Cold Comfort Farm

Cold Comfort Farm is a much-loved novel from the 1930s by Stella Gibbons. It tells of the travails of the sophisticated Londoner Flora Poste, who determines to take each of her chaotic family of Sussex rustics in hand, and bring order and peace to their lives. It is full of charming characters, speaking their own deepest Sussex dialect, liberally sprinkled with Gibbons’ own inventions. It was a send-up of various doom-laden popular novels of the time.

Ian Nichols directed this for the second time, having first turned his hand to it nearly 30 years ago. Evidently 3 of the current cast appeared in that production, but obviously in different roles. I was a little concerned that a stage version would miss so much of Gibbons’ humour, but this production had us thankfully chuckling away, and delighted us visually and with its charm.

Guildburys always offer an interesting programme. This one was compact, containing a brief synopsis; some dialect words and phrases, eg middocks – small, tasty items of food to be toasted (such as water voles); a short note on Stella Gibbons and one on the two television adaptations; an interesting Director’s Note and a paragraph about the Guildburys. Succinct, it gave us everything we needed to know.

One of Guildburys main strengths is the importance it attaches to set design – indeed I am always intrigued as to how each set will look, and frankly never disappointed. The farmhouse was a ramshackle, crooked affair (I was reminded of the nursery rhyme about the crooked man), with a door to the right, and outside staircase, a wonky shelf with wonky picture on it, and an amazingly malfunctioning grandfather clock. There was a cooking range, with glowing red oven, on which was a kettle and a saucepan containing very unsavoury looking items. To the right of the stage was the cowshed. A table, a couple of chairs, some stools, a bucket or two, a sink, some boxes, a set of scales, a cow’s wooden leg, a milkmaid’s set of two buckets on a yoke, a warming pan, Flora’s basket of useful survival items including two books and a screwdriver – she’s a practical lady! The piece de resistance was a tricycle with a platform on the back – wherever did they find THAT? Complete with ancient tyre pump too! That attention to detail means that this production was a feast for the eyes – whatever would come next?

What came next was the mysterious (to us) and important (to the Starkadders) Sukebind trailing plant, with which the hearth and doorway were hung, and which later burst into bright red flowers. Behind the house were various old farmbuildings, set up high, presumably on a slope. All so very effective. I believe Ian Nichols designed the set, another of his many talents.

Costumes were marvellous. Flora Poste always looked impeccably 1930s London stylish, though she soon realised she’d need to have some wellies sent down from London! Adam Lambsbreath, the cowman, looked absolutely wonderful in beaten up old hat and baggy trousers, long smock and waistcoat over. Elfine wore a beautifully ragged olive-green skirt with smock, before she was later transformed with Flora’s help. The Quivering Brethren, led by Amos Starkadder brandishing his warming pan, were all in black coats with odd black hats.

For the ball scene, and the wedding scene, there were some beautiful outfits. Elfine, with her new 1930s hairdo, wore a stunning dark green satin dress, and for her wedding a charming cream crepe one, I think, with a veil and garland of flowers. Mrs Hawk-Monitor looked stunning in a spangly dark dress, long net gloves, a feathered headband, and pearls, of course. For the wedding she wore a wonderful cream gown, all very much of the period. Flora’s beau, Charles, was in aviator’s outfit, indeed Flora arrived wearing a second such jacket he had obviously lent her for her flight down to Sussex. Once again, astonishing attention to detail – Guildburys’ strength.

Lighting was very effective throughout, including a good flash for the wedding photo. Sound effects were super – the aeroplane flying overhead from side to side of the stage, the creaking house, the collapsing clock, the splash of Rennet repeatedly jumping into the well. Musical accompaniment by Gary Peacock was great, and Jay Orbaum’s original music which he accompanied on the guitar too. 

This production had Flora addressing the audience directly, thus we know her reactions to the situations in the family, and she carries us through her plans for them. This breaking of the fourth wall was fun, though at times I found it slightly irritating, I could have done with slightly less Flora, rather more of those deliciously tantalising characters. Nevertheless, Rachel Mawditt made a fine Flora, sophisticated of course, slightly flippant as she dealt with all the characters like a chessplayer manipulating the pieces. She was, though, always kind.

