Goodnight Mister Tom

What an ambitious play to tackle for this village group on a small stage, and how well it went for cast and full audience. Cheryl Collings had lots of complex moves to determine, liked the use of hall and multi-entrances which made us feel so much involved.

The set designed and made and painted by Nigel and Brenda Holmes was imaginative, simple, and clever, well executed by props personnel throughout and the play flowed without flaws through the myriad of scenes.

The many roles of people in the village and action were double or treble cast by the large cast (24) and kept all involved and striking the different characters, the war songs singing also kept the ‘chorus’ active and added good background. In the village amongst other roles, we should notice Bea Gatfield as Billeting officer, Pat Nearney as Doctor Little, and John King as the Vicar. The junior cast included Maisie Stewart, Sophie Taylor and Scarlett Eke who were well drilled in their roles and very active as school colleagues with their taunting of the evacuees from the towns until all settled disputes.

The story, like others in similar vein, covers the evacuation of children to the country in 1939, and shows the billeting of a small, abused and frightened boy William Beech on a crusty and lonely widower Tom Oakley, a most unlikely pairing and relationship that Finley Spanton and Neil Ellson revealed to be sympathetic and capturing our imaginations. As the elderly man who had lost both wife and child and hence a recluse, Neil thawed his soul from the ice surrounding his being and gradually allowed love back into his life as he cared for the boy, and the final ‘he called me dad’ definitely required the tissues.

Finley Spanton as William looked the part, thin and frightened from the abuse received in London, he relaxed and blossomed with the kindness shown, and learnt to read and write, a very thoughtful portrayal of the character, and which contrasted with terror of the return to home and the outcomings. As the counterpoint, the outgoing and ebullient character of Zach the child from the theatre from Joel Swash (who had played Shrek Junior at Cromer) contrasted well with extrovert personality and formed an excellent partnership of the two boys. And how we felt the ending.

Schoolteacher Annie Hartridge from Kelly Brown was kind and encouraging, and what a contrast in the double-casting to the mother-from-hell bullying and abuse of Mrs Beech, well done.

And the part that was so important and not a word spoken, Gillian Davidson as puppeteer  for Sammy the border collie who is in every scene as a presence and a friend for both Tom and William, a lot of concentration needed there.

This was a play of relationships developing in the midst of war and we were really involved in the whole episode, a classic play, well done to all.

 

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