It's Her Turn Now

Harlequin Players Club were back on stage with their production of ‘It’s Her Turn Now’ by Michael Barfoot, based on Ray Cooney’s ‘Out of Order’. This production was directed by Malcolm Barker. As with farces, it was slow to start as characters and situations were introduced, but it soon picked up. The pace was generally strong, as it should be with farces, especially when Tina and Jo were on stage. The ‘New York, New York’ song and dance section was very funny and very well done. The blocking and movements of the characters was very good throughout. The set pieces were very funny, and performed very well by the cast. There was a static set of the interior of a hotel suite, with a door to the bedroom stage left, and two doors stage right. The window, where a lot of the action happens, was just off centre. The cupboard door was a nifty bit of stagecraft, allowing the physical comedy to be at the forefront. The dropping of the window was also done very well and was cued perfectly. The costumes were modern dress, and worked for each character.

Technical aspects were well thought through for this production. There was a general lighting wash for the interior of the hotel room. Nothing else was needed. Sound effects were sourced well and cued on time. There was a nice touch of a projection of London at night, which could be seen when the curtains where opened, helping to give depth to the location.

Jo Ridgley was perfectly cast as Rebecca Willey, the MP and instigator of all the goings on. Her diction and articulation were crystal clear throughout, which is vital for farces. Jo had a great presence on stage, giving Rebecca an elegant poise. This contrasted with her position as MP, and the audience caught glimpses of this in some of the exchanges.

Tina Wyatt was well cast as Georgia. Tina’s comic timing was great and her physical comedy throughout was very good. The facial reactions and asides to the audience allowed the audience to see what was going on in Tina’s mind, which further added to the comedy. Tina understands this genre and played this character trope very well. This was a great comic turn from Tina.

Stuart McNeil played the Waiter, giving an enjoyable performance. The comedy was there throughout, as he became involved with the over-the-top situations. This was a very good supporting performance.

Matt Jones played John Worthington, the man having an affair with Rebecca. Matt worked well with Jo and gave a convincing performance. He added to the comedy throughout through some great facial reactions.

George Williams played the Hotel Manager. George played this character well, with his thoughts focused on the reputation of the hotel. There were occasions where the pace dropped in George’s scenes. The line delivery just needed to be a little bit punchier.

John Banks made a convincing Body! The physicality of this role was crucial to the plot and he nailed it. The revelation at the end of Act One was well played, as was the climax of the first half. This was a very funny performance from John.

Jess Farrington put in a good performance as Tracey, who was determined to find out what her husband was up to. As with the rest of the cast, Jess added to the comedy of the production through her interactions.

Matthew Bird offered good support as Gavin Foster. The audience had a preconceived idea of the character, thanks to Tina’s reactions whenever she was on the phone to him. There were some lovely moments between Matthew and Tina, which were then offset by the ridiculous situation the characters were in! The reveal at the end of the production was laugh-out-loud funny. Well done!

Paul Jones played Mr Willey. This was a solid performance from Paul as he got caught up in all the antics happening. He worked well with Tina, and the rest of the cast, adding to the comedy.

Overall, this was a very good production. There were some excellent performances, the comedy was there, and the direction was secure.

A big thank you to everyone at Harlequin Players Club for their kind invite.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.