Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell

Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell follows the titular character Jeffrey as he finds himself locked in his favourite pub “The Coach and Horses” after closing time. As he helps himself to a bottle vodka, he shares his life story with the audience, with visits from prominent characters from his past.  

David Russell as Jeffrey Bernard was captivating. Every anecdotal story he shared was done so in a way that you really felt you were in the pub having a conversation with him. He was able to engage othe audience throughout, never faltering even though he was on stage the entire time. 

David was supported by Kaye Vincent, Leisa Keightley, Mark Woodham and William Portch, playing the pivotal roles of people from Jeffrey’s past. Kaye, Leisa, Mark and William portrayed several roles each throughout the play, each time with a different persona, accent and costume making is easy for the audience to know which character they were playing. The audience loved Kaye’s version of the old lady in the pub, very much in the style of Mrs Overall from Acorn Antiques.  

The piece was very fast paced with many quick changes, the cast must have been exhausted by the end. There was clearly a lot of hard work put in to rehearsing and creating the characters with direction from Mark Walker. There were some comical moments and some very relatable moments which were acknowledged by those in the audience. 

The whole piece emanated the feel of the sitcom “Miranda”, it was an immersive experience as an audience member and easy to forget I was watching a play in a theatre. This was partly due to the size of Bonkers Playhouse. Mark Walker is always able to choose plays that suit his venue, commanding the audience’s attention from all characters. I particularly liked his choice of using a hatch in the wall where additional characters spoke from, preventing a lot of entrances and exits which could have slowed the pace down with the amount of additional characters within the play. 

There were a few sound effects which added authenticity in such moments. With the venue being small, microphones were not needed. In my opinion, keeping the sound natural supported the setting of the pub. There was minimal lighting but when Jeffrey eventually found the light switch, everyone felt his pain at the bright lights from the prior dimness of the empty venue! 

The scenery and props were imaginative and authentic. Along with drinking his way through the two acts, Jeffrey also chain smoked. I noticed that even though the cigarettes were props and not really lit, they diminished as a lit cigarette would. The attention to detail for the props was second to none. The bar was decked with props from the era and matched with items mentioned in the script such as, the pineapple ice bucket and the tortoiseshell brushes. The walls were even tarnished and had peeling wallpaper to give the pub a dated feel. 

It was a fast paced, smooth running evening. David, Kaye, Leisa, Mark and William were flawless in all of their characters. Well done to all involved, it was a highly entertaining evening. 

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