Dirty Dusting

And so back to the Empire Theatre, Blackburn, for an evening of thought provoking classic drama. Well maybe not. Nonetheless “Dirty Dusting”  is a great piece of throwaway knockabout fun and frolic. It was vastly enjoyed by the large audience. Herein lies a message. Plays of this fashion do attract audiences drawn by the apparent silliness, heavy promotion contained in all the advance blurb, and safe in the knowledge they are assured an entertaining night out supporting their local community theatre. What is more, big audiences bring with them larger revenues thereby allowing societies to invest in less obviously “box-office” shows. The theatre, in terms of healthy money across the bar, also directly benefits. So win-win really.The only advance unknown is the quality of the production. Be assured that this farce was remarkable.  The audience hanging on every word; waiting with bated breath for the next joke.N.E. playwrights Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood are currently enjoying tremendous success across the UK with their 11 (so far) plays. Not all are farces but “Dirty Dusting” has the distinction of being their most acclaimed in terms of number of performances and critical acclaim. It is fast becoming a staple of nearly every amateur theatre society. Yet it is often said farce is the most difficult genre to get right. Everything has to be 100% for it to work . Even little mistakes and average performances are capable of destroying the effects of outrageous humour.

Tonight we saw a quartet of actors playing at the top of their game. And what fun they had ….and what fun we had!!  A mutually beneficial experience no less.

I won’t dwell on the plot. It can be summed up quickly. 3 redundant cleaners decide to set up a telephone sex line. Along the way they conspire to get their own back on the boss who has sacked them.  I did in truth wonder after the first half how the joke could be sustained, but two hours, including the interval, was probably all the story and the audience, creased with tears of laughter, could take.

Madonna, Kylie and Marilyn aka Olive, Gladys and Elsie were played by Joanne Shepherd, Siobhan Edge and Cathy Hurley. Dave, lover of vacuum cleaners, was BDC stalwart Paddy Darnell-Walsh. I greatly admire Joanne’s ability to perform with breathtaking creativity. She often moves in ways I would not have expected (nor have anticipated) to underline her lines. It is a wonderful talent to have. Multi NODA award winner Siobhan Edge can play any role she likes, be it tragedy, drama or comedy. We know she will always excel. If Joanne is the past mistress of the moves Siobhan’s USP lies in her amazing facial expressions coupled with her razor sharp timing. Cathy Hurley, making her debut for the society, proved to be a mistress of conveying apparently absolute integrity while delivering daft inconsequential lines. It takes years to learn, if one ever does, this wonderful skill.Paddy Darnell-Walsh was a fright. Biggoted and bullying, we hated him from the first moment he appeared. Surely it is high time we got rid of type casting. I am sure Paddy did a massive amount of off stage research for this role. His rapport and loving regard for Henry the vac belied a close intimacy. His performance was a blast!  (Paddy’s not the vac, although I don't know).

Claire St. Pierre had a firm hand on this stimulating comedy. She ensured we never tired of the antics of the 3 “Telephone Belles” during the brief moments when the script tended  to drift. The songs at the end were a delight.

The stage was well set. Claire had designed a shabby office environment with plenty of space between the desks allowing maximum use of the stage.  Costumes, courtesy of Jacqui Mooney, were authentic, adding greatly to our understanding of the characters. Joanne’s tights were especially alarming.  Stage management under the direction of Graham Howarth was as professional as ever.  Kris Connell and Ryan Clegg working the sound and lights can be relied on never to be nothing short of immaculate. Jackie Green and Jonathan Mallinson ensured the action moved quickly with their expert changes of scenery and props. I have seen this show advertised and puffed up for weeks now. Good publicity makes  a real difference. Congratulations to everyone for making such a  success of this sometimes underplayed aspect in the jigsaw of putting a show together.

Thank you Alison for your wonderful welcome.The wine was delicious as was your company (smarmy comment, Mr. M.).  Clive, I have warned you “Zenda” is waiting in the wings! 

Allow me to add that I am very excited by the marvelous lineup of plays chosen to entice next year. The brilliant Martin McDonagh’s fabulous “Hangmen” in particular.  And as for “Jane Eyre”,  well “Y” not? Thank you BDC for a  21/22  season of outstanding productions. 

PRM.

 

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