Give Us a Sign

I was directed to a parking space by a very polite gentleman in a high viz vest: a new and welcoming experience. Thank you Glen Stallard, who was on Car Park duties. The welcome continued inside – allocated a seat, asked what I would like for interval refreshments, and seated.

“Give Us A Sign”, by Tony Domaille and expertly Directed by Carol Hawxwell, is set in the lounge/ dining room of Ken and Rachel Lockwood’s home. Ken is out of work following redundancy, so is asked to do the chores (not very thoroughly, though), while Rachel is at work. So Ken has an idea that, to earn some money, he will become a Clairvoyant. Rachel is dubious, but he goes ahead, advertising in Social Media and working from home at the dining table, underneath which he has installed a secret switch for the “effects”. Add to this the “Ghost” of a dead scientist, an MI5 officer posing as a client, a sexy Russian spy and a very drunken American one, and the mix is complete for mayhem and laughter.

The NODA motto is, “Be Inspired by Amateur Theatre”, and this production by BADS was certainly inspirational! The delivery, pace and comic timing was excellent.  The set was simple and very effective. The sound and lighting effects were timely,  and added superbly to the story.

The play begins with the audience being informed, by a radio news item, that an eminent scientist is missing presumed dead. The Newsreader was convincingly voiced by Caroline Lang.  Ken Lockwood, superbly portrayed by Andrew Blake, is reading but jumps into ‘housework’ action when he hears his wife arriving. Andrew’s ability to show the development of the character, from slightly henpecked husband to the super confident “Clairvoyant” was a pleasure to see. Excellent comic timing.

Helen Davison was equally as convincing as Rachel Lockwood, the stoic working wife whose use of sarcasm at Ken’s failure to complete the household tasks was superb. She provided an excellent foil for Ken, and the varied pace she used to deliver her lines and her comic timing perfectly complemented each situation.

Lawrence Pearce, played by Jordan Lill, was the first client we see after Ken has been advertising on social media for about a month.  The séance goes well, but when Ken leaves the room to get a glass of water, Lawrence reveals himself to be an MI5 agent and places “Bugs” around the room.  Jordan switched character convincingly and with ease. He was also very impressive in that he also portrayed the “Handler” of the Russian Spy, complete with superb accent, and also the same for the American Spy, again with accent. He was so convincing in the changes of costume that I had no idea it was the same person!  I had to ask!

Rachel Lawson played the sexy spy, Nadia Kovlova.  Again, her accent was excellent and she played the character completely straight, and at every opportunity asking, “Should I take off my clothes now?” It was a superbly observed character portrayal.

Dave Hawxwell played the American spy Chuck Bush. He was a fantastic “Drunk” and managed to maintain the inebriation and the accent excellently. He showed great comic timing throughout.

I particularly loved the one scene when Ken, Nadia and Chuck were all together in a séance. Ken is wearing an earpiece given by Lawrence, and the safe word to switch it on and off is “Spirits”.  You can imagine the confusion that caused.  It was cleverly done at pace and was pure farce. Superb!

Mandy Grimston was excellent as the “dead” Professor Alice Richards.  As the ghost she was so matter of fact, as though appearing to a clairvoyant was the most natural thing in the world. A very good interpretation. When she was later introduced as a living person, she was able to show a noticeable difference.

I really have to congratulate the Director, Carol Hawxwell.  It is always difficult to have a single set play which needs to shows scenes happening elsewhere. I thought she, and the Lighting/Sound designer (David Burton), handled those really effectively. The lighting in the séance scenes was very effective.

I would like to congratulate Helen Davison, Andrew Blake and Carol Hawxwell for the clever set Design, Construction and Decoration, and Caroline Lang as Prompt. I would also like to thank all those at the front of House for their welcome and for looking after me at the interval. So thank you Steve Dale, Carol and Dave Hawxwell, Pam Lawson, Jade Dalton, Caroline Lang, Jo Stallard and Sharon Burton. Helen and Keith Davison were responsible for the programmes.

Thank you for a thoroughly enjoyable evening, and I eagerly look forward to your next production.

There is just one element that still puzzles me. What WAS in the top drawer of Rachel’s bedside cabinet?????

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