An Evening of Two Comedy Plays

On offer were two one act plays, written and directed by member, Cheryl May. The theatre was warm and front of house personnel as welcoming as ever. On this penultimate show, it was good to see a sizeable audience of circa 80.

The programme was informative with a colourful front cover and advance notice of productions planned for the rest of the year.

The first play, entitled It Never Rains but it Pours, was rather apt as the Society are currently raising funds for roof repairs. The stage was split into two, with, stage left, a table containing receptacles for water collection plus the rear end of a very realistic giraffe. Stage right contained a table and chairs, telephone and a signpost displaying ‘Heaven Inc’. The set was minimal but effective and all props were used to great effect.

The costumes were well thought out and appropriate whether rainproof, angelic or colourful.

This amusing, modern day, version of Noah’s Ark centred around problems with a leaky roof. Whilst Noah remained stoic, his wife, played convincingly by Amanda Robertson, complained bitterly about the appalling conditions they had to endure. During one tirade and a cleverly worded tongue twister, she claimed “it is like living in an onomatopoeic nightmare”. Amanda should be commended for maintaining a good pace and movement throughout the performance.

There were some comic moments provided by the three sons, who appeared in various gaudy costumes. The part of Jocaster, was filled at short notice owing to illness. Anne Walpole, despite having to read from the script, played the part of the chilled out, scented candle advocate, extremely competently.

‘Heaven Inc’ was a support network, run by angels. They were telephoned by Noah for help. Sylvia Whalley as ‘Fleur’, stole the show and was hilarious with her timing and ability to switch from a strong Northern accent to her exaggerated Received Pronunciation telephone voice. She was superb. Carolyn Ferguson, as the Goth trainee angel, demonstrated her professionalism having stepped in at short notice. This was not in the least evident and she played the part with confidence and, at the same time, looked stunning.

Overall, this was an entertaining play which was clearly enjoyed by the audience. This report would not be complete without reference to the unexpected giraffe’s defecation following every clap of thunder. This was innovative and highly amusing. Full credit to Liz Santer and her team for this marvellous prop. Hopefully it can be used again.

The second play If the Fetes Allow was much briefer and centred around the preparation of a village fete. The set was simple and adequate comprising a large bric-a-brac stall and table for ‘Psychic Sylvie’. The main characters were the Health and Safety Officer, the organiser and the First aider. All personnel felt their jobs were most important and at the same time all could be described as ‘Jobsworths’. There were some wonderful one-liners and a good element of slapstick, especially those involving bandages. The appearance of a life-sized dog and Karl Whitmore attempting to provide some Morris dancing whilst heavily bandaged provided some guffaws from the audience. However, it was Edna Crosbie as the rather confused Sylvie, booked to perform the role of ‘Psychic Sylvie’ who, with her comic timing, was the standout performer in this play.

Unfortunately, a few prompts were needed, plus some reference to the script on stage, and this second play was not so polished as the first one. With that said, however, it was an entertaining evening with some light-hearted moments.  Some of the actors were new to Trinity Theatre and hopefully we shall be seeing them back again in future performances.

 Congratulations to all who were involved.

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.