Going Green

The writer of this cleverly written and very funny play, David Tristram, is well known to me for his “Little Grimley” works. The combination of this person’s writing and the talents of the actors in Rustington Players made for a most enjoyable evening poking some light-hearted fun at politics and politicians.       

During the action of the play, we meet six distinctly different characters. The narrator, Madeline, vet, and eventually Prime Minister’s wife (Carrie Salisbury)  is recounting the interesting, unusual and bizarre happenings of the Green Party candidate for the party leadership, John (Jason Evans).  All six parts were well cast and these two particular people had much dialogue and coped superbly throughout the whole performance. Sir Clive  (Bernard Doogan) was the well respected gentleman to whom the whole sorry episode was being relayed. He was appropriately suitably suited and booted for the part Then there was Brian (Richard Tyrell) who was the Party Chairman for the Green Party and wanted John to stand for leadership until he literally turned green and would then  obviously be an embarrassment to all. Eventually, he has to concede and accept John for his beliefs and himself and not his colour. Brian is also a male chauvinist and takes delight in belittling women on many occasions. His wife, Christine (Helen Chewter) just tends to ignore these comments and you can see in her acting and eyes, a look of “I love him, but he is so wrong.” Laura (Lena Grinsted) is John’s girlfriend as the action of the play begins.

She enacted a very self-centred person, who does not listen to anyone’s voice except her own and disappears from the plot as soon as John turns green - a real fun part.

Talking about green reminds me to extol the talents of the person in charge of make-up and wigs. That is Greg Evans, who was able to make an excellent job of the act two change of colour. Also, the lighting effect as act one fell was competently achieved.   

There were four main scenes and these was cleverly done by dividing the stage into four with upstage right being the vet’s house, the upstage left being the interview room, the downstage right being John’s lounge and the downstage left being Brian’s lounge. They were simply lighted at the appropriate times for the action of the play.

Congratulation to those on stage, backstage and to the entire production team for the having the idea to put such a different, silly but fun, evening for our entertainment.   

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