Anyone for Breakfast

Anyone for Breakfast is a comedy of marital mishaps by Derek Enfield. The scene is set for an evening and morning of crazy misunderstandings and mistaken identities as the guilty parties in question try desperately to keep their romantic secrets - secret!

As I very soon found out, the set is an absolutely crucial element if this play is in anyway to succeed. At Bolsover, one can usually guarantee that the set will be first class and I definitely think that that this one is up there with the best - and I have seen many! The play was set in a lounge/living room in the house of Shirley and Gilbert and consisted of the usual type of furniture for such a room - a settee, an armchair, various side table and cabinets. These were all adorned with excellent furnishings and props. One door led to the kitchen, another to the dining room, there was a passage which led to the front door and patio windows to the garden. There were stairs, with a banister, leading to the upstairs bedrooms where there were two more doors. All these ‘doors’ etc. were necessary for the plot to transpire. The set construction was by Ken Radmore and Mick Whitehouse, Set Painting by Chris Peck and Katie Watkins and Properties by Ben Lawrence, Chris Peck and Katie Watkins. 

We first meet Shirley, splendidly played by Holly Wood. She had a very natural stage presence and super facial expressions. She was initially encouraging Jane, another good and confidently assured performance from Janet Koszegi, by telling her that she looked fine for her meeting with would be romantic liaison and toy boy, Mark and then, she departed her house. Jane was rather unsure of herself, but turning on the radio and lowering the lights seemed to do the trick but when Mark arrived she was so disappointed that all he could think of was food and how dark it seemed to be! Chris Peck was excellent as Mark. He portrayed the naivety and the total unawareness of the situation ideally. I loved the way he very expertly got out of his motor bike gear to reveal that he was wearing a dinner suit underneath (after all, that was what he thought he was coming for) but not only that, he had to put it on and take it off quite a few more times. Next to arrive on the scene was Gilbert, (who was supposed to be at Dusseldorf a place he regular visits) with Helga, a German air hostess. Istvan Koszegi was superb as Gilbert. It is a huge role and with the many fabrications, twists, lies and stories he has to invent throughout, I really don’t know how he didn’t ravel himself in knots never mind the plot - a great performance. Helga was somewhat sweetly, but quite flirtatiously played by Katie Watkinson however, she was definitely most disgruntled when Gilbert was reticent to respond to her advances, as he had been when they were in Dusseldorf. Jane’s husband Roger, very well played by Ray Wignall, comes through the Patio doors and is very bemused by the goings on. Of course, it is foggy, so they all have to stay the night. Shirley arrives back and is mistaken for the cleaner by Helga, (the absent cleaner has been used in many different scenarios as excuses for a certain person being present). Throughout the play people kept appearing in all states of undress, popping in and out of rooms asking for various things, meeting different people and in the midst of all this Gilbert finds out what is going on and bursts into brilliantly executed fits of laughter. Finally, following the departure of Jane and Roger and Helga going off with Mark, we are left with just Gilbert and Shirley wondering………………

It was certainly fast moving and the timing of all the comings and goings had to be spot on, which they were. It is indeed a great script but equally it had to be delivered and it was just incredible how the cast actually remembered which story they were going to fabricate and at which time but, however good the actors were it couldn’t have been successfully accomplished without the tremendous set.

Congratulations to Philip Clark, along with Connie Poulter, for the excellent sound and lighting, to the cast, and to everyone else involved and many congratulations must go to to Katie Watkins on her debut as Director with the group. Many thanks for the very warm welcome and hospitality that I always receive whenever I attend a show at Bolsover.

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