But Why Bump Off Barnaby?

 

 

PLEASE NOTE:

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question. The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance, and it is inevitable that his assessment will be affected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed. It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed. Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

 

Where would any of us be without Church Halls as a base for our hobbies? This comedy who-done-it was being performed in one of Unity’s home bases so I was interested in how comfortable they would be in this venue. It is an American comedy drama written under a stage name by Jack Sharkey, who also wrote plays under other names. The play is as complex as any London White Hall farce but with a different pace to it. The Synopsis covers about as much mayhem as you could expect in the time frame allowed and I quote :-

 “When Barnaby Folcey is murdered at a family gathering at Marlgate Manor, it transpires that he had a motive to murder everybody else, but no one had a reason to want him dead. While dying, he scrawled the letters "b-a-r," which can implicate everyone. While the group frantically tries to unmask the murderer, people vanish, poison is found in the sherry, and the police take forever to arrive. Meanwhile, there's a secret treasure to be found, a mystifying limerick to decode, and all sorts of doom to be avoided before the killer is finally unmasked and destroyed using one of the funniest methods ever seen on a stage.” 

Having seen the synopsis I keenly waited to see how the group managed to weave their way through this script. How tight would they be on their lines and how “straight” they could play their parts?

Of course it’s the Unity Players so the show will have been well directed and acted with so much energy that it was going to entertain the audience from the opening scene. Not quite a full house but a lively audience ready to have a good time. My thanks to Unity for bringing this play to my attention. It is a very wordy play but when the action happens it does rather catch you unaware. It made the cast run a word marathon and they managed with only a few snags along the way.

The stage at this Church Hall is shallow and wide. The group had a complex set with three entrances/exits, a revolving wall and two wall paintings that moved. The whole set was washed in a red colour which did not work well with the other furniture in my opinion. The room was supposed to have been out of use for many years. The furniture was mixed and very suitably old and worn. There was a central table which I believe should have been placed slightly off centre. That would have made it easier to see some of the action on stage. I think the flats should have been a more dour colour to leave the whole scene to be lifted by the wonderful mix of costumes. Each costume was very well suited to the characters. All of the set builders and Wardrobe personnel had worked very hard to achieve the results we saw on stage. And their work was a great support to the cast. For the future I hope that the group is able to have and use some more lights for the pros-arch as we do need to see those actors at the very front. This may have been a restriction of the venue. 

The cast for this show worked very well together and supported each other as I would expect from an ensemble piece of theatre. They are to be congratulated on that support which I believe helped make this play work. The prompt was discrete and quick to jump in with a cue. This helped us not notice her presence and kept up the pace of the show. Well done Julia. 

Cast members:-

Medkins – played by Tony. What a role to play. Standard butler at the start and then a wonderful madman at the end. 

Orion Leduc – played by Steve who brought some calm to the role. Only an American author could come up with that name! 

Barnaby Folcey – Well done James – not easy to die on stage when all the cast are ignoring you!

Rosalind Barstow – well performed and great work on the costumes Rachel.

Cleo Barton – played by Kim. We could tell you were enjoying the part. Great to see that fun.

Miss Barnsdale – played by Lynda. Great acting, slighly underplaying but always staying in character. 

Jeff Barnes – Ethan played the part of the “straight man” rather well. And he had to dote on that dotty Dora. That’s acting!

Lady Barbara – I suppose if you are also the Director you are going to opt for a scene stealing part! Such a joy to watch and reminded me of the great Victoria Wood.

Magnolia - played by Vishnupriya. What a joy to have such a strong woman in this role. She was very comfortable in the role and commanded the stage on every entrance. Well done. I look forward to seeing more of this actress"  

Dora Dunstock – played by Tiger-Lily. Wonderful part to play and “own” which you did with gusto! Glad that you got less squeaky as you got more comfortable in the role. Maintained the character till the end. You lit up the stage.

Another show well directed and acted – and enjoyed by the audience!

Thank you Bath Unity Players for allowing me to be your guest.

I look forward to seeing your next venture,

Kind regards,

Bob Allen.

NODA SW. District 14 Representative.

 

N.B. These comments solely reflect the view of the representative and can only relate to the performance seen.

 

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