Lucan

This new production from Chorley Amateur Dramatic & Operatic Society written produced and directed by Mark Jones was skilfully written with innovative ideas. It was penned to mark the 50th Anniversary of the attack on Veronica Lady Lucan and the murder of Nanny Sandra Rivett by the 7th Earl of Lucan at his home in Belgravia London during the year 1974 which made headlines and dominated the news at the time. Lord ‘Lucky’ Lucan was born in 1934 to a life of privilege, enjoyed living in the fast lane and often got himself embroiled in scandals, he was a professional gambler, and a member of the famous gambling club called The Clermont. He married Veronica Duncan in 1963 and had three children and they moved into their Belgravia home in 1967. Unfortunately, in 1972 their marriage began to break down and Lucan moved out of the house, followed by a bitter custardy battle for the children which Lucan lost. Unfortunately, he was consumed with getting custardy of the children, but with legal expenses and gambling losses his personal finances began to suffer, and his mental health deteriorated. So, what really happened in that house on that November night, was Sandra Rivett an innocent victim caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, mistaken for Lady Lucan a theory put forward by lady Lucan when she ran for help to the Plumbers Arms Pub saying she had been attacked by her husband and that he had admitted to killing Rivett. However, just after the murder Lucan told his mother and a friend, that he had intervened when an assailant attacked his wife. However, at the inquest held in June 1975 into Sandra Rivett's death, the jury returned a verdict naming Lucan as her killer. Following the events of that night Lucan disappeared and was never seen again. Over the years many questions have been asked and theories put forward along with sightings of Lucan all over the world.

The narrative of the play is a mixture of proven facts and fiction, focusing on a man Gary Waite searching for answers to the mystery of what happened that night and the whereabouts of Lord Lucan, it looks at the secrets, cover ups. I thought the story was interesting and had an unexpected and some might say shocking take on the repercussions of the events of that night and what happened to Lucan.

As is usual in Marks plays, there was brilliant and innovative technical input all under the control of Paul Carr. There was a lot of jumping backwards and forwards in time in the script which could have been quite confusing, however there was a monitor at the side of the stage showing the information needed to keep the audience informed about the year, location and the action on stage, it was actually very easy to follow. At one point during the play Gary travels to Australia and the audience take the journey with him on film which was very convincing and must have taken some organization. Also, before the action on stage began, we had some impressive opening credits projected onto a large screen, just like you would see in the cinema at the start of a film designed by Ian Robinson.

There were exceptionally good performances from this large talented cast of eighteen people, and I would love to have mentioned all of them if it was possible, however they all played their role with confidence producing good characterisations whether it was a small supporting role or a principal role. I would like to say that when I first saw Ryan Norse Walk on stage I thought for a few seconds that he was the real Lord Lucan as he looked so much like how I remember him. Although Lucan is famous most of us did not know him or what he was really like we only know what we read in the paper or heard on the news so Ryan did an excellent job of producing a character that seamed authentic and that the audience could believe in. As usual Dave Reid as Gary Waite was outstanding as was Donna Keller as older Lady Lucan. Other important and nicely played roles included Helen Lees as lady Lucan, Bob Hales as John Aspinall, Amber Walsh as Helen Waite, Natalie Aspinall is Sam, Delilah Jones as Elizabeth Lucan, and Robert Walsh as DI Oakwell. There were also several other smaller cameo roles important to the storyline which were played well by the actors and who supported the principle cast excellently. All the cast could be heard, and dialogue and the plot could be followed easily which is very important in any production.

Congratulations must go to Emma Hardacre Stage Manager, Paul Carr and all backstage crew for the efficient and smooth running of a very technically complicated production. Also, Shaun McManus Set Build Manager, the set builders and Ro Littlejohns on props.

Costumes were organised by Sandra Dickinson assisted by Kath Townsend; they were just right for both timelines and the characters in the play.

Lord Lucan was declared dead in 1999, but a death certificate was not issued until 2016, when his son George inherited his titles. The Murder of Sandra Rivett and what happened to Lucan is still the subject of debate, and investigations continue today.

As Mark says in his directors note the most important job of a director is to choose the right people for your production and in this case, it was obvious this important objective had been achieved. Thank you for inviting us to this interesting entertaining production, we had a very enjoyable evening.

 

 

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