Leading Ladies

As I took my seat, I observed the lavish set with lilac painted walls and tasteful features, including a staircase, French doors opening out onto a garden and two further doors allowing a variety of entrances and exits, ideal for staging a farce. It promised to be a funny and entertaining play; and with a terrific cast it certainly provided a solid couple of hours of ongoing humorous scenes.

The plot commenced when we meet out of work and out of money, two Shakespearean actors, on a train travelling round Pennsylvania, Leo (Dave Mills), and Jack (Harry Parker), who are struggling to survive financially as they tour America. They met up with Audrey (Charlotte Askew) on the train who showed them an article in a newspaper about a dying millionairess in York, looking for long lost relatives who would be able to claim an inheritance, a sizeable amount of money. Leo and Jack hatched a plot to impersonate the dying old lady’s nephews.

When they get to York, they found that the relatives aren’t nephews but nieces! The duo made their appearance, using female costumes in their travelling trunk, as the long-lost nieces in drag, in a ridiculous plot to get rich quick. Leo became Maxine, and persuaded reluctant Jack, as they are actors, that they could pull off their stunt; so Jack became the deaf mute, Stephanie. Leo was confident and at ease in their disguise while Jack panicked and yearned for Audrey, the roller skater, (who they’d met on the train) who just happened to be a regular visitor to the house. Romantic entanglements and mayhem began when Leo fell in love with Meg (Stephanie Evans), the rightful heiress, Florence’s niece, who was engaged to the local minister, Duncan Wooley(Alan Lowe). Meg admired Shakespearian actors and had even memorized the role of Olivia from, ‘Twelfth Night.’ She idiolised Leo, not knowing the actor’s proximity to her in the guise of Maxine. She longed to be an actress herself. This opportunity was created when on the eve of Meg and Duncan’s wedding there was a decision to stage a production of Twelfth Night with Leo appearing as the coach for the ensemble. Meanwhile Jack as Stephanie fell for Audrey, who was the girlfriend of Butch (Lee Connelly), the son of Doctor Myers (Ian Askew), the physician, who cared for the family’s elderly matriarch, a regular visitor to the home of Florence (Anne Chamberlein). Sceptical of the two ‘heiresses’ was the pompous minister Duncan Wooley, who tried to uncover the true identities of Maxine and Stephanie, who he believed to be frauds. He feared they would ruin his plan to marry Meg, the rightful heiress, and assume control of the family fortune left by Florence, the fierce old aunt who wasn’t about to give up the ghost! When Leo and Jack doffed their disguises and conferred, they were unaware that Meg and Audrey were observing them, yet fully accepting the hilarity of it all.

The director, Rachel Holmes chose a strong cast of accomplished actors with excellent senses of timing and ability, who delivered this cross-dressing farce with perfection.  Rachel was spot on with the staging of the play, using the set to full advantage. and effecting the play’s physical aspects with some of the funniest drag moments and frequent costume/ wig changes which became almost frenzied in Act 2. Energy levels of the performers were clearly high, so evident of the hard work that had been spent in rehearsal time for lines to be delivered  at a remarkable pace that gained comic momentum. The tango dance was unexpected and added to the hilarity, which included some simple yet clever footwork, choreographed by Charlotte Askew. When Florence performed her flamenco inspired dance with Duncan, it was fun to watch, quite a scene stealer. Rachel’s set design was solid and involved plenty of doors where most of the action took place in the well decorated living room, which reflected wealth, displaying a colourful backdrop for a garden. The opening scene, was set on a commuter train, was in front of a closed curtain. Lighting and Sound were unobtrusive. Costume and wigs worked well for characters, Maxine, and Stephanie for they were so oversized and ill-fitting they allowed these two men to get away with cross dressing.

Dave Mills in role as Leo and Harry Parker as Jack, made a terrific team and were nicely contrasted. They had a wonderful rapport on stage. The casting of them in roles of Maxine and Stephanie with great variation in their sizes, contorted facial expressions and high pitch voices added further comic dimension to the play. Dave, as Leo / Maxine was funny, focused and had physicality to his performance that must have left him exhausted as he zipped round the set with quick costume changes. Harry performed as Jack with gusto. His facial expressions were priceless especially when he tried to escape the advances of the doctor and he got funnier as the play progressed. Stephanie Evans played wistful Meg quite naturally, and confidently recited Shakespeare. Audrey’s character was adopted by Charlotte, and she endeared herself to the audience demonstrating great confidence darting in scenes on her roller skates, and in her overall delightful delivery. Alan Lowe was perfectly cast as Duncan, the minister with his own designs on the old woman’s fortune, full of suspicion about the ‘nieces ‘and outrage. His tantrum on the phone was excellent and demonstrated his true colours as a money grabbing man of the cloth. Anne Chamberlain was amazing as the eccentric Florence and suitably feisty in her manner. Her comic tango dancing was impressive and enjoyed by the audience. As Doc, Ian Askew presented a solid performance as Florence’s doctor whose misled flirtatious advances to Stephanie added more fun. Butch was played by Lee Connelly, and he seemed appropriately bewildered by it all.

This was a delightful comedic evening; superb dialogue; creative surprises and very funny lines which had at times the audience in hysterics; a wholly engaging production. Well done to Rachel and the entire cast and crew and thank you for inviting me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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