If I Were You

This Alan Ayckbourn play, ‘If I were You’, displays all the classic characteristics of his work.  Act 1 is utilised to set the scene and introduce us to the characters while Act 2 contains most of the action. This play was another good choice by Blackburn Drama Club, as it appeals to many groups of people. Following the ordinary everyday lives of a dysfunctional family, which the narrative starts with. The use of comedy to address some very hard hitting themes makes for an enjoyable piece of theatre, especially when produced using the excellent stage craft that productions by this society always contain.  

The first half of the show got off to a relatively slow start, as would be expected due to the writer’s style. This said the script was well acted and the audience were able to get to grips with the different characters and how the dynamics of the family worked. We also got to see the set which was fabulous, a full kitchen including running water, dishwasher and a working kettle. As well as a bedroom with double bed and table lamps and a living room with a realistic flashing television effect. All of this was cleverly worked out to double up as a house and a department showroom. This must be commended as it really did work well and a different feel was created when the scenes were in the different locations. The changes between the house and the showroom were helped by the lighting design. The direction was also expertly worked out for the transitions between scenes, as the cast tidied up while delivering lines which ensured it was correctly set, to cut from one location to another. The clever management meant the audience were treated to an easy to follow narrative.  

Great discipline was executed with navigation around the set and must have been high on the list of priorities during rehearsals. The cast did an amazing job with remembering where they could walk in each scene as ‘walls’ were present in the house. Then they could switch to the open plan layout in the department store showroom. The cast managed to bring the set alive and help the audience to really envisage what was happening in the proposed locations. There was some good miming while doing the household chores, such as turning light switches off and opening curtains. The lighting cues for these actions were timed to perfection as. Although the cast did do a grand job of remembering all the correct entrances, exits and movements, by not walking through the walls when at ‘home’, sometimes the movement out of rooms seemed slightly unnatural. This was most evident in the kitchen after turning the light switch off, as cast members side stepped to walk through the door. This walking around the stage to enter rooms could have easily interrupted the pace of the whole production, but it didn't seem to.

The second half was much quicker paced, with a lot more interesting action taking place. Once again the cast did a fantastic job of changing their characters to suit the story line. Due to this superb acting, tension was built in many scenes. Helping to create a very believable narrative and gripping the audience to see how the story would continue to pan out. This tension was in juxtaposition with the fantastic comedy moments that the cast managed to deliver very well. The scene where Sam reads his script to be rudely interrupted by Dean, who ended with in a punch in the face, was a perfect example of this tension and comedy.

The show was well cast and the society managed to get a good age range of members, who were the correct playing ages for the characters. The cast appeared to work well together on stage. They did very well to show different personalities and even in some cases played a different character. A lot of thought had gone into how this could happen with the facial expressions, body language and character nuances, such as the father coughing to clear his throat, had all been considered. The way in which the characters managed to change their whole persona in different situations really did enhance the emotions within this play. The run time of the show was good, which was surely due to the polished delivery of lines in each scene. The diction was good from the cast with good projection from all. Sometimes due to the lack of microphones used in most plays, it can be a strain to hear the quieter cast members, but this was never an issue in this production.

This play had a very professional feel. It was also nice to see some younger cast, members as well as some new faces. The very strong themes the play contained such as of sexism, domestic abuse, relationship and family issues, affairs, work/life balance and possible homophobia are all very dark and heavy , but this production managed to lighten these, with the humorous script which was expressed extremely well to bring the comedy to the forefront. Everyone involved in this production should be happy with the final result. The show really did display that a different prospective on things can change a persons view point, which is the overall message that the show should deliver. We would like to thank the society for their invitation to the production and we would like to wish them all the best for ‘The Graduate’ in May.

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