Dangerous Corner

 A very classic play from Priestley, so well written and offering great opportunities to the cast to develop good character studies, and what an excellent production.

The set was perfect in style and dressing, excellent for setting off the action, and costumes looked good: the whole piece performed in great ‘period’ with dialogue crisp and well projected and movement choreographed into flowing shapes for pictures which made what could have been a static piece into something very interesting.

Director Robin Taylor had assembled a very well balanced cast, some old, some new, and some with more experience in the musicals than plays, all made a good mix and some different faces.  This group of friends and work colleagues a tight knit bunch who thought that they knew each other but the underlying currents and eddies rose to the surface and produced some most interesting reactions and inter-relationships, and how well this cast mastered this wordy script.

Thelma Torr as Miss Mockridge, an author sat in splendour and surveyed al that was happening, and one wondered whether it might appear in her next novel?  The loss of money in the firm brought various thoughts, jealousies and personality traits to the top of the pond, and the defence of the dead Martin certainly made possibilities in various directions. The marital niggles and unknown affairs added to the tensions and arguments and all these circumstances made for a lively dialogue which reached a corner/ junction and then veered into a different direction before becoming too dangerous. Paul James as host Robert Caplan transferred seamlessly from Eddie (something to do with a gun he said) to play opposite more experienced wife Freda from Philippa Baillie; David Duncombe as Gordon, in a much larger role than previously, managed those outbursts in defence of Martin and the breakdown of relations with his much younger wife Betty from Emmie Wright (also transfer musical to play); both these couples showing affection balanced with frustration, plus the unravelling of what happened with Martin. And the friend Olwyn from Kerry Davis very clever in a quiet and competent observation of what might have happened (and it turned out a pivotal role in knowing exactly), as she came through to centre stage and revealed all. And the newcomer in a suave and almost too good to be true friend/colleague, Samuel Starsmore as Stanton casually taking the drinks in conversation and turning to be the bad penny, a performance definitely to be repeated so hang on to him in the company. This was an excellent team bringing out the best of the plot in good unprompted dialogue and definitely making the most of the relationships and inter-actions.

Once again CSODS bringing us a great evening at the theatre and emphasising the ‘D’ in their title in style, and I look forward to your next ‘classic’ play in the spring.

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