Family Album

Believe it or not but, according to the excellent programme notes this is Alan Ayckbourn’s 87th play! Wow! It would appear he has lost none of his ability to write superb scripts to be performed by amateur dramatic societies, in fact he seems to have honed the artform to perfection, as demonstrated rather well in this production by Huntingdon Drama Club, directed by first timer, Bronte Beckett.

Family Album follows the story of a house in Wimbledon, or rather one room in it, spanning seventy years, 1952 - 2022 and the three generations of the same family that lived in it, showing the change of lifestyle and social attitudes that have taken place over that period, from the stern male dominant formality and austerity of the post second world war period, to the final same sex couple to inhabit it before finally moving on. It certainly was a transfixing and memory invoking watch!

The set, under the management of Jules Greves was simply set to blacks with the emphasis on the furniture, family ‘hand me downs’ from the Victorian era and donated to the first couple by their parents. In fact, the room starts off as a bare stage with the ‘long suffering’ removal men bringing items in, piece by piece, notably a sofa which they are continually asked to move and, thanks to the subtle exasperated expressions on their faces, to much mirth. It then, to my mind somewhat ‘implausibly’, stayed unreplaced and in situ for the next seventy years. But I guess Sir Alan has earned the right to get away with that!

The really clever bit of the set was however the lighting, and I tilt my hat to lighting man Max Richardson for coming up with this brilliant idea. Modern lighting engineers with banks of complicated computerised dials please note! A single overhead lightshade, complete with period frill, which changed from warm yellow to bright white light to depict which era we were in. Pure simplistic genius!

Sound effects by Tim Bold were very well done and spot on cue. We even had a nostalgic trill style phone ring, that with all the time periods crossing each other slightly confused me for a moment as to which one we were in. My error!

Costumes by Trish Brook again very well sourced, they certainly took my memories back half a century and more. Slightly nitpicking, but turnups, probably impossible to source nowadays, were the only style of trousers you could buy in the fifties.

This was an impressive well-rehearsed, very competent cast who really had studied the era they were portraying. Director Bronte Beckett with help from her very experience assistant, Dean Laccohee really had done their homework and put in the hard work with the script.

The first character we see is from the fifties era, Stephanie Dickenson as housewife and mother, Peggy Stanton. Her range of emotion was exemplary, from the excited housewife moving into her new home to being put down by, and putting up with, as they did in those days, her arrogant husband who refused to accept that women were capable of intelligent thought. Amply demonstrated by his attitude when refusing to spend money sending their daughter on to higher education. Her use of emotional pauses, without dropping any of the pace was particularly impressive.

Looking at his commanding demeaner, upright manner of superiority and listening to his slightly effected accent, Martin Fearon as John Stanton, complete with short back and sides and moustache really nailed fifties man to a tee. Such caricatures and attitude were certainly commonplace to the era and watching him definitely transported me back in time.

The middle generation is represented by the Stanton’s daughter Sandra Dickens, superbly played by Josephine Hussey, often in a manic but justified manner, dealing with an absent husband whilst try to bring up her three children. The scene of her on the phone to her mother, whose dementia means she no longer knows her, was absolutely heart wrenching. On a lighter note, loved the head scarf and mop! Her performance with the comedic use of profanities gave some much-needed humour to the play.

To give the final contrast we moved on from the sixties, when (male) homosexually was illegal, to the final daughter to own the house, Alison Stanton-Hicks played by Adele Meads who is in a same sex relationship with Jess Stanton-Hicks, played by Jen Spencer. The scene with the noise of the ambulance when Alison finds her mother has tried to commit suicide was particularly poignant. Again, faultless performances with great empathy by the pair of them. Add in the voice of Nelly Ducker as the voice of young Alison and just brilliant!

Finally, a special mention to Stuart Nunn and Miles Greves, whose expressions as the two unspoken and much put upon removal men were a comic delight.

This was a bit of a gem of an Ayckbourn play, that to work had to be fully understood by the director and cast and HDC had certainly done their homework on this one. It was pacey, confidently delivered and riveting to watch. So well done to Bronte Beckett, her cast and crew for a delight of an evening’s entertainment. I very much look forward to seeing her direct future shows.

Also, congratulations to Miles Greves for an excellently designed and well-informed programme. Good luck in the poster and programme competition.

Finally, many thanks to the FOH staff who looked after us royally.

 

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