A Bunch of Amateurs

This is a popular play with amateur companies at the moment and, with its topical themes and relatively straightforward staging requirements, it’s not difficult to understand why.  The Sinodun Players have conjured up a quaint barn for their counterparts from Stratford, Suffolk, to perform in, complete with a practical gallery at the back of the stage which provided an ideal location from where the “rabble” of local residents could comment on the action.  This group of players also provided musical interludes between the scenes – a theme and variations based on The Fool’s Song, with the various arrangements echoing the prevailing mood of the play very effectively.

The action switches periodically to the local Bed and Breakfast, realised primarily through a flown painted backcloth featuring exactly the sort of décor and ornaments you might expect to find in such an establishment.  There was much to admire in the set dressing, with the barn featuring plastic crates of costumes, collections of props and a wonderful practical light hung above the centre of the stage.

This is the world that Jefferson Steel, celebrated Hollywood actor, is lured into, as he mistakenly believes that he has been hired to play King Lear at Stratford-upon-Avon, rather than in a converted barn in a remote rural village in Suffolk. 

The Director placed great emphasis on the comedic aspects of this play and succeeded in bringing these to life, drawing plenty of laughs from the audience.  I liked the echoes of “Airplane” in the jostling of the reporters at Heathrow, and the way in which the absurdity of “Ultimate Finality IV” was pointed up in a way I hadn’t noticed before.  Little details, such as Jefferson flexing before starting to read his part, were consistently well observed, as were his attempts to revive his action hero status when his daughter Jessica is taken ill.  This was a highly enjoyable production which brought out the humour in the play, and which provided ample evidence to challenge Jefferson’s admission that he “always thought of amateurs as unprofessional.”  Not these amateurs, Jefferson.

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