Bazaar & Rummage

This was my first visit to a Phoenix Theatre Company production and myself and my guest were warmly welcomed by the friendly front of house team

 

Bazaar and Rummage is an interesting Play as while it is undoubtedly a comedy it also touches on some deeper issues, mainly agoraphobia and the impact it can have on those who suffer from this condition. The Play also delves in to what could trigger it in the first place.

 

Set in the 80’s in a rather shabby church hall we discover that Social Worker and ex agoraphobic Gwenda has enlisted the members of her self help group to run a rummage sale. Observing the action is trainee social worker Felicity. The set was simply yet suitable staged with lots of attention to props, all the typically unwanted items you would expect to see at a rummage sale. Lighting was simple, as you would expect given that the play largely takes place in a church hall and I appreciated the steps down to the auditorium which allowed for seamless entrances and exits through the audience by the cast. This also kept the pace of the Play ticking along nicely throughout.

 

Director Iain Holding-Sutton had a strong all female cast to work with and each Player suited their characters well. Jo Fosker gave a confident and at times hilarious performance as the busy body Gwen. Her projection was excellent and I enjoyed how she was able to switch from a bossy, out for herself leader to someone actually quite erratic and vulnerable.

 

She was well supported by the calmer, more sensible Jenny Jeggo as Felicity. The voice of reason amongst the madness, this was an understated performance that was an ideal contrast to the over the top Gwen.

 

Another excellent performance came from Becky Smart as the glamorous, self obsessed Katrina. A bit of a backstabber and yearning for her former glory days as a singer she had a great presence on stage. Oblivious to the controlling ways of her husband and Gwen I was able to feel sorry for her while still disliking her for her treatment of others. Cleverly done.

 

Keziah Tomlinson was very likeable as the kind, put upon Bell-Bell. It was immediately evident that she not only suffers from agoraphobia but also OCD and that for her the conditions go hand in hand. The story of her husband taking his own life was somehow heartbreaking yet comical in equal measure.

 

Finally a gritty yet funny performance from Andrea Dalton as rough diamond Margaret. Despite her initial bravado the audience knew early on that this character was more complex than she let on. When we finally heard about her trauma as a young woman you could hear a pin drop. It was incredibly uncomfortable viewing – and I say this as a huge compliment. Expertly done.

 

Given the small area to work in understandably spacing must have been difficult. A lot of the dialogue was delivered in a straight line across the front of the stage. So despite the good individual performances the Actors didn’t have the freedom to always effectively engage with eachother. When the steps were used to deliver some dialogue it was much more effective so more use of them would have been good. I did lose some of the dialogue as well, just more projection from some of the cast would have helped. Having said that, I loved how the ladies all came together at the end to face their fears and step outside. Once they realised that Gwen needed them more than they needed her there was a lovely moment of camaraderie between them. And while certainly not cured the final message was one of hope, friendship and an understanding of each others plight.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this play and would like to thank all the cast and creative team for a great evenings entertainment. I look forward to seeing what you do next.

 

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