Byte Me

These were the premiere performances of this new play and Mark Edwards, as both director and writer had every reason to be proud. There were lots of comic moments, some gentle titters and some real laugh out loud jokes and puns and each cast member was a believable person found in a small village The setting was relatively simple, just 2 areas in the same pub, the bar and a function room. I liked the madcap moving round the table to show the passage of time and the use of the screen for the incident with Brian’s arse and the final bows. The end of Act One was not obvious so the audience were unsure if it was the interval or not, a blackout or a more definite spoken line would have helped.

It was obvious to the audience that the cast worked well together and trusted each other. Jane Browne as Maggie Brewster the landlady, was welcoming, a realist and down to earth. Her most reliable customer of Brian Boomerston, played by Ralph Camp, was a bit of an old duffer, avoiding paying his bar bill to cover his loneliness. Ginny Elliston’s Vanessa Priggerton was sharp and eager to keep standards up but gradually realising other things are more important. Her ‘Blue Peter Badge’ moment was very funny. Lady Katherine was definitely old money and Linda Helm-Manley used her physicality to great effect. Melissa Jones was warm and optimistic as the creative Lulu Scatterby. The character of Stephanie Spooner gave Helen Rees the difficult job of saying deliberate spoonerisms, well done, you slid them in well. Vanessa Templey played Lizzy Prymore as enthusiastic and slightly neurotic but willing to learn. Mike Rees was an outdated hack, Peter Whitman, trying to find one more big headline. The man who wanted to push for change was Tom Davies, played with flamboyance and confidence by Myles Lovell. He suited this part very well but I found his hat antics distracting. Joan Lanario deserves a medal for her self-discipline and concentration as lovely Mrs Cattersby. Last but not least Lisa Turpcu was perfectly cast as the doppelganger of the doppelganger of a well-known actress with local ties. The explanation of her use of a stick was very clever.

The set was appropriately simple but a great deal of attention had been given to the props. The beer taps, beer mats, stools and tables dressed the pub well and I laughed out loud when I saw what the Surprise Celebrity was reading.

I liked the fact that the cast changed their accessories for different scenes but why was Tom the only character who changed during the action? They could all have done so in the interval. The outrageous face hiding hat was wonderful and so were Lulu’s finishing touches.

This was a very enjoyable evening. I was warmly welcomed and looked after by the group. Mark Edwards even left the theatre to help me find my way back to my car, thank you, I really appreciated it. Well done to everyone involved with the production.

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