Benchmarks

It was great to see Bramrocks back performing a play after their return to panto last year. After the flurry of musicals throughout May, it was lovely to sit back, relax and enjoy this well written play from Lazy Bee Scripts, revolving around 6 strangers who come across each other in a local park, each having their own individual stories of their circumstances to tell.

The set was beautifully designed and decorated by Becka Elliott. Featuring the focal point of a park bench centre stage, a flower bed, the effect of hedging and a lovely backdrop, it was a great job done by Becka. 

Cassie is a struggling teenage single mother with a baby, and is pretty desperate, trying to make ends meet the best she can-Apparently Evey Taylor-Harrison came into the role as Cassie very late, it was a very good performance, and her interactions with the rather more fortunate, or so we thought, Helen, played by Linda Brand, were very well delivered.

As the very dedicated, honest and help anyone park- keeper, David, Marne Causton was excellent, especially when dealing with the park’s “troublemakers”. Cynthia, hilariously played by Louise Venn, being one of those “troublemakers” that David had to regularly deal with, but Cynthia, despite her scatty nature, would do anything for anyone.  Alex Triguinho, as Nick, enters the park and is training for a marathon, Alex again showing what a good actor he is-I had done a park run myself that morning and probably looked as exhausted as Alex was acting earlier that day!

Finally, Kenneth Holbeck, as the hard-nosed businessman and former resident of the area, John, who had been snooping around the park interacting with most of the cast throughout the whole play, was another very good performance. Announcing that the park was going to be closed and developed into housing, even he saw what the park brought to the neighbourhood, backed down and the park was safe.

This was a very heartwarming play that beautifully showed how most human beings, despite facing their own challenges, still have the spirit and compassion to help someone in need—even if they've only just met them. This message came through wonderfully in the performance by the entire cast, and it was lovely to watch. 

It was nice to catch up with Director Jessica Adby afterwards, she had put so much hard work into the play and it was a very enjoyable evening.

 

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