Farndale A.H.E.T.G.D.S. Macbeth

How we laughed! I am glad that I had a quick re-read of the section from Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare before coming out as it did help to try to keep up with the characters! Plus Jean’s most helpful crib-sheet.

Liked Mrs Reece (Judy Ellson) coming round the audience to give greetings to those that she knew and certainly that personality plus was not going to allow a few mishaps to prevent her special production appearing at the drama festival!   Or indeed her playing Lady Macduff.  I pitied Cheryl Collings as the Producer, Miss Plummer, trying to cope with demands and problems besetting this action, and she also had lines to learn for Macduff’s son. And Lesley Dillon as Thelma was a strong character with style who was certainly taking no prisoners in dominating the stage in her starring title role as Macbeth.

I loved those three ghastly witches (and wigs), Val Newell, Yasmine Macklin-Page, and Chloe Morris really enjoyed the evil and cackling and being bad, plus their many other roles including Duncan, Doctor, Messenger, Manservant, and Macduff, what great parts for all. And the other three ladies involved: Elizabeth Agar, Lyndsey King and Pam Kidd playing so many of the other roles of Banquo, Ross, Fleance, Malcolm, two murderers, a gentlewoman, and a hysterically funny drunken porter.   Well done to all for actually remembering which role you are supposed to be portraying and switching the characters.

Now to the male side of the casting: the poor hapless stage manager Henry (Jamie Morris) was snatched and bullied into playing the substitute Lady Macbeth, pushed into a dress against his will, found knowing his words from the rehearsals, and he played the comedy role of his life and came very close to stealing the show from all those ladies, what a performance, well done. And pardon the pun but what a ‘peach’ of a role for Ian Cashmore as the Adjudicator at the Festival: definitely a tour de force in that speech and how cleverly worded and interpreted the actions of the play. (I must make a note of some of the terms for future reference in write-ups!). And not to forget those on the balcony and what fun John and Paul had with the effects and especially the thunder and lightning of the storms!

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