A BUNCH OF AMATEURS

One of those plays that is a play within a play – which worked well for Bovingdon Players.

It was good to see some new faces, plus long-time members, and some actors from the surrounding area – all of whom coped well with the diversities of the script, so it felt like a cohesive unit.  The house was full the night I attended, which was great.

The ‘barn’ set was very good – nicely conceived and painted, whilst the final set for King Lear was striking – again well-painted and a good backdrop to the action, I thought this aspect was excellent.  Unfortunately there were some overlong scene changes which interrupted the flow of the play, and the audience’s attention wandered at times – but I’m sure things speeded up over the run!  The set was lit nicely and sound effects were good.  The water sprinkler worked well, always something that is required by the script, but this was managed cleverly.  The cast projected well throughout.

Costumes were good, very suitable, but perhaps a few too many costume changes which again slowed things up a bit, in a production like this a jacket/cardigan either on or off can change the look, rather than a complete change – maybe a thought for the future.

The strange Shakespearean-style songs at the end of each scene caused some amusement – I know they are written in, but they have always rather baffled me!!

Katy Ratcliffe (Dorothy Nettle) showed us the woman who is in charge, without a doubt – but who has her insecurities too.  A well-studied and telling portrayal from an accomplished performer.

Iain King (Nigel Dewbury) gave us the slightly aging actor, who would have given anything to be King Lear…..a very good performance, with good interaction between him and the other members of the cast..

Imogen Roberts (Mary Plunkett) showed some glorious facial expressions, and the embarrassing agony of her hero worship of visiting Hollywood star – despite not being sure of what films he had been in!  The Spanish incarnation was very funny.

Nick Lansdowne (Dennis Dobbins) was very funny – the recurring scene regarding losing his eyes was very amusing, and he had a good full-on persona.

Terry Casserley (Jefferson Steel) is another accomplished actor, who gave us the aging Hollywood Lothario with aplomb – you could feel the varying emotions he drew from the other cast members, which gave a very real feel to the play.

Carla Van Der Sluijs (Lauren Bell) created a different persona to the other ladies, in that she was a young go-getter, with plenty of vision and charm.

Tess Milligan (Jessica Steel) created an energy when she appeared, which gave the play and the actors another dimension, I liked what she achieved with the part, and good interaction with her father!

Caroline Arnold and Sophie Arnold fulfilled the roles of Journalists, it was good to see them in their first production, and hope to see more of them in the future.

So, all in all a well-acted production, despite a few hiccups with the technical aspects.  My thanks to the Director for hosting us, and providing pertinent information, always good to visit Bovingdon and catch up with Society members.  A very enjoyable evening’s entertainment.

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