Absolute Hell

Take a cast of 33 people reviving an iconic production from the last 75 years and you have the makings of a really good season.  And that is what happened at Sutton Arts this week in this hit production.  The play was originally performed at Sutton Arts in August and September 1992 directed by Nicholas Barnes.

Christine (Liz Berriman) is the proprietress of La Vie En Rose, and runs it with a rod of iron, an establishment not far from Piccadilly where members can dine on duck and get tiddly on gin and orange.  While Christine is running the club, or so she thinks, the real person running the club is Doris (Lynette Coffrey), Christine’s harassed dogs’ body.  Its regulars include Hugh (Dexter Whitehead), a writer who had some success in his youth but has fallen on hard times and spends his evenings cadging cigarettes and getting drunk.

The club is stuffed with exaggerated characters. Maurice Hussey (Patrick Richmond-Ward) is a film producer who views everyone around him as a source of amusement. Especially his secretary Cyril (Ian Cornock).  Michael (Keith Hayes) is a near-permanently inebriated artist. There’s party girl Elizabeth (Phebe Jackson), who dumps Ziggy in favour of GI Sam (Robbie Newton).  Austrian black-marketeer Siegfried (Garry Pritchard).  The club is also frequented by a succession of GIs, one of them is Butch (Aaron Armstrong-Craddock) who is a favoutite of Christine’s. 

Joanne Ellis gave a fine performance as Madge, who always comes in through the window handing out leaflets for the Jesus was born on Boxing Day movement.

Fifi (Emma Green), a local lady of the night, patrols the stage constantly and there are frequent eruptions of drunken dancing. 

The set builders at Sutton Arts did their usual fantastic job and made full use of the space available.  The set was well lit and even when the actors were standing at the back of the stage, every word could be heard.

Space prevents me mentioning more of the members of this cast, well directed by Emily Armstrong, who all worked well together as a team.   

Although this play was to long for some of the audience, it was a great nights entertainment. 

 

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.