Improbable Fiction

Cabaret style tables and chairs fronted the raked seats, successfully giving a good view of the stage to everyone once the tabs had opened to the appropriate choice of The Typewriter.  I rather liked the impressionist set - not exactly a full box set and not simply an abstract of black drapes.  It was the black void at the top of the staircase that first drew my attention to this combination and its value became clear as it allowed us to see Arnold’s home without the need for space-encroaching practical doors, the unjoined flats being decorated with a timeless wallpaper above effective painted half-panelling.  The upstage depiction of a bookcase filled with colour-schemed books told us the homeowner was a bibliophile and if the curious paler rectangle at its top centre posed a question, it revealed its function as a screen projecting the ‘front cover’ of the various books being enacted after the interval.  A baby grand piano was tucked in down right to avoid taking up too much space and the variety of chairs made a realistic group for a meeting.  The necessary hanging space for the coats was dealt with by an old fashioned stand and the addition of occasional tables completed the set. 

The early sound effect of a motorbike arriving was, perhaps, a little too loud, initially drowning the voices of the first dialogue.  How do we make noises off sound realistic?  It’s not easy - the playwright doesn’t help by having the noise continue under conversation between an on stage character and the biker by the kerb.  In reality, the rider wouldn’t hear her words above the engine!!!  Similarly the rumble of thunder, which forms part of the plot being the catalyst to the fantasy, was far louder than we would normally hear shut away inside a substantially built house.   The lighting plot, simple enough to start with, had some demanding changes and effects all of which seemed to run smoothly, with the blackouts kept to a minimal time so as not to slow the pace, and the projection of the book titles was helpful as well as adding to the insight into the characters’ vivid imaginations.

The props, for the most part, looked like simple to find, everyday things - bags, books, folders, tea trolley, cups, plates, etc., but with the fantasy came the demand for period telephone, sensors, and containment pod, so full marks for locating and creating what was needed.  (The egg box was empty though, wasn’t it? A few pebbles would have added the necessary weight for it to be handled believably.)  Grace’s art work was only glimpsed briefly from our viewpoint but you had taken the trouble to produce real pictures and we saw a well constructed space-pod.  There was a lovely bit of business in managing the difficulty of juggling teacup and saucer, side plate and mince pie, and the swapping of the telephones was achieved very slickly. 

This play provided a number of challenges to overcome, not the least of which was losing one of your actors so near to performance.   His replacement did a splendid job.  The technical aspects of set build, lighting and sound, and costume changes were well within the ability of the company despite the demands each makes on the production team.  Arnold and Ilsa confidently started off the rather pedestrian first act at a cracking good pace effectively drawing us into the action and as each character entered we learned a little about them, their back stories and the bickering forming an almost clichéd theatrical device.  The experienced actors all created distinct personalities; Vivvi’s nervous giggle and first rate accent, Grace’s nervousness, Brevis’s brusqueness.  In your production Jess did not come over as overtly lesbian as is sometimes portrayed, and I think I was not supposed to attempt the arithmetic of working out how Brevis at 65 years old had once taught Grace!  An audience’s suspension of disbelief is necessary sometimes when we don’t have the right age groups available for casting.   The well maintained accents were a stylish way of giving some of the actors a clear distinction as they changed characters for Act Two and it was satisfying to watch the body language and movement style alter at each appearance.  Not easy to stage the opening scene tending as it does to be rather static with all the characters sitting around talking, which, of course, is what would happen in real life so you did well to create their natural movements around the space to give us something to watch. The somewhat slow episode of handing around the tea demonstrated the discomfort of the group but was a bit of a hiatus so the comedy business with the teacup and mince pie was a delightful moment of humour.  The mayhem of the second act in contrast to the ‘ordinariness’ of the first brought the show to life with a kick and we saw the cast playing over-the-top melodrama with relish - except for Arnold who ably exhibited the confusion this gentle man experiences when he is thrown in amongst the crazy turmoil going on around him.  The musical ending with its tongue-in-cheek take on Abba in ‘tinfoil’ outfits was a surprise but of course it drew together all the elements of the group’s variety of writing styles and allowed the multi-talented cast to display their singing and dancing abilities!!

Congratulations to the cast for taking on the chameleon-like requirements of their roles.  I hope you all have time to rest and return to being a single personality for a while before you undertake your next transformation.  The audience clearly found a lot to entertain them as evidenced by the laughter on opening night, which must have been very rewarding to all involved in the show.  Alan Ayckbourn can still write a good comedy whatever the criticisms he faced at its premiere and Gweek Players have the skills to stage a successful show to entertain the packed houses they attract.  

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