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A Bunch of Amateurs

Author: Cate Naylor

Information

Date
5th April 2025
Society
Wargrave Theatre
Venue
Woodclyffe Hall, Wargrave
Type of Production
Play
Director
Ann Roberts
Written By
Ian Hislop and Nick Newman

Thank you for the invitation to review your production of A Bunch of Amateurs, which I thoroughly enjoyed. As always on my visits to Wargrave, I was made to feel very welcome by front of house. 

The play is a wonderful window into amateur theatre and centres around Hollywood A-lister Jefferson Steel who has arrived in the UK to perform King Lear (he thinks) in Stratford Upon Avon. However, on arrival he discovers that this Stratford is in fact a sleepy Suffolk village and, rather than appearing with the Royal Shakespeare Company he will be sharing the stage with a bunch of amateurs who have invited him in a desperate bid to save their theatre from closing.

This a great play with a wonderfully tongue in cheek plot (as you would expect from Ian Hislop and Nick Newman) which strikes a chord with many amateur groups. Ann did a great job with the direction to bring a funny, entertaining, and engaging production to the stage. The play was well cast, and she had worked with the actors to develop their characters so that they were natural and believable. Together they developed the comedic aspects of the play and succeeded in bringing the characters to life, drawing plenty of laughs from the audience. The production was well supported by an efficient backstage team and great costumes and properties.

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