And So To Bed

These three short plays were written by a member of the society under nom-de-plume Bill Jaeger. The set by Stewart Hughes was a well-constructed hotel bedroom with ensuite  bathroom offstage left. The stage team were kept very busy between plays changing the look of the same room with different pictures on the wall, different duvet covers, coffee implements and alcohol etc. on the side table. As usual Kevin Quinn and David Marshall provided excellent lighting and sound with effects on cue. The Players decided to seat the audience at tables with wine and nibbles provided, which worked well.

The first play – “Strangers in the Night”- was set in Paris and involved a double-booked hotel room. Iryna Kennedy, who has a charming “foreign” accent was the obvious choice to play Madame Giroud – a trip advisor who was trying to negotiate the problem of the double booking. Iryna took the role confidently with some well ‘thrown-away’ comedic lines and created a good ambience for the piece. Paula, played by Sarah Bell, and Chris, played by Stuart Wilson, had a  argument over which should claim the room and ended up sharing when they realised that they had been “set up”!  Sarah was credible as the woman who was outraged at first but gradually warmed to the other hotel room occupant! Stuart was an agitated and slightly bumbling character who having been, in the past, unlucky in love, accepted a new chance with this stranger.

“Divil the Bit of It” was the second piece which, this time, was set in Portrush! Lorraine Hunter and Claire Pollock were a couple of ex factory workers up north for a weekend break. Madge (Lorraine) was the quieter member of the duo; Ellie (Claire)was the ‘leader of the pack’; both of them champion gossips! The local accents made the gossip between them very funny as they discussed what they saw from their hotel window! Viewing their former boss taking dubious photos of a young woman they suspected to be a ‘tart’ they were hilarious in their condemnation. Madge hinted to the audience in the end, that perhaps she had not  a blameless past in connection with the boss! A good denouement  but maybe not a total surprise to all!!

After the interval, “Snakes and Ladders” was set in a Plymouth Hotel bedroom. With a more complicated plot, Michael Crutchley held the piece together as serial fiancé Charles. Pleasantly played while coping with a lot of dialogue, he saw off several prospective wives, the first of which was Tara Stewart as Julia. She was a romantic young gynaecologist, who Tara portrayed in animated and assured fashion. Tara (who also directed the 3 plays) did not have long to establish her character in her brief appearance. A year later (indicated by a short blackout) Julia was dead, and Charles was meeting Jess, a chambermaid rather below his class, who threw herself at him when invited to his room! Julia Beaumont was the blousey female who became ‘Eliza’ to his ‘Higgins’, to enable him to change her enough to impress his rich family and gain access to the family fortune! Julie also became the posher but identical suitor Emelia, with appropriate differences and similarities. She entered both roles with vigour and obviously enjoyed playing them. I, for one, was not sure whether the playwright meant Emelia to be the transformed Jess or a completely new character?  At some stage with each ‘suitor’ Tammy Quinn joined the action as childhood friend Dawn, as she climbed the hotel staff ladder from housekeeping to general manager. She and Michael shared good rapport with each other and made  a mutual attraction between Charles and Dawn quite obvious. Her appearances on stage however, were also too short to establish a true character.

All in all, Director Tara managed to create quite a pacey and attention-holding evening’s entertainment and I  thank 

H.B.Players for their invitation.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.