Cards, Cups and Crystal Ball and All Hallows Eve

The Peakland Players returned to take part in the Ashbourne Festival for the first time since 2019 and are performing two 1-act plays around the theme of the paranormal - Cards, Cups and Crystal Ball by David Campton and All Hallows Eve by Peter Harrison.

Cards, Cups and Crystal Ball tells the story of the Weerd sisters - Flora, Dora and Nora - who try to make ends meet through fortune-telling but actually are dreadful fortunetellers and are barely scraping along with hardly enough money to pay their only servant, Jessie. Along comes the mysterious Lady M. who wants news of the future and she wants it right away. Suddenly Flora, then Dora, then Nora get the gift of “sight” and they now seem able to tell what’s in store for Lady M. with uncanny accuracy.

Lizzy Butterfield was excellent in the role of Flora, who seemed to be the main driving force for her three sisters, and her forte in telling the future, was the cards. When doing a ‘reading’ for Lady M. her gesticulations and mumblings became quite frenetic. After the reading, Lady M. becomes quite concerned, stressing that of course everything is confidential, and leaves one guinea on her abrupt departure. Flora then admits that she now ‘sees’ and the money, of course, is most welcome. Time has passed and both Dora and Nora accuse Flora of being a somewhat ‘Fairy Queen’ after she suggests that they are envious of her ‘gift’. Dora is very much the more fussy and nervy of the sisters and Jayne Brookes-Clayton captured these nuances perfectly and her facial expressions were just divine. Lady M. returns and congratulates Flora on her ‘reading’, wanting further ones to which Flora insists that Dora does a ‘teacup’ reading. Dora stumbles over the findings and then just ‘flips’. This time on her departure Lady M. leaves three guineas. Time passes again and Lady M. once more returns. This time Flora stipulates that it is the turn of Nora and there is another fine portrayal by Ro Brooks. Nora puts a shawl over her head and the crystal ball and becomes very theatrical as she describes her findings. Following this, we have another further ‘nod’ to Macbeth (we’ve had the 3 ‘sisters’ and the premonitions) when they all gather over the ‘coal scuttle’, a green light shines down on them and we hear mumblings and rantings. Lady M. suddenly rapidly departs, a loud noise is heard as she descend the stairs and - ‘we’ll wait and see!’. Lady M. was stridently and arrogantly played by Beth Blance, her outbursts were very dramatically delivered. Excellent support came from Mel Ferguson Allen as the somewhat disgruntled and put-upon maid. The set was simple with furniture and props appropriate for a living room, costumes very much in keeping with the early 1900’s and the passage of time was indicated by subtle changes in clothes and props. Many congratulations to the five excellent actors and to Director Jackie Maltby and to Assistant Director Peter Fielding.

After the interval, with a complete change of furniture and props, we find ourselves in the kitchen of Hugh, the local vicar of St. Bartholomew’s Church on All Hallows Eve. Hugh is having difficulty defending his deeply held faith against the views of his wife Morwenna and his goth daughter Verity. Something takes place in the church graveyard which is only seen by Hugh and in the end, the family do become reconciled.

Andy Brooks was superb as Hugh, he portrayed the vicar persona so well. He responded so sublimely to his wife’s literal comments, particularly about his sermon, stating that most things are metophorical. His relating of how he had seen a woman in the church, her disappearance to then see her in the graveyard and to eventually later seeing her with her family just before midnight on All Hallows Eve, were all so calmly and so movingly delivered - just brilliant. Debbie Ashton-Cleary was equally as good. She was very loving towards her husband but was constantly challenging him about his beliefs in such a matter-of-fact way, verging at times on the sarcastic, and all were exquisitely delivered. Morwenna so cared for Hugh that she went out of her way to do some detective work to help solve the mystery of the woman he had seen and even sat with him till midnight on All Hallows Eve, which could have called into question her own beliefs. They had a lovely chemistry that overcame all their differences which was carried out, yes with sarcasm and wit, but was such a believable relationship. Beth Hughes as their goth daughter Verity didn’t have a great deal to say, but what she did say was exceedingly well delivered. The furniture and the many props were excellent, appropriate costumes and good lighting effects all added to make this a very thought provoking piece of drama, so well acted. Congratulations to the Director Niki Hughes and to the Crew, for both plays, Peter Allan, Rob Keeling, Joe Brooks and Phill Brisley. 

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