A Voyage Round My Father

A well laid out garden, with trellis covered in greenery, multiple flowers far stage right and a simple table and chairs up left with a proper period wireless and a central wooden bench was the stage setting for this thought provoking and well presented autobiographical play by John Mortimer.   This set sufficed surprisingly well for all the other scenes played out;  the school scene,  court scene, film set, etc.   

This blind, eccentric and obstinate Father was a remarkable feat of acting by Peter Bradley.   Father’s contrary and cantankerous nature yet intellectually brilliant mind was beautifully pitched by Peter,  whose performance I will long remember. With his brown stick , refusal to accept his blindness and his obsession with drowning plant destroying earwigs and love of his garden, he was quite superb.

Matching this paragon was Barry Harrison-Fudge (Fudge) as Son. Son was the ball being hit around the field by Father, the target for his verbal arrows. As Son (the narrator) Fudge gave a polished display of the hapless fate of the young lad gradually and eventually taking over the mantle from his father, who both loved him and yet was jealous as his own powers slowly waned. At the heart of this powerful play was the emotional yet repressed bond between Father and Son, and the inability of each to accept and vocalise their mutual bond, largely through the frustration caused by the father’s blindness. Fudge, as Son, grew older physically, intellectually, yet was emotionally in some respects still a child. Wonderful acting!

Jane Biggins as Mother bore the frustrations of life with Father with stoic calm, in the main, in a beautifully pitched performance.

There were some marvellous eccentrics as teachers - Mike Richardson was the tearful Ham and a blood discussing Mr Morrow showing distinct stage presence in both roles.    Terry Ward as Japhet played the guitar all the while comparing his romantic woes to those of King Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson, thus amusing us greatly.    Terry also did well as Boustead.    Barrie Heathcote gave us a wonderful Noah (the Headmaster) musing on the facts of life (heavily disguised with euphemisms, such as  "cake"). Barrie was also a forceful Film Director and a kinder George, Son's clerk at the bar.

There were some promising young players who  each played a full part;  Jamie Tappin was a spirited Son as a boy and his schoolmate Reigate, played by Edgar Richardson, boasted falsely of his mother's beauty -  the less than glamorous Mrs Reigate was played by Kats Koster-Shadbolt. Son and Reigate staged a touching WW1 scene that earned praise from both parents. Young Lucy Paine (sharing the role with Poppy Harrison-Fudge) was a sparky Iris, showing much promise.

Angela Richardson was a high class and well spoken Elizabeth, Son's wife to be. While typing she showed her steel. After mentioning the "unmentionable", that father was actually blind, she began the long and slow transition to acceptance as his son's future wife. The scene when Father tried in vain to dissuade her from the marriage was powerful theatre by both players.

Jay Garland  dovetailed four roles and did seamlessly in all of them - Miss Baker, Mrs Noah, Doris and Witness. Bill Pilcher was both a driver Ringer Lean and enquiry agent Thong (a court witness), also played with realism.        

Jerry Day complete with realistic wig was a splendid Judge.   Felix Cuthbert was a sure footed Sparks and also Father's Doctor.   Julie Edwards played Miss Cox with truth. Two smart ATS girls appeared in the film scene - Wendy Davies and          Kats Koster-Shadbolt. Wendy also made much of her role as a Social Worker.

All principals acquitted themselves well;  many were excellent and the play was sensitively handled by the superb director Mike Fanya, who brought out the frustrations of the central characters with nuanced details, while the bond between Father and Son was understated yet still obvious.    He was, however, aided by two marvellous lead actors.   With narration by Son (Fudge) the scenes ran seamlessly over the time span of 40 years.

Pathos and comedy were everywhere - Father's raucous "Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green" during the School's "Abide with Me" - Sex education talks with cold showers by the Headmaster - Ham's throwing of school books at Son and Reigate, then paying them 1s 7d to atone for his swearing - his war shell shock -  Father's counting to forty three whilst a barrister - the Son tactfully steering Father away from the lesbian couple Miss Cox and Miss Baker whilst in the woods - were several of the noteworthy ones.

Wardrobe, by Anne Lyth, was  realistic for the period, as were hairstyles, and the feel of a comfortable middle class lifestyle was apparent.

As I have remarked before, Ewhurst Players have a real depth of acting talent in their ranks which was most certainly in evidence in this stimulating and richly enjoyable performance.

           

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.