A Bunch of Amateurs

This a great fun play by Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, with a wonderfully tongue in cheek implausible story line about a has been Hollywood star who crosses over ‘The Pond’ thinking he is going to be playing Lear at Stratford-upon-Avon, when he has in fact been recruited to help the Am Dram group at (fictional) Stratford St John in Suffolk save their rundown theatre from closure and demolition. It was obvious the cast in this version directed by Colin Aldous also thoroughly enjoyed performing it.

The set by Mike Ward and constructed by Mike, Colin Delamore and Phil Pope was the haphazard interior of the theatre, set up with a table and chairs for the committee with various props lying around from previous productions and on the back wall stage right a strikingly bizarrely, comedically, crookedly hung oil painting portrait of what looked like a caricature of the director himself.  Complimenting it on the rear wall, stage left bizarrely was a life belt, which I guess rather symbolised the state of the group’s plight. It certainly brought a smile to my face. Downstage right on the apron was a small table and chairs for the scenes taking place in Mary Plunkett’s Bed and Breakfast. The scenes for the actual stage performances from King Lear were performed to black tabs.

Lighting and Sound by Tom Davis and Richard Ayres, mostly worked very well, but, although incidental medieval music was played to cover some of the long scene changes it did come in quite late on a few occasions leaving long silences which did give the appearance of slowing the pace somewhat. And also some of the actors appeared to be in darkly lit or in shadow, but that may have been deliberate for comic effect of being an amateur society.

Tony White, in a very convincing hairpiece gave us a very plausible Jefferson Steel with some wonderfully comic meltdowns, before finally embracing the project. His comic timing was sublime. He apologises for his American accent in the programme, but I thought he was pretty spot on. I’m wary however of criticising accents after I once cast a real American in a play only to be criticised by the reviewer for the ‘dodgy American accent!’

Barbara Springthorpe was superb as Dorothy Nettle, the only adult in the room and the driving force behind the project. From the opening speech, which fools the audience that she really is talking to us, to the calm, down to earth way she dealt with Jefferson’s tantrums and cutting way she put Nigel back in his place was a delight to watch.

Playing her first role for LBDG, Tara Pathitana fitted straight into this cast as Jefferson’s daughter Jessica Steel, delivering some scathing comments about her father’s past lack of parenting skills and overriding self-interest.

The clash of ego’s in this play is paramount and John Stone as the totally up himself Nigel Dewbury gave us some of the best scenes, with his contrast between feeling sorry for himself and leaving no doubt with Dorothy that he should be the one to play Lear. 

Liz Rhodes as Mary Plunkett, the Bed and Breakfast owning member of the Stratford Players, after being thoroughly insulted by Jefferson’s behaviour and her hospitality was comedically horrified when misreading the massage session between Lauren and Jefferson.

Karl Rachwal as handyman actor Dennis Dobbins certainly raised a smile with all the brainwave ideas that somehow didn’t quite work and then showing how bad an actor Dennis was. Brilliant! Standout gross moment when his idea for the blinding scene in King Lear was rejected and he shrugged before popping the eyeballs in his mouth! Totally gross and very funny!

Kim Aquilar, returning to the stage after a few years rest as Lauren Bell the marketing executive and wife of the unseen sponsor who momentarily returns to her former career as a physiotherapist, provided us with the side splitting scene when she massages Jefferson, which looked and sounded more appropriate to an intimate bedroom one and of course is taken as such by Mary. Superbly done!

So, well done to Director Colin Aldous, his company and crew, a thoroughly enjoyable evening’s entertainment.

And thank you to Shadow Director Sophie Dean, who looked after us royally throughout the show. If there was a NODA award for hospitality LBDG would have a trophy cabinet full.

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