Judith Starkadder was the first of her family that Flora encountered. Debbie Dean portrayed this downtrodden, weary, obsessed mother very amusingly, with her huge, tired eyes (great makeup), and no fun in her life, just drudgery, until she receives a life-changing kiss!

Her son Seth, the good-looking picture of raw manhood, always off mollocking with the village maidens, was played well by Jez Gooding, though I thought he could have expressed a little more amazed delight at being ‘discovered’ by Hollywood film maker, Earl P Neck (David Hemsley-Brown in good form). Though maybe Seth was so convinced of his attractions that he found it quite normal!

Young Rennet was a dispirited, sad young country maiden, who kept jumping in the well to end it all when any mention was made of the lover who had spurned her. Amy Carley was lovely in this role, and her delight when she could finally stop doing this once Urk had taken her for his bride was great fun to see.

One of my favourite characters though was the cowman, Adam Lambsbreath. I could have watched Eddie Woolrich in this role all night – a small role really, but a perfectly created character that I shall remember for a long time He was so caring of his cows, Graceless (with the wooden leg that kept falling off), Aimless, Feckless and Pointless, and also of dear Elfine, who he had adored since she was a tiny baby.  Marvellous!

Alice Jade as Elfine, that delicate, fragile, innocent wisp who skipped through life seemingly without a care, save for having to ward off the attentions of the rustic hulk Urk, was another brilliant piece of casting. She was absolutely right in this role, a delight to watch.

Maxim Jennings played both that grunting wild man Urk, and Flora’s suave love interest, the pilot Charles, so well that I didn’t realise he was the same person until I read the programme later.

The hellfire and brimstone preacher, Amos Starkadder, leader of the Quivering Brethren, was a great part for Jay Orbaum, always for some reason brandishing his warming pan. ‘Quiver Ye Sinners Before the Almighty’ was his banner, and his sermon and the hymn scene with his fearful, quivering congregation was a joy. He eventually disappeared on the amazing tricycle with the platform on the back, to take his message around the country.

Another character I adored was Sam Gould’s Reuben, shy; tentative; nervous hand movements, the lot. Sam played him perfectly, right down to his timid overture to the feisty Flora, totally accepting when she, in her tactful and kind way, turned him down.

For a long time we didn’t meet the matriarch Ada Doom, whose room was up on the balcony. Though we heard her mumbling frequently about the time when ‘something nasty happened in the woodshed’. She kept tight hold of her family, who were always rushing up and down tending to her.

When we did meet her, looking so intimidating in her black crinoline, with huge key and silk purse bag hanging from her belt, her Victorian cap and large black bow, we realised the hold she had on her family. Flora saw through this though and continued to work her magic. Diane Nichols gave a commanding performance as Ada, showing us, though not her family, her vulnerability. The annual ‘Counting’ which had her family, all of them, including the sisters and the cousins and the aunts, gathering to be included, was wonderful. Later transformed by Flora into a globe-trotting, fashionable 1930s lady in stylish black gown with red and pink flowers all down the front, knocking back the Harvey Wallbangers, she tripped off lightly to be taken to the South of France in Charles’ aeroplane!

Barbara Tressider was delightful as the posh Mrs Hawk-Monitor who gave a ball in her fine house, to which Flora had acquired invitations for Elfine and Seth, which transformed both their lives. Her face showed her initial doubts, but these were later transformed into delight at her son’s wedding.

Skilfully cast and directed by Ian Nichols, the talented character actors of Guildburys shone. I loved the way the characters were so well-balanced, all equally as important. The chorus elements were super too, the Brethren, the Counting, the wedding photo, all added a great deal to the fun, and there were some marvellous facial expressions in there.

We were all transported back to deepest Sussex and the stylish 1930s. This production was a lot of fun for us all. Now I shall reread the book again!

 

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