Billy Liar

Firstly, I congratulate RaTs on sixty years of bringing exceptional theatre to Medway. I can remember some of the first and it has been an honour over the past 12 years to be able to review your performances. Keep this up and I hope to be there on your 70th year.

For many, of us a certain age, we can remember this period, of Billy Liar, and I must compliment RaTs on their set and props - they were exceptionally good.  Kerry Bailey is a delight as a Grandmother Florence, not liking anything in the 50s it seems. Her monologues in the first act of the play were a delight. Andrew Deamer as Billy Fisher I felt was adequate in the role, but I felt at points his comedy was lost. Billy is a comedy and should be a laugh a minute for all the cast, this didn’t happen in this production. I’ve seen “Billy Liar” as a play and as a musical many a time, and I laughed all the way through. Billy’s highlight of his performance and perhaps the highlight of the evening is Billy replying to his father (Kevin Lane) about being “grateful“ - it was a nice piece of acting between the two of them. Alice Fisher (Mia Heathcote) was perfectly cast as Billy’s mother, as were the four supporting roles, each giving us great performances, Arthur Crabtree (Joe Pritchett), Barbera (Alice Tilley), Rita (Amanda Miller) and Liz (Amy Metcalf) the differences of their characters stood out as they should. Jannie Hewlett directed this ‘Billy’ on the stage of the Oasthouse Ttheatre with nice direction of her cast, but I felt that it was a little slow on dialogue at times, this maybe because of first night nerves, and loss of lines in some places. I feel sure this could pick up as the run progresses.

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