Don't Dress for Dinner

Being a Noda Rep is definitely a very privileged role, and it allows me the opportunity to meet many amazing people, as well as seeing some fantastic shows.  However, since being a rep I have seen 31 productions of which 26 were either a pantomime or a musical, so it is always a lovely change to get to watch an actual play, especially a farce which is easily my favourite genre.  If done correctly farce can be so funny and enjoyable to watch but, if done poorly it can really drag.  I have found, in my experience, that the line between doing farce well and not doing it well, is incredibly thin, and the margin for error so small.  So I was very interested to see what first time director George Flint, managed to achieve with this production.

The curtains were open well before the play began, which allowed the audience to have a good look at the set.  I am a huge fan of adopting this kind of attitude and I think it is nice for the audience to see the stage without the need to have to focus on the action or story.  Of course, if you are going to do this, then it is important that the set looks good, so congratulations to The CUDOS Crew as the set was perfect.  Effectively, a box set of a French farmhouse, the set looked the part and was very sturdy.  I was particularly impressed with the little touches that were added, like light switches, which really help sell the whole effect.  Unfortunately, towards the top of the staging some of the decorating was not quite as strong as the rest but, overall this was a really good set.  I also liked the fact that, as always, you managed to make the most of the stage sides with The Stable and Piggery Rooms.

Jackie Dyer and Helen Wickens, did a fantastic job with the costumes and everyone looked the part.  I especially loved the outrageous outfit that Suzette wore and the (almost) never ending shirts that kept appearing from Bernard’s wardrobe.

Lighting for this production was managed by Mike Best, as in the spirit of plays set in a house, there was not much for him to do but it was all done well and the lighting worked well within the context of the production.  In the programme it said that sound was managed by Dave Brolly, I didn’t notice if there were any mics (head or stage) but either way the sound was good and clear.  However, I was sat in the front row and the odd line was a little quiet for me and I wonder, if there were no mics, whether the occasional line may have been missed towards the rear of the auditorium.

The play started well, with Bernard shaking what his momma gave him, as he prepared for a romantic weekend – without the wife.  Then the plot was slowly revealed as Bernard’s plans fell apart, his wife decided to stay put and his best friend, Robert, is pulled into a web of deceit.  As with all Farce’s there is a fair amount of confusion and quick thinking, as one person becomes another to help sell the lie.  It was during this initial plot revealing, that the pace of the play did slow a little but, once Suzette arrived the pace picked back up again and then never really let off throughout the rest of the run.  Unfortunately, and this is a little bug bear of mine, there was the occasional moment when the actors felt the need to keep shuffling around (instead of just standing still) – I find this happens a lot in these sorts of plays, with big swathes of dialogue, but we don’t do it in normal life, so why do it on the stage.  Also there were a few moments where it was obvious that the actors were moving to get into position for something, as their movements just didn’t look natural.

The casting for this production was very good and the six actors worked well together.  Ian Wickens did a solid job of holding the production together as Bernard and his relationship with Anthony Dexter’s Robert was one of the highlights of the production.  Anthony also did a solid job and managed to convey so much exasperation and despair in his body language and facial expressions.  Both Kirsten Dexter (Jacqueline) and Helen Wickens (Suzanne) were engaging in their roles, however, as a personal opinion, I would have contemplated casting them the other way round.  Greg Groves’ small cameo as George was incredibly funny and I would have loved to have seen more of this character, I just hope that Greg was acting!  However, it was Sarah Elliott who completely stole the show as Suzette with an over-the-top energetic performance, which was easily an audience favourite.

Overall, this was a thoroughly enjoyable production and definitely a winning directional debut for George Flint.  I follow CUDOS’ Facebook Page, so I am well aware of all the hard work and planning that George put in and the results were definitely there, on stage, for all to see.  The night I came, there were obviously a few first night nerves and jitters on display but these didn’t dampen anyone’s enjoyment in any way at all.  An awesome show, well done.

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