the evil pirate.
And of course we had the walkabout with the sweetie baskets, a custard pie, and a nice hairy-bottomed ghost routine.
Liz Jones's backdrops included an impressive perspective for the Slack Jenny's deck;  the stage-side murals this year featured Jolly Roger, gull and parrot.

Pirates of the Panto was directed by Jenny Broadway, who last worked with Karen Wray on the 2012 Abba Ali Baba.

THE WICKED WITCHES OF OZ

THE WICKED WITCHES OF OZ

Little Waltham Drama Group

in the Memorial Hall

17.01.16

How to keep the village panto fresh and entertaining for everyone ?
This is one good idea: a new script with an ingenious twist on a familiar tale, and a keen young director to bring it to life.
“I don't think we're in Waltham any more ...” Dorothy [Karen Allen] and her unlikely farm hands, not to mention Toto the pantomime dog, are transported to the Emerald City in search of brain, heart and wardrobe.
A lot of fun on the way: Axe Factor, Witch Factor and a sprinkling of local jokes. Music too: Showbiz, Les Mis, The Wiz. Blues Brothers, Fats Domino and much more, though not the ring-fenced Rainbow, represented only by some cheeky snatches of pastiche.
Excellent panto performances from Jenny Broadway as Aunt Em and the first witch, Momby, Viv Abrey cackling away as the green and warty Edna, Mike Lee as a bearded Wizard and Ken Little as a frisky Toto, though he would have benefited from another seasoned ad-libber to spark off. Nice character work from Kate Farrell as Munchy from Down Under, Ryan Chapman as the front-loader Tin Man, Ash Cobden as Aslan, Alex Lee as a likeable Scarecrow and Tash Wootten as side-kick Drip. Colourful chorus numbers from the Maids with neon hair, the Munchkins and the Crows in their boaters and giant specs, led by the brooding presence of Martin Final's King Crow.
Children of all ages in Aunt Em's garden had a great time joining in the mercifully short community singing, and enjoyed the fruity chews from the sweetie baskets in the traditional Waltham walk-about.
The Wicked Witches of Oz, penned by Peter Nuttall, is directed by Stuart Goodchild assisted by Jo Lee, with choreography by Kim Travell and musical direction by Chrissy Gould.

photographs by Peter Travell

BANG! YOU'RE DEAD!

BANG! YOU'RE DEAD!

Little Baddow Drama Club at the Memorial Hall

25.04.15

Zombies, a false-bottomed handbag, a part-time pole-dancer and a falling chandelier.

None of these, alas, appeared in this whodunnit, though they did feature in the audience suggestions collected during the interval.

This is the second murder mystery Little Baddow have presented, and, as before, the action is halted at a key moment to allow the audience's imagination free rein as they confer over the sausage rolls and battenberg.

Paul Reakes' play is an unlikely tale of infidelity, in which the masked intruder [Martin Lucas] is not all he seems. Nor is Theo Spink [John Peregrine] whose home is burgled, or his vamp of a wife [Heather Lucas]. Frumpish spinster Amelia Trim [perfectly characterised by Vicky Tropman], birthday girl, holds the key to the ridiculous dénouement, thwarting the deviant designs of Theo and the poor man's Raffles …

A most entertaining format, with the “comedy-thriller” ably directed by Lindsay Lloyd.

THE CEMETERY CLUB

THE CEMETERY CLUB

Little Waltham Drama Group at the Memorial Hall

24.04.15

September Song on the soundtrack, and for Little Waltham's trademark proscenium pictures, a vaguely impressionist pair of cemetery gates in the fall [Liz Willsher].

Mags Simmonds' enjoyable production of this favourite five-hander has heart-warming performances from the three widows, united in convivial mourning for their menfolk.

What are “the boys” doing now, they wonder as they sip their tea. Cue for a heavenly spin-off there, maybe ?

Ida, the home body in whose bijou apartment they meet, is played with emotional subtlety and throwaway comic timing by Linda Burrow. She's joined by Vicky Weavers' glamorous Lucille, in her thrift-shop mink with matching muff, and Helen Langley's Doris, still missing Abe after four years. They all have a good feel for the wise-cracking, world-weary Jewish comedy, and the pace is lively despite some interventions from prompt corner.

Witty, warm and often touchingly insightful, the show has some wonderful moments, from the broadly comic Cha Cha Cha to the subtly poignant – poor, confused Ida as she turns out the lights.

The cast is completed by Brian Corrie as Katz, the butcher who delivers, and Sally Lever as the flamboyant, flirtatious Mildred – looking as if she could give Lucille a run for her money …

THE CREATURE CREEPS

THE CREATURE CREEPS

Little Baddow Drama Club

at the Memorial Hall

20.11.2014

This Gothic comedy was penned back in '77 by Jack Sharkey, onetime jokes editor of Playboy.

“Dreadful is a relative term”, and his often clever spoof of the Transylvanian genre has many witty touches, and is amusingly self-referential. But it runs out of comedy steam a little towards the end, as the characters sit around listening to explanations of what's been afoot.

Director Kenton Church [who also dresses up to play the various Shtunken brothers] has assembled an excellent cast, including some stalwarts and several new faces. The range of accents is breathtaking. We're in the Carpathians, I think, but there are Americans, including the daughter of the Home Counties Baroness and her Mad Scientist spouse.

The piece really needs brazen, bold performances, and some actors achieve this better than others here. Peter White is excellent as the deformed Mord, as is Sylvia Lanz as the prim Teutonic housekeeper, knocking back tots of schnapps.

John Peregrine is the mysterious von Blitzen, with Rita Ronn as an imposing grande dame [beautifully turned out, as are many of the women characters]. The youthful US contingent is well handled by Sarah Trippett-Jones, Heather Lucas and James Oakley.

The sound effects [phonograph horns high on the castle walls] are brilliantly done in the manner of steam radio, and the set, with its tiny fenestrals affording a glimpse of figures on the stairs, magically makes this tiny stage into a cavernous baronial hall.