Dick Barton Special Agent

Alison Millar has to be congratulated on directing this hilarious production. To ensure that this farce is a success all the roles require very fast, witty and accurate timing and with an excellent cast and stage crew this production hit the mark. 

Presenting “Dick Barton Special Agent” as a stage play is not for the faint-hearted and a lot of thought has gone into this production. One side of the stage was set as the BBC studio. This created an authentic look and also allowed                          the actors to step out of their characters and wait for their “cue” as they would in an actual recording studio. The other side of the stage was where the action took place - with an incredible 15 scene changes! 

All the actors gave very confident performances while taking on multiple characters requiring different characterisations, accents and multiple  costume changes. The pace of the dialogue, clarity, comic timings and puns were                              perfect. It was hard to believe at times that we were watching the same actors in different roles.                                                                                                                                               

When listening to the original radio series you had to use your imagination but with this stage play the actors did all that for you. Ecclesall Theatre Company sailed through this production and in keeping with the tradition of the                                         radio series at all times. Dick Barton took on single-handedly the task of defending England against Germany in World War Two. Cal Reid was brilliant in this very demanding role with his upper-class accent, stiff upper lip attitude                            and with great mannerisms to suit. With incredible speed Cal made an entrance as Snowy complete with a cheeky Cockney accent from the East End of London.

Adam Diskin gave a great performances as Jock, Dick Barton’s side-kick, then made an appearance as either a Convict or RAF Flying Officer Roger. Depending upon which character he was playing I was unsure whether his                              normal accent was Scottish or English - amazing. In true Dick Barton style there has to be the dastardly and evil character of Baron Scarheart having many devious plans to thwart all Dick’s good work. In the end the Baron got his                comeuppance and with lengthy dialogue and looking the part Paul Voodini played this character to perfection.

Sian Butler Walsh was very impressive as Marta Heartburn, a sultry exotic dancer, courtesan and German secret agent. She lures Dick Barton into her love trap to extract vital information from him about England’s invasion plans                                for Germany. Sian’s German/English accent was spot-on. Sian also took on the role of Daphne, the upper-class daughter of the Colonel. She of course fell in love with Jock (you have to have a love story somewhere in the plot) and   the transformation from Marta to Daphne was amazing. Again, at first I thought it was a different actress.  

Sue Preston as the BBC Announcer ensured that the listener always knew where we were in the story. Transforming then to the villain of Hack and taking in her stride the additional part of a Convict Sue handled these roles effortlessly.

The four characters played by Graham Millar, from a Guard to Sir Stanley, were first-class and I thought that his interpretation of Lady Laxington was just hilarious (something Noel Coward’s Lady Bracknell would be proud of).                                  Also giving wonderful performances were Phil Ashton as the BBC Stage Manager, the Colonel, and even a Cabaret Girl. With Rich Bailey Jones playing the BBC Sound man, RAF officer Wilco and Hack.

This was a first-class performance from everyone. Something you don’t hear very often in plays is everyone singing well-known songs. There were a lot of fine voices to be heard and I think that many of our musical theatre companies                 would welcome them with open arms. A lot of hard work from all the members of the company went into making this production. The cast worked well together and the stage crew had to cope with those 15 scene changes.                                        The lighting and sound technicians had just as much to do and the whole thing went smoothly and was obviously well-rehearsed.

Again, congratulations to Alison, the cast and everyone involved in this excellent production. The applause at the end was truly earned. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and like rest of the audience was in fits of laughter.                                        Thank you for the invite, hospitality and a most enjoyable evening. 

 

 

 

 

 

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