Jack Absolute Flies Again

Once again, I was looking forward to  seeing Class Act perform at the Drill Hall Chepstow with their latest production “Jack Absolute Flies Again”. My knowledge of this play began and ended with the understanding that it was a comedy from the pen of Richard Bean, of “One Man, 2 Governors” fame and set in the time and period style of the Battle of Britain.

Under the experienced direction of Louise Best, the company of Class Act have always been a constant source of excellent entertainment, but this performance has got to be a highlight. From the opening scene, the audience were totally engrossed in the crazy lives of people thrown together, making the best of the turmoil of war in the most hilarious situations. The laughter was uncontrolled and infectious. The poignancy was never lost, and the comic timing was superb.

Dan Williamson as the dashing Jack Absolute created a larger-than-life character that kept the audience wanting more. His speech, mannerisms and movement were so effective in creating this character. Exceptional verbal and comic timing and with the influence of his amazing facial expressions made-up a performance to remember.

An excellent performance from Louise Pugh as Lydia Languish. This was first class casting, that gave a very believable character. Again, great comic timing and such detail given to facial expression and body positioning.

An outstanding performance from Rachel Cooney as Mrs Malaprop. By name and by nature, an extremely difficult role, not for the faint hearted, that was played to perfection. My greatest respect for a job well done, with panache and style.

Julia Melville, played by Ellie Hall, and Roy Faulkland, played by Toby Burnett was very well cast and a pleasure to watch. A superb accent from Ellie Hall that didn’t falter was outstanding. The interaction achieved gave their characters a lovely warmth.

A strong performance from Joseph Harris as Sir Anthony Absolute, gave a character of traditional strength but with a lovely comedic twist ,as required in his interaction with the other performers.

 A much-appreciated performance from Tom Fanton as Dudley Scunthorpe. Our “very fit” fitter. Played with cheeky charm. Very well done.

Megan Pugh as Lucy the Maid was a comedy delight. Great characterisation. Cheeky, naughty and totally entertaining. A great ability in making the audience feel like they are involved through her comic timing and superb facial control.

Danny Manning as Bob Acres gave an outstanding performance with superb timing and so naturally funny but with total control. Great stage presence as each entrance of this character made a difference to the scene. A great responsibility that was executed to perfection.

Well done to Mo Addirahman as Bikram Khattri. Great characterisation and speech control that very much recreated the feeling of the period and emotional changes.

I have found it very difficult to relate to the individual performances within this production because it was, from the outset, obvious that the success of this play depended upon the specific and intimate interactions between each individual performer. The success comes from the ability of each performer to relate and consider the needs of others. The support was instinctive; the timing was superb, and the result was exceptional entertainment.

 My congratulations to your Director Louise Best and the whole production team. It was so good to hear an audience laugh with no constraint.

A Ripping Good Yarn.

 

Dianne J L Hayes NODA Wales and Ireland Regional Representative District 7

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.