Harvey

 

Salterton Drama Club likes to take on a challenge when it comes to planning a set.  With this play there needed to be a rapid change of scene between the  Mansion and the  Doctor's office in each Act.  This was accomplished by a folding set and efficient moving of furniture and by so doing the action was only briefly interrupted.  It was interesting to note that the Dowd family and also the Doctor were probably Anglophiles if the choice of paintings was anything to go by.  Constable's Hay Wain and what looked like a scene from Lympstone were displayed on the walls.  Above the fireplace was a rather imposing portrait of the grandmother in front of which in a later scene a painting of Harvey was reverently placed.  A good touch was that this was sufficiently small so the grandmother could still be glimpsed behind it.  Lighting was good but there was a slight oversight when the door to William R. Chumley's office was opened and the room was in darkness.  

Costumes were attractive and right for the status and age of the characters.  The play, I believe, was set in the '40s.  In this era it was the custom for gentlemen to keep the coat buttoned and Elwood, although clearly very eccentric is definitely a gentleman.  To have a  flapping coat didn't look quite right.  Outer clothing for the ladies was well chosen but undergarments of that time were much more controlling, Ladies of all ages wore corsets   Not only did this give a more structured outline but it also caused the wearer to move with a certain elegance.   Whilst not suggesting that an actor should wear something damaging or too uncomfortable,  perhaps a compromise could be found.

The opening scene of Harvey can be somewhat difficult to understand.  The idea that an adult can have an imaginary friend is certainly a strange one and the effect this has on his sister and niece needs to be understood.  For those who had no previous knowledge of this play a little more help at this stage would have been useful.  It is so important to grab the attention of the audience and not allow it to waver.   There were a number of gaps in the dialogue when lines were missed.  This was covered very smoothly by another actor coming in with their line from further on.  Perhaps this was not too much noticed by the audience but it will possibly have caused them a little confusion.  Diction was mostly excellent.  The American accents were not overdone and apart from some rather quiet moments near the beginning the audience would have had little problem hearing the dialogue.  Characterisation, by all of the actors, was very good.  The relationships between the characters was understood well.  The different personalities were very clearly shown and held throughout the play.  Elwood is in this happy delusional world, wanting all around him to be happy too.  The other characters all under some level of stress except, funnily enough, the cab driver who is something of a philosopher.  

This is a delightful story with a strong moral.  The cab driver had seen so many patients arrive at the sanatorium, quite delusional but very happy, and then leave at the end of their treatment as a shadow of themselves.  He realised that people do not need to conform to be complete.  There is a place in the world for all of us to be whatever we need to be, as long as we harm no one.  This play may be perhaps dated but it is just as relevant today.  The Salterton Drama Club gave the audience a charming evening of escapism.  Congratulations to you all.

 

 

 

 

 

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