A Summer Soiree

St Oswald’s Church Hall, Preesall was the venue for this Company and they had decided to perform 5 one-act plays. Three of the plays were written by Jean McConnell, one by Alan Bennett and one by John Savage.

The curtains opened to reveal a colourful backdrop depicting the seaside and this was used very effectively with varying props for three of the plays. Appropriate Costumes and accessories were important in all the plays and most particularly for “Doggies” when two lovely hand puppets were used.

“ Day Trippers” the first offering featured Barbie Dickason as Doris and Linda Bee as Beryl. They both gave convincing performances as they reflected on their work colleagues and wondered why their part of the beach was so quiet.  Some hesitancy with lines, unfortunately, meant that the pace of the piece was not as it should be.John Savage followed this by performing the Alan Bennett monologue “ A Chip in the Sugar”. This was an outstanding interpretation of one of Bennett’s works and John showed all his experience, holding the audience in the palm of his hand and indeed he looked very much like the author. This was a real “tour de force”. John also performed, together with Ian Sharpe, his own short satire entitled “The Second Test” which was delivered as a commentary by two people. This was a very  amusing piece.

Barbie Dickason as Betty and Yvonne Clavin as Wynn in “Dancers” and Lynda Bee as Thelma and Olwyn Jackson as Eleanor in “Doggies gave the audience food for thought about our attitudes and perceptions.     Congratulations to Director, Jenny Blyth and her team for a lovely evening’s entertainment, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all

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