Last of the Haussmans

Judy Haussman, an elderly hippy, deals with the dysfunctionality of her family, including her children, Nick and Libby, and the baggage they have in tow, and what baggage this family have!

This was my first visit to The Met Studio and indeed to see Stafford Players. It was a very appropriate setting for this play, small and intimate which brought the audience almost into the action. Before meeting the lady of the house, we were introduced to her grown children, Nick, played by Jordan Wingfield, and Libby, played by Paula Taylor. Both were convincing as the slightly embarrassed offspring of Judy, although they also had some embarrassing revelations. Paula, making her debut with The Players, seemed to be the more level-headed of the two and portrayed her character with confidence. Jordan certainly came across as the more ‘nervous’ of the two siblings, dithering even at the sound of his mother’s voice, also produced a commanding performance. Another debutant was Lucy Gould, playing Libby’s daughter Summer, I particularly enjoyed her performance as the typical truculent teenager, objecting to her mother’s behaviour and wanting things her own way. Keith Minshull displayed all of his experience as the family doctor, Peter, he certainly was very friendly with some of the family! Tyler Rowlands playing Daniel, was the third newbie in the cast and put on a confident performance. There is no doubt that Dawn Huxley, playing Judy, is an experienced performer, owning the stage with her presence. Her body language and facial expressions left no-one in doubt of what she was thinking, I almost believed in her as a hippy back in her day.

The set was well constructed and depicted the garden of a somewhat dilapidated property, attention to detail in the props also enhanced the set. Scene changes were executed well, giving actors the time to change costumes etc. and the lighting was simple but effective. The play flowed well but occasional stumbles with dialogue did slow the action at times.

All in all, I enjoyed my first visit to Stafford Players and congratulate Holly and everyone involved with the production. Thank you for your hospitality.

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