Fur Coat and No Knickers

Described as ‘Mike Harding’s classic, hilarious Northern hoot’ in the programme, this peculiar and earthy little comedy was given a polished airing at the Empire by Blackburn Drama Club and it was good to see such a large cast - and number of new faces - on stage. This was Sarah Nolan’s first outing in the director’s chair for the Drama Club and it would seem that all involved in the production had found it a most entertaining and enjoyable experience. This happy atmosphere of team bonding really bounced across the footlights and into the auditorium and is always the hallmark of a strong society: when an audience knows that the cast is relaxed and confident in their work, it has a similarly reassuring effect on the audience. The play gives us a comedic peek into the build up and immediate aftermath of the marriage between Deirdre and Mark in the North of England in the 1970s: stag night, blow up doll, handcuffs, a randy grandfather, much in the way of mishaps and mayhem included! This was a confident production which made much of the source material and provided an appreciative audience with an amusing evening’s entertainment.

Our cast of characters were all suitably attired to give a flavour of the period setting and the stage was well dressed in 1970s accoutrements too. Staging and scenery was thoughtfully arranged to facilitate quick changes and also to make for a clear and concise establishment of the overall  ‘look’ of the piece with some very precise and well worked lighting cues to bring the stage to life.

Introducing us to the Ollerenshawe clan, mum Edith was very sympathetically portrayed by Anne Marie Flood who captured the beleaguered matriarch very well indeed. Would-be ‘man about town’ Kevin was every inch the young lothario in the hands of Declan Cowell (great hair!) and bride to be Deidre was a bright and breezy study in down to earth ‘70s feminine charm as played by Julie Cockerill. Dad Harry was a fizzing bundle of inarticulate 1970s right-wing rage (‘Hitler had the right idea’ - you know the type!) in the hands of Gary Waugh and a stellar performance from John Orgill as grandad ‘Nip’ really nailed the character in what was, for me, the standout performance of the evening. Layabout would-be author and journalist son Peter rounded off the Ollerenshawe clan as played by James Lilley with a light and carefree (and perfectly period) ‘right on’ charm. Martin Cottam was the very definition of a whiskey priest as Father Finbar Molloy in a comical performance, with Naz Shafaq and Aruba Patel providing another comical pair of characters as Mark, the groom and his best man Hamish. The rather more well heeled Greenhalgh family was represented superbly by two excellent performances from Keith Walmsley and Shirley Watson as Ronald and Muriel,  Mark’s parents. The rest of the cast was made up of a number of capable performers drawn from all sections of the society and it was refreshing to see such a great team effort from all concerned.

The action of the play centres around the knockabout humour of the circumstances surrounding the wedding of Deirdre and Mark and takes in questions of class, scandal, hidden secrets and the social and sexual politics of the 1970s. Each of the main characters had their own self exposition in the form of a mini soliloquy to the audience which was a very clever touch and gave an insight into the characters’ real selves. Each of the characters on stage had clearly been thoughtfully conceived by the performers involved and the clear attempt to bring out their inner lives was very much appreciated: that this was more successfully achieved in some cases rather than others is only to expected but a sterling effort from everyone - and the clear minded direction from Sarah Nolan - was more than evident throughout the evening’s entertainment. I did find the humour suffered a little at times from a rather more laboured than necessary approach to the script and the pace of the action was held up occasionally by a rather slow footed amble through proceedings when I think a snappier and less ponderous romp through the - at times - farcical goings-on would have been preferable. Having said that, the attempt to put flesh on the bones of the rather thinly drawn characters was an admirable touch and helped to balance this out.

One of the main stumbling blocks I had with the overall effect of the piece (certainly if some of the more interesting thematic undercurrents were to have been given a more thoughtful airing) came with the casting choices made in certain areas. The Greenhalgh family tree obviously had some hitherto unknown and interesting branches which although evident to the audience, passed by totally unremarked upon by anyone in the cast and given the supposedly intolerant and right-wing views of Harry Ollerenshawe, was certainly a surprising and ultimately slightly baffling element of the production. A minor script tweak here or there might have sorted it but for me, it did have a rather deadening effect on any serious consideration of the themes of class and social mobility inherent in the piece. That said, none of the performers on stage gave anything other than their best and there wasn’t a weak link in the chain: just that there were opportunities thrown up by the casting choices for an exploration of some interesting issues which weren’t addressed.

There were many good things to take away from this production which more than made up for my minor gripe however! The performances were uniformly excellent; set pieces flowed humorously and seamlessly together; the contemporary feel of the piece was palpable and very well achieved; comical flashes rolled along merrily one after the other; characters were well drawn and the flow of the narrative was well judged for the most part. Speaking personally, it’s always nice to see characters smoking on stage, certainly when it adds to the period flavour of the piece! The audience certainly was most amused by this slice of familiar Northern humour and provided a solid and polished  evening’s entertainment.

(And I don’t think I’m speaking with a lone voice when I say that hearts lifted in the auditorium when John Orgill’s cheeky grandfather Nip made a fresh appearance!)

This was my first ‘official’ visit to the Drama Club as District representative and the standard of quality on display was certainly as high as on previous ‘unofficial’ visits. My thanks go to everyone at the Empire Theatre for making myself and Stuart so very welcome. I look forward to the next production (Agatha Christie’s ‘Spider’s Web’ no less) most eagerly indeed. We are indeed blessed in Districts 3 and 12 to have an abundance of local talent and Blackburn Drama Club continue to go from strength to strength in making the most of it: long may you continue to do just that.

 

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