Last Of The Summer Wine

I have pondered long and hard before writing my review of Pendle Hippodrome Theatre Company's "Last Of The Summer Wine". 

I attended the final performance. I regret to say that the stage mic of one of the main characters, Clegg, was not working in the first section leading up to the interval. This had the effect of making it very difficult to follow the plot. The audience was confused too, struggling to react to the jokes but finding it hard to do so. As to why the mic was not functioning and why it was not possible to rectify the situation until the interval I can only surmise. Therefore I must base my comments on the play after the interval when the silent mic problem had been fixed. A mini sigh of relief went through the audience at being able to hear properly. I am sure this was a one-off that had not impaired the enjoyment of the play for audiences watching previous performances: but the fact remains. 

I know Josh Hindle, the director, to be capable and experienced in creating successful interpretations of musicals. Yet plays present a different set of challenges. The fact that Josh had a rather sub-standard script to work with made the task even more exacting. Roy Clarke is a past master at writing 25-minute vignettes for the television. In that media he is supported by brilliant casts, think of David Jason and Ronnie Barker in "Open All Hours" or Peter Sallis et al in the TV version of this play, plus all the expertise and technical know-how of BBC creative teams.  However, the writers attempt to sustain a 90-minute stage comedy is not, I would humbly suggest, his forte. We longed for the wide outdoor open spaces of the TV original, the long camera shots, the "staged" nonsensical rides downhill slopes in tin baths etc. that are so well-loved and play a fundamental part in our enjoyment. Crawling under a table cloth and getting stuck in a serving hatch are very poor replacements. It is here that the director has the challenge to step in and make them more acceptable.

Regrettably, this production lacked that staple of comedy ..pace. Part of this was due to the size of the set. Foggy lives in a former weavers cottage. They are not known for large reception rooms such as in this production. There are many creative ways large stages can be made to fit the action, more should have been done in this instance. The actors in this production plodded from one side of the stage to the other taking their time in doing so and, as a result, slowing the tempo down to a snail's pace. The position of the table in the centre was a mistake. Never mind, director, what the script says. It did not work.

In musicals, actors are expected mostly to project face on to the audience. This does not work in plays. Why was so much of the action played downstage outward with characters often not even acknowledging that the person they were speaking to was a few feet away from them? Little things were not well dealt with either. It riled me that the very well known theme music instead of being allowed a gradual fade on the curtains rise was cut off in the middle of a single note is just one example. The running 'joke' with the shelf became tedious.

Steve Royle had studied his role deeply. Foggy's mannered way of talking was well realised. I did not know what to make of Terry Atkinson's Clegg. I think Terry had all the right intentions but his character never really evinced sympathy in the way he had drawn it. Of the three amigos, Compo was the most successful. Dave Pilkington looked the part, sounded the part and offered us a range of movements and expressions that did make us want to believe we were watching a character. Ryan Collett fought against the grain in the utterly ridiculous role of Flasher. I suspect Roy Clarke was struggling creatively when he came up with this tortured and confused role. Well done Ryan for trying to master this improbable part.  Likewise, I feel sure Andrew Bell is more than able to command the stage when given a better character to play than the one-dimensional Bewmont.

Angela Boult as Constance and Marina Butterworth as Nora Batty were delightful. Both actors used the stage well and produced well-honed performances. Yet even their best efforts were not enough to save this production from being anything more than pedestrian. The audience managed to get a little behind what was going on in the second half but were not overly enthusiastic with their applause.

Josh, I suspect this was not the review you hoped for. If I thought for one moment that you would take umbrage and never direct anything again I would have tempered my words considerably. However, I know that in the years to come you will direct many outstanding productions as your experience grows.  But find better scripts to work with!!!

Thank you, Milly, for your great company.  I look forward to returning to the Hippodrome soon. (If I am allowed that is!!)

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