Being Rose / I am Hamlet

As a part of this year’s activities, Lancing Players presented two One Act plays of very different style and acting requirements. Both were very well performed making an interesting variation for the audience.

Being Rose

Elderly Rose (Suzanne Millar) entered the stage and settled herself into her chair from where she talked gently about her life in the past, her childhood, adolescence and married years giving a good indication of the loneliness of old age. As she remembers her life it becomes obvious to all that her memory of events has deteriorated with the onset of dementia. As she sits there each period in her life is played out firstly by child Rose (Livvy Wells) then teenager Rose (Lara Beale) followed by twenties Rose (Bill Poulton) and finally fifties Rose (Karen Franklin).  Livvy was delightful making a good start to the various role enactments. Her mother (Mercedes Cook) and dad (Mark Pattenden) introduced us to the harsh reality of a broken marriage and the effects it can have on any child. Next we met the teenager who was typically obstinate and brash, fighting against the restrictions in her life and then in her twenties Rose rushes into marriage looking for security. Mark reappears as her boyfriend/husband (and later as her son) and it becomes obvious that history is repeating itself. After this we meet Rose in her fifties. Karen came over well as the rather plain older woman to whom life has not been kind. Various other parts were played by Meg Lake, Joan Collins, Sue Duncan and Rosalind Dickinson. All the cast brought this story to life well and my special congratulations go to Mark who stepped into four different character roles only two weeks before the production.

I am Hamlet

In dramatic contrast the second half of the evening was filled, and I mean filled, by two outstanding performers. Zahir White and Simon Vyvyan captured the audience with their remarkable acting skills and use of Shakespearian prose. The whole play was a simple story of a director, Zahir, interviewing an unknown prospective actor, Simon, for the part of Hamlet. They were both incredible, showing great versatility and brilliant stage ability.

The direction of both these productions reinforced my views that a really good performance is enhanced by good scenery but it is not always necessary. Both of these plays were very simply set and it worked a treat. Well done Marlene and everyone.

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