Dogg's Hamlet & Cahoots Macbeth

I make no bones of the fact that I love the Peterborough Mask Theatre group.  The productions I have seen so far have been of a high standard and I like their bravery and their humility.  They seem to have a natural gift with Shakespeare and their lightness of touch with the Bard makes Shakespeare accessible to everyone.

Tackling this Tom Stoppard double-bill and performing in a back street community centre to a small audience typifies their approach to theatre.  Dogg’s Hamlet, Cahoot Macbeth is no mean feat…the two, one act plays are linked by one character, Easy, and by a weird language called Dogg, for which, thankfully, there was a dictionary at the back of the programme.

Both plays contain a potted Shakespeare within them and the same cast was used, with plenty of doubling, so something of a tour-de-force for the actors.

Peterborough Mask actors never disappoint.  Their commitment to the character is admirable and allows the audience to relax and enjoy the play occasionally there might be a slight glitch but it is always handled with aplomb and no damage is done.

It is a rare phenomenon in amateur dramatics but there were no weak performances, at least not on the evening I attended.  All the cast worked with great vigour and were vocally strong.  Every character was well defined and well timed.

The ‘school’ setting for Dogg’s Hamlet was great fun.  Speaking Dogg throughout was slightly troubling at first but our ears tuned in very quickly, with the help of the Dogg Dictionary, and the ensuing misunderstanding when Easy arrived was very funny.  The school production of Hamlet was really funny and managed brilliantly to encompass grown-ups playing kids, playing Hamlet…congratulations to everyone.

Cahoot’s Macbeth introduced me to the concept of Living Room Theatre and I loved it!   As with Dogg’s Hamlet, there was real commitment to the characters and the subsequent theatricals would have resonated with many a theatre performer.   We meet again with Easy, and again, all hell breaks loose.

When the disapproving inspector calls, the actors within the play are really under pressure but the show must go on.

It is almost impossible to highlight specific acts because, as already stated, there were no weak performances…but I must mention Rich Baker, as The Inspector, which was a fabulous portrayal and Terry Toyne as Easy, who created a great comic character, which was beautifully timed.

It must be said though, that every one of the cast gave a performance that was worthy of this quirky Tom Stoppard tour de force.

The production team worked well with good lighting from John Crisp and Sound from Diane Fox, who was also stage manager.  And the simple set, designed by Jill Ward, who also designed the costumes, was of a good standard.

A huge well done to directors Carolyn English and Helen McCay, you should both be very pleased with the outcome.  I imagine you all had a wonderful, fun time at rehearsals and the enthusiasm from everyone was clearly present on stage.

Thank you Peterborough Mask for another fabulous evening’s entertainment.

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