Don't Fly With Me

Clearly, I had not made a complete fool of myself last year, as lovely Julie Petrucci had asked me to cover a second time at the Hockwold Amateur Theatre Society (H.A.T.S) while she took a well-deserved holiday. I was delighted to be returning after being made so welcome at this groups pantomime last year. Move forward 5 months, and the welcome was just as warm.

Hockwold Village Hall was pleasingly three quarters full for this year’s offering ‘Don’t Fly With Me’. I knew it was an in-house piece of writing, and it sounded for all the world  like a play, but actually is was a format that seems to all but have disappeared with a theme and loose story that string together relevant songs with dance in many cases. The story was centred at Hockwold International Airport which, if there was really such a thing, would make Julie Petrucci’s next holiday flight a doddle. We find that bad weather has forced several major flights to divert from Heathrow and Gatwick to sleepy Hockwold-Cum-Wilton. Only the three main characters were named in what turned out to be a delightful ensemble piece.

The set was immaculate just as it was on my last visit, with a new coat of paint externally and the suggestion of an airport lounge internally. It looked great with some nice comic touches including the “Costalot Coffee” with some premium pricing on a selection of Carrot based snacks! Sound (Wayne Askew) was via backing tracks and lighting (Jill Enefer and Fred Ellison) was everything you would have wanted. Make-up and hair were fine and the costumes (Carol Haigh, Joan Ellison, Janice Whitaker, Kath Brown, Janet Strickland and Betty Golding) - The entire Sewing Circle named- were …. very much as they were last time, absolutely stunning. I can’t begin to imagine how many (wo)man hours had been invested.

There were many highlights from the 40 strong company and, whilst I can name them, the performers were not individually credited … I thought that was charming, and as I understand better, the mind-set of HATS, in keeping with their ethos. In no particular order I liked ‘I Am What I Am’ (there are no words to describe the delivery of this piece … ask my newly appointed therapist) and the Spice Girls routine certainly boasted the tightest choreography. ‘Purple Rain’ and ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ really hit the spot from one of the groups best singers and ‘Walking in Memphis’ featured the same gentleman in a hilarious walk through as Elvis. When an American plane is diverted into the countryside there was a nice collection on States-themed songs including a delightful piece I was not familiar with about Manhattan. The lead female vocalist (she knows who she is even if I don’t) had the most wonderful singing voice and easy delivery. 

With no names, no pack drill, penultimate paragraph honours go to the gentleman on the guitar and the female singer who “busked” ‘Leaving On A Jet Plane’ to the very highest standard. It was, for me a least, the take home performance of the night.

Congratulations to Director, Tracey Askew and her team for a great night’s entertainment, and to those responsible for turning the hall into an airport - the attention to detail was wonderful and the stewardess costumes a triumph. I look forward to the 2015 pantomime … and the possibility that Julie just might fancy a winter skiing holiday !

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