Going Off

Show Report: 

Society: Salterton Drama Club 

Date: 12th September, 2022 

Venue: Salterton Playhouse 

Writer: Ken Elvy 

Director: Ken Elvy 

Show Report Author: Sharon Wayland 

“Going Off”, a new play by local playwright Ken Elvy, provided a wonderful evening of laugh out-loud comedy. 

This lively new play opened amidst the revelation that two bodies had been swapped in  error, one having been mistakenly cremated. It was then the job of the earnest and frantic  funeral director, Stave, and his assistant, Alfie, to fob off the different relatives who wished  to see the body of “Mr. Barnes” in his coffin. The first act in particular maintained an  energetic and jaunty pace, driven by a plethora of puns, double entendres and sexual  innuendoes (all delivered with the best possible taste!). The playful tone and excellent  comic timing was proof that the actors clearly had great fun during rehearsals!  

Set in the interior of a funeral parlour, “Going Off” was cleverly and stylishly staged on two  levels, scenes taking place in a balanced sequence between different rooms, enhanced by a  well-defined lighting plot. Small point - the strong light reflection masked the portrait on the  back wall and I therefore sadly missed any associated comic references. 

Characterisation was, nevertheless, strong, convincing and sustained throughout: from  over-sexed Fawcett , domineering Mona and bland and boring Greg to unfulfilled Jeanne,  lovesick Stave and cynical and weary Alfie … and of course, not forgetting Charlie the  corpse, whose sporadic appearance from the centrally-placed coffin was hilarious. The  stillness maintained by the actors when reverting to a “minor” stance, sometimes in the  shadows, was highly effective, displaying significant levels of self-discipline – Mona and  Fawcett’s eye-gazing clinch was particularly memorable! I was also impressed by the level of  simple but very effective detail in this production including Charlie’s flopping hand gestures  every time he fell back into the coffin and the humorous inclusion of Ghost Ship beer  bottles. Stave’s display of acute anxiety and agitation through his facial and hand gestures  during the proposal scene with Jeanne was brilliant (itself a wonderful Jane Austen parody). 

Congratulations to Salterton Drama Club on delivering a very polished piece of quality  theatre.  

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what they see at the performance in  question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance, and it is  inevitable that their assessment will be affected by that knowledge.  

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in  particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only  be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms 

expressed may not have been valid at other performances and are only made to encourage higher  standards in Amateur Theatre.  

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and  encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer  will prove helpful in improving future productions. 

 

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