Holiday Snap

It’s the summer of 1981, the cheesy elevator music is tinkling, and the cheap sangria is flowing (a nice touch as we were offered a glass on arrival); I was ready for an evening of madcap mistaken identity, rip-roaring slapstick, saucy double-entendre and jokes as corny as a field of maize. St. Nicolas Players did not disappoint with this, their latest offering, Holiday Snap, a farce written by two stalwarts of the genre Michael Pertwee and John Chapman.

The tabs opened on to the interior of a Portuguese time share villa in the early nineteen eighties and Glen Barker quite rightly held back on the entrance of any actors to give the audience time to bask in the brilliance of the set. And it really was brilliant. From the oranges and burnt umber of the paintwork to the marbled steps leading to the sun-soaked patio, the scenery was a character in itself, and the set building team should be heartily congratulated. Well done Arline Evenden, Richard Evenden, Janet Staples, Blanche Robinson and Nigel Hancocks. The only element of the setting that jarred for me slightly was the grey sofa and chair, it just looked a little out of place for a holiday villa. I wonder whether some wicker furniture might have been more in keeping with the ambiance.

The first character the audience ‘meet’ is Commander ‘Chitto’ Chittenden, the nearsighted company representative for Share-a-Lux Villas, played by the simply sublime David O’Brien. For at least the first five minutes of the play, David was alone onstage drawing the audience in with ridiculous ease, hooking us in from the outset. As soon as the Commander sat on his spectacles and poured his ‘first of the day’, we were assured that this character was going to be at the centre of the ensuing confusion. David was a delight to watch from beginning to end and his expertly honed performance was delivered with impeccable comic timing. He made me laugh out loud on numerous occasions.

The Commander proceeds to prepare the villa for the holidaymakers booked in for the week and is soon welcoming Leslie and Eve Smith to the time share. He believes them to be a pair of honeymooners, but they are in fact the sex-starved wife of an aggressively jealous garage owner and a nervous and naïve car salesman who has been dragged to Portugal for an elicit assignation. These roles were taken by Mandi Wood and Geran Jackson respectively and both were very good in their roles. Mandi brought a cheeky charm to her character as she tottered around in her heels and short shorts, and her relaxed attitude was a great contrast to the anxious twitchiness of Geran’s characterisation. Channelling Frank Spencer, he bumbled and trembled his way through the proceedings and shared some funny moments with Mandi as her character tried to seduce his.

Next to arrive, shortly afterwards, were Mary and Henry Charlesworth, a seemingly married couple ready for a week’s holiday in the sun. The audience then realise the villa is double-booked and prepare themselves for chaos to follow. The snobbish Mary was played with skill and enthusiasm by Emma Gilbert whose sharp frostiness kept her other half in line. There were some lovely scenes where her character had to constrain a rising temper in order not to give the game away and these were beautifully played. Adam Patman portrayed Henry, arguably the most demanding role, certainly physically, and he was excellent. His boundless energy was undeniable, and he ‘bounced’ through his performance with unswerving energy. It really was a masterclass of acting the frenetic protagonist in a farce. His facial expressions and manic physicality were a joy to watch as the character weaved an increasingly complex web of deceit.

As we raced towards the interval, another plot twist was introduced when Henry’s mother-in-law, Celia arrived. It soon became apparent that Mary was not in fact Henry’s wife, but in fact his mistress and more complicated subterfuge was needed. Celia was played by Lynn Kirk who is evidently an accomplished character actor. She strutted around the stage exuding confidence and brought poise and a controlled energy to her role. I particularly enjoyed the scene where she shared a sofa with a rather drunk and bemused ‘Chitto’. Their flawless delivery of the dialogue was beautifully paced and very funny.

We caught our breaths at the interval after a superb pratfall from Adam, and then readied ourselves for the second act where two more characters were waiting in the wings. Ed Griggs appeared as Perky, a friend and confidant to Henry and it wasn’t long before he found himself embroiled in the deception. Ed had super stage presence and made a strong impact in a short space of time. He skilfully performed all the comedy assigned to him. Finally, in the last five minutes, Alison Johnson-Smith arrived as Henry’s actual wife, innocently unaware of her husband’s adultery. This was a lovely cameo from Alison, and I look forward to seeing more performances from her.

Enormous credit must go to director, Glen Barker, for wringing every drop of comedy out of the play. Contrary to popular belief, farce is incredibly difficult to direct well, but Glen undoubtedly understood the genre and gave us a fast, slick, funny production. I admired his decision to include a content warning before the curtains opened, drawing attention to the inclusion of some dialogue and jokes which now might be deemed as inappropriate. However, in actual fact, most of the dated elements, especially the misogyny, were handled quite cleverly. Adam’s absurdly heightened Reg Varney style ‘cor-blimey’ mannerisms gave Henry’s sleazy treatment of women a much-needed irony. I must also thank Glen for his sitcom-inspired curtain call, reminiscent of those seventies and eighties British comedies.

The sound was good and appropriate, I particularly liked the choice of music, and although the lighting was simple, the action was very well lit and effectively created the atmosphere of a sunny holiday abroad. Special mention should go to stage manager, Arline Evenden, and her team for the operation of some super special effects at the beginning of the show with lights fusing, pictures falling and curtains slipping off rails. The costumes worked well and helped bring the characters to life, I especially liked Ed’s outfit and Geran’s costume complimented his character brilliantly. I felt some looked a bit too ‘modern’ for the eighties’ era the play was set in, and it might have been nice to have seen more celebration of the fashions of the time. Finally, a massive congratulations to David Whipps, the producer. To produce a play of such high quality is no mean feat and his input in all areas was evident.

This show was a real treat, particularly for someone like me who is a huge fan of farce. This sharp, polished production was tightly directed and skilfully performed ensuring that this potentially ‘out-of-date’ farce was vibrant, fresh, fast and very funny. A wonderful evening’s entertainment

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.