Are You Being Served?

There was something rather unusual on offer at Fladbury Village Hall, as the Players took to the stage for their latest production.  Director Rob Brown sought and obtained permission from the estates of writers Jeremy Lloyd and David Croft to perform three of the episodes from the long running TV series Are You Being Served? He then painstakingly corrected the scripts so that they matched the broadcast versions, and all was set for a trip back to the 1970s.  Not only was this a nostalgic show in terms of the behaviour of the characters and style of comedy, but the very concept of a Department Store seems old-fashioned in these days of online shopping. 

The three episodes on offer were ‘Dear Sexy Knickers’ (the very first episode of the first series of the show), ‘Mrs Slocombe Expects’, and ‘Diamonds are a Man’s Best Friend’.  These were all performed before a very good set, as I have come to expect from a group that won a NODA Technical Award for the quality of their sets last year.  This depicted the interior of Grace Bros. department store, complete with a lift with opening doors up some steps at the rear, and a section that cleverly revolved out to provide Mr Rumbold’s office.  The set was also very well dressed, with lots of clothing appropriate to the era.  I appreciated the attention to detail in things like the Grace Bros. branded bags and the old-fashioned telephones and hoover.

The iconic theme music was used to introduce each episode, and also to cover scene changes, which worked effectively.  ‘Dear Sexy Knickers’, which kicked off the night, saw lovestruck Mr Lucas (Steve Cook) attempting to woo co-worker Miss Brahms (Ellie Dobner) with a rather blunt love letter.  Needless to say, this went wrong as the letter found its way instead to Mrs Slocombe (Rob Brown), who believed it had come from Captain Peacock (Keith Holman).  Meanwhile, Mr Humphries (James Woodward), complete with his iconic ‘I’m Free’ catchphrase, demonstrated some unorthodox methods for getting clothing to fit! 

The Players took a creative approach to casting, with not only Rob playing Mrs Slocombe (his panto dame experience coming in very handy!), but also a number of women playing men. To the fore in this episode were Louise Seppings, taking on the role of the decrepit Mr Grainger, and Donna Davies stepping into the shoes of the managerial Mr Rumbold.   In each case the gender of the character was maintained, and that of the performer quickly forgotten, so effectively did the actors inhabit their roles. 

The second episode, which spanned the interval, was ‘Mrs Slocombe Expects’, in which confusion abounds when the staff overhear Mrs Slocombe talking about a forthcoming ‘happy event’ and assume her to be pregnant.  In fact, it’s her pussy that is about to have kittens, but store policy prevents her from bringing it to work, leading to a farcical attempt to conceal the moggy in a tea urn.  Warehouse worker Mr Harman (Sue Perry) was prominent in this episode, particularly in an effective and well executed scene where the cat’s tail poked out of the urn!  There was also a nice subplot in which the amusingly decrepit Mr Grace (Ness Haller) attempted to teach the staff some sales techniques, all of which inevitably backfired. 

Lastly, we were treated to ‘Diamonds are a Man’s Best Friend’, in which a customer offered a reward for a lost diamond, leading to a frenzy of searching followed by crossing and double-crossing, as members of staff competed to get as much of the reward for themselves as possible.  This culminated in a good, nicely farcical scene in which the characters lined up in Mr Rumbold’s office, all hoping to win the prize, until Mr Grace declared that the award will go to a nursing home for former employees (delighting Mr Grainger, who reasons that they will be the first to take advantage!)

As well as the principals already named, a sprightly ensemble, made up of Angela Dakin, Ness Haller, Helen Jones, Eileen Qubain and Maureen Godard-Key, popped up in a variety of roles, including customers, cleaners, Mr Grace’s nurse and a special friend of Mr Humphries.  They, along with the rest of the cast, were kitted out in a good variety of costumes, all appropriate for the period.  Well done to Toni Hall, Liz Wilkes, Beth Wilsom and Rob Brown for their efforts in this area. 

Rob Brown directed the show effectively, managing to maintain the separation between the gentleman’s and ladies’ departments even on the small stage, and keeping the farcical action moving.  The characterisation was generally faithful to the TV show, with Mr Lucas suitably hapless, Captain Peacock invariably uptight, Mr Humphries amusingly camp (and also rocking an impressive set of leathers at one point!), Miss Brahms nicely brassy and Mrs Slocombe never far from an innuendo! 

Well done to Fladbury Players for bringing these episodes to the stage for what I believe may be the first time.  As the laughter rang out across the Village Hall, it was clear that all of the hard work to bring this show to the audience had paid off.  Congratulations, and I look forward to seeing you all again soon. 

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