A Bunch of Amateurs

Anything with Ian Hislop involved in the writing is always going to provide a quality script albeit that I have always felt that it could benefit from a slight paring down in parts. And all you need then is for the delivery to do it justice and CATS definitely did not disappoint in that regard. We were treated to an excellent portrayal of the story of a fading Hollywood star, convinced he has come to play Lear in the birthplace of the Bard who actually ends up performing in a barn in Stratford St John with a bunch of amateurs! I think all of us involved in community theatre relate to this play as so much of it rings true – as much drama off stage as on, prima donnas, no budget but yet so much passion and commitment to the art.

One should never be put off by a school as a venue because not only is this one pretty well appointed for staging a production, CATS are masters of making good use of the space and facilities on offer. This production necessitates several different locations and some quite big backstage costume changes and apart from a couple of slight lags between scenes which are very tricky to eliminate as the actors take longer to change than the set (!), everything was smoothly done. No sound or lighting gremlins seemed to be in evidence for the most part though there were a few instances where the mics didn’t seem to come in quite quick enough to capture a character’s line.

The set was straightforward but conveyed what it needed to. The primary location is the barn but we also visit other places such as Mary’s B&B. Simple changes were made to reflect the differing locations and the screen was once again put to excellent use to support the physical set and set dressing. Props and costume were spot on for what was needed in the main; I do think the tabloid paper exposing Jefferson’s alleged sex scandal could have been a little better executed although there is a certain charm in subverting the overall amateur theme!

Immediate kudos has to go to a director that also has a prominent part in the production as it brings to mind rehearsal scenarios where the individual runs from the director’s chair to the playing area depending on the scene! It’s hard work but this didn’t affect the quality of either the direction or the performances.

The centre of the universe (in his mind at least!) is Jefferson Steele (Rich Gilbert) a fading Hollywood star who thinks he is coming to tread the same boards as Dench, McKellan, Branagh et al in Stratford on Avon but instead ends up with the eponymous bunch of amateurs in that sleepy Suffolk dump! Jefferson goes on quite the arc across the play which Rich portrayed very nicely, going from absolute Hollywood nightmare to a pretty nice, well-rounded human and father and eventually sticking with all his new friends to save the day. A nicely transitioned performance.

The lynchpin of the Stratford Players is Dorothy (Samantha Hughes-Johnson), walking the tightrope between taking none of Jefferson’s BS but also knowing the future of the group she loves is on the line without him! However, I do feel that the way Dorothy is written would make it easy to make her one dimensional if the actor didn’t take care to pull the nuances out as she is not an overly demonstrative character overall unless she is really pushed. Fortunately, Samantha did exactly that! Highlighting the frustrations of dealing with an idiot (not in the script but pretty sure Dorothy’s overriding impression at the beginning!) to the challenges of keeping the Players afloat, managing all the egos and issues as well as dealing with an emotionally fragile teenage girl. Dorothy really is the character that amateur groups up and down the UK would not survive without and Samatha captured her fabulously.

I am pretty sure that if Dan Ede Smith had chosen to only direct then I would have lamented that he wasn’t playing Nigel Dewsbury as he was born to play this role! Nigel is the character that all amdram groups have – a bit narcissistic, thinks all the plum lead roles should absolutely be theirs (even if they are all in the same play!) and that the society would collapse without them! Just realising as I write that this might not be sounding quite how I intended in reference to Dan!! He has a fabulously dramatic stage presence when required and along with his awesome projection and diction, this kind of over-the-top character absolutely comes alive in his hands. A great performance!

Our local B&B owner, Mary Plunkett (Mags Kay) forms the lead of the Jefferson Steele fan club even if she is often confused as to which films he has actually been in! She unfortunately is instrumental in the sex scandal expose although later realises her error. Mags did a great job of leading us through the character’s highs and lows.

The solid and dependable “rock of the society” is Dennis Dobbins (Sam Askey), often found building sets whilst coming up with more and more inventive ways that the Earl of Gloucester can lose his eyes! It has been great to see Sam develop as a performer in my time with NODA and it is amazing to see him take on Assistant Director for this production too. Well done on both fronts.

Lauren Bell (Janine Adamson) is the wife of the main sponsor of the production and is unwittingly caught up in the whole sex scandal. Lauren can be seen as just a bit of a glamourous addition, but she has depth which Janine portrayed well. And rounding out the principal cast is Jefferson’s teenaged daughter, Jessica (Jessie Austin) – not estranged exactly but certainly a challenging father/daughter relationship given Jefferson’s many failings (although the ex-wife never sounds much better!). We also see Jessica come into her own across the play and Jessie gave a solid portrayal of a stroppy teen who reconciled with the fact that her Dad absolutely wasn’t perfect but was aiming to be better.

Rob Adamson & Pat Edwards were featured as the Duke of Albany and a photographer (with another photographer played by Dan in yet another role!). All in all, a competent and in absolutely no way amateur cast!

I loved some of the touches such as the back of programme being a “Stratford Players – King Lear” programme complete with the appropriate advertising from the village businesses! As always, I had an extremely warm welcome from the CATS front of house and it was a great night out. I look forward to the next time.

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