Are You Being Served

‘Those’ of a certain age will remember ‘Are You Being Served’ with affection… I certainly do, it was 30 minutes of fun, silliness and innuendo and laughter … no thinking, no concentration, no political correctness! So in this day and this age… how does a full length play entitled ‘Are You Being Served’ stand the test of time?

All the characters we knew and loved were present and The Wayfarers were fortunate to have very good actors.  I was a little surprised that the storyline presented Act 1 in the store and Act 2 all the characters on holiday in Spain. I was told that the script was taken from a full length feature film; therefore it was a ‘stand alone’ story with a beginning, middle and end.

The characters were instantly recognisable and when well known lines were heard the audience roared with laughter e.g. ‘I’m free’ (Mr Lucas) and ‘my pussy’ (Mrs Slocombe). This was lightweight entertainment made all the more entertaining by the talents of the well drawn characters. This was a large cast for the petite ‘Theatre in the Hut’ stage and ease of cast movements suffered a little, especially in Act 2 when the stage was largely filled with tents and the cast were all rushing around portraying the chaos of the story!

I note that in 2018 this play was banned from a theatre in Torquay because it was deemed sexist. Was the play politically correct? No of course not and those of a hypersensitive nature should just stay away.  It was excellent farce… fun, enjoyable, a real taste of yesteryear and also many people’s TV history!  

The whole company is to be congratulated for their performances. Thank you to the director for having the vision that the play could work in this theatre. The theatre had a full house and the audience enjoyed a nostalgic evening… what more can one wish for.

Well done Wayfarers, another entertaining performance. Thank you all for your welcome and hospitality

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