Inspector Drake and the Time Machine

With a title such as Inspector Drake and The Time Machine you know that it is going to be an entertaining evening and after a very warm welcome on what is to be my 1st of many visits to see The Allerton Players the show began in true lively form.

A great opening song entertained the audience through the speaker system as we met our 1st character Sergeant Plod as he searched through the audience with his flashlight exploring everywhere…. But for what, we could only wonder at this stage.

The lights dipped and as Plod, really well played by Richard Henry, missed the spotlight for his opening speech we could tell the sort of humour that was to be used throughout.

Prior to the arrival of a slightly useless Inspector Drake, Plod was deep in discussion with Jack, played by Steve Charlton as they discussed the strange murder of Professor Wilberforce. A quite wordy exchange between the 2 was kept entertaining by a constant barrage of cheesy one-liners and what could only be described today as “Dad-Jokes”. Delivered well by both actors these puns would keep the audience in stitches throughout.

Enter Richard Broadley in the title role as Inspector Drake and as the 3 of them tried to investigate you could tell the relationship between Drake and Plod. Imagine Laurel and Hardy with constant put-downs and occasional smacks on a head or whacks with props and you have these 2 down to a tee. As Richard Broadley tried to keep the story rolling, Richard Henry was great fun to watch as the picked-on Sergeant.

As Act One rolled along, with the exception of the brilliant cameo appearance of Cherry Das as the over-the-top bum wiggling Maid, the wordiness of the script was dragging slightly until the arrival of Katie Bowie as Miss Duck. Her energy and stage presence, originally disguising herself as a journalist, brought the pace back to the story, the hilarious seduction of Drake was very cleverly acted by both parties.

The revelation over the professor’s invention, a time machine, led to a typical chaotic search for the machine, that had been clearly covered up yet intentionally visible to the audience. Richard as Drake did well to keep this piece moving and for such a large role kept on delivering the cheap jokes and cheeky innuendos with great timing. As Drake and Plod enter the Time Machine, a phone call reveals the danger of the machine. Would they perish or would we be in for more gags and chaos in Act Two.

Just when you thought the show could not get any crazier we found ourselves on-board a Zircon Space carrier and were greeted by 3 aliens in the form of Paul Staines, Peter De Cosemo and Steve Charlton (standing in last minute due to an illness). The 3 of them charged around the stage with strange squeaking voices and were brilliant to watch. In simple costume huge praise must go to Katie Bowie who did fantastic and detailed make-up work on the cast in Act 2.

Act 2 became chaotic as the story suggested the ship was a cover for illegal alien drug smuggling but thankfully it would become clear that Drake was actually wanted by the High Priestess, played brilliantly and with wonderful attitude by Kate Staines, to help repopulate their race. Frances Bainbridge, in a slightly smaller role of Luni, had a wonderful joy about her character and the audience instantly warmed to her role, she looked splendid in silver with her Madonna style cones!

In a way it was lucky that they finally worked out their way to escape and reverse the Time Machine as the level of sexual innuendo in the visual gags was starting to reach new levels and you wondered where the exchanges between Drake and The High Priestess would finish.

As the story unfolded it is revealed that Miss Duck and The High Priestess are the same person yet 1900 years apart and as a suitcase in colorful paper was handed over it definitely was “A Case Wrapped up!”

Deborah Hugill did a great job with what was a very wordy show, thankfully the cast all worked very well together and kept the pace going to ensure the audience and myself had a very entertaining evening.

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