Habeas Corpus

What a delightfully humorous evening had by all! Habeas Corpus (literally meaning “You may have the body”) is a hilarious farce written by Alan Bennett. It centres around the Wicksteed Family from Hove and the action is based in their home and their desire to seize any sexual opportunity whenever and with whomever they please!  Mrs Swabb (played by Di Wyman) was brilliant. Her comic timing was second to none, as were her facial expressions. The cleaner, come all knowing and all-seeing oracle was reminiscent of Mrs Overall from Acorn Antiques. Talking of facial expressions – Jonny Litchfields’ deliciously camp Canon Throbbing’s facial expressions didn’t stop for one second while on stage. His desire to abandon his celibate state left him high and dry all through the play. Jonny was a perfect fit for this role, but not perhaps for the clergy!

David Mander played Dr Arthur Wicksteed, which he did brilliantly. He had the huge task of learning some long monologues but did so with ease. Every line was delivered effortlessly
and his talent for having his growing libido dampened added to the fun. However, his desires were not for his wife, Muriel Wicksteed played by Ann Chambers. Who, not for lack
of trying, failed to nab any man she set her sights on.

The Wicksteeds’ children, Connie and Dennis (or is it Trevor?!), are played by Michaela Clement- Hayes and Elliott Griffiths. This pair too are no strangers to the desires of the flesh with
Connie’s quest for a fuller bust and Dennis’ frustration at the lack of a girlfriend, despite believing he only has a few months to live. Michaela was the perfect sexually frustrated spinster and Elliott could give any real hypochondriac a run for their money. Heather Bambridge played Felicity Rumpers and was delightfully flirtatious with whomever she wanted. Heather has the skill of only needing to look at someone in a particular way to get her message across, and she did this brilliantly throughout.

Completing the cast are Barbara Allebone as Lady Rumpers, Tim Allebone as Mr Shanks, Pete Laughton as Sir Percy Shorter and Mick Mills as the suicidal Mr Purdue. All played their
parts well and each brought their characters to life with little quirks and expressions that made them their own.

The minimalist set and use of small props worked wonderfully, and the stage was artfully lit by the able Phil Valentine. Richard Llewellyn did a stirling job with his direction. The action was fast-paced and there was no waiting to see what happens next. The naughtiness was delivered with the right amount of sauce that made it funny, not lewd. The entrances and exits were faultless and the cast used the performance space well. If I had any constructive feedback, I would say, be careful of upstaging. There were a few little times when lines were delivered to the back of the stage, and I’m sure they weren’t intended to be. Also, the slap scene was funny, but could have been even funnier if everyone slapped! In my experience, the only way to get an effective slap on stage is to go for it!

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and congratulate Richard, the cast and crew on a fabulous production.

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