Last Panto in Little Grimley & Lockdown in Little Grimley

I have to admit to never seeing these two One Act Plays previously but I am very pleased to have been invited to see DEP’s production as they were both excellent.

As I said earlier, they are both a One Act Play in their own right but here they performed together with the same four actors taking on the same roles.

Last Panto opened with Joyce, played expertly by Chrissy Lowry, alone on stage “singing” Another Op’ning, Another Show, little did we know but she was rehearsing to be able to appear in the Panto. The director of the Panto, Gordon, played superbly by Andrew Hibbert hears Joyce and makes a comment about her singing which I think is hilarious and so apt for many people I have heard during my fifty odd years in Amateur Theatre. I think the line went, “Your singing is something which could never be called entertainment,” apologies if I have not got the wording exactly correct but the gist is there.

It appears the Panto is to only have three characters, Joyce, who we heard sing, Gordon who not only directs but also writes the panto as well as appearing in it and Margaret, a very snooty, smart young woman who is very fashion conscious and believes she is better than the rest, enter Angela Blackwell who was exactly right for this part. She was able to deliver the lines expertly which combined with the “looks” she gives her fellow actors makes for a great entertaining portrayal.

The final actor in this piece is Bernard, who is the Stage Manager and set builder, never wanting to appear on stage. During the course of the action Gordon enquires as to the whereabouts of Bernard, we hear a voice, but nobody knows where it is coming from until Gordon opens the prop door lying on the floor. Underneath is Bernard who got in the way of the falling flat which knocked him out. Richard Bevan was brilliant in this part, it could have been written for him.

The action unfolds where the members of Grimley Players are taking part in a committee meeting, poor old Joyce has taken on the onerous task of Secretary and to help her she has started doing a shorthand course at night school, after being there for several months she is really pleased at being able to take down eight words a minute plus achieve a seventy-five percent accuracy rate. Bernard, however, always ready with a put down retorts, “so you can write eight words but only six of them are correct.”

It is finally decided that they will be performing Dick Whittington with Margaret in the title role, Gordon as the Dame and front of the panto horse, Joyce playing Dick’s cat and Bernard as the rear end of the horse.

After lots of calamities the opening night appears where we see Margaret who has broken a leg and an arm, Gordon sitting on a bench with very wet paint, Joyce in a costume which looks more like a dancer than a cat and Bernard being his usual haphazard self. The play ends with everyone falling and tripping over things on stage to what appears to be a sell-out audience.

The second of the plays see the same characters attending a socially distanced emergency meeting, which Gordon has called, where they discuss the way forward for The Grimly Players. As the curtains open, we see Bernard arranging the chairs before dashing off stage only to return with four toilet rolls which he quickly secretes in his rucksack.

The other members enter, Margaret complete with matching leggings, coat and face covering, all in what appears to be leopard print, she is followed by Joyce, who could not find her face covering so decides to don a beekeeper’s hood, however Joyce is in a very big rush as she is desperate to go to the loo, she goes but quickly appears as there are no toilet rolls.

Gordon is very quick to point out that he had been in the previous day and had bought four toilet rolls and placed them in the toilet, all eyes look at Bernard who tries desperately to deny taking the rolls, however he is soon found out and the toilet rolls are passed to the now even more desperate Joyce.

The action continues where they talk about the next production which will take place whilst everyone is still socially distanced, including the audience. As usual Gordon has written the play to be produced and cast himself in the lead role, this being a Doctor in the drama about a hospital where he performs cosmetic surgery on a female character who he wants Margaret to play, of course this does not go down very well with her as obviously she does not need any surgery to make her look beautiful. Gordon manages to talk her round as well as Joyce who he wants to be a nurse in the drama. All the proceeds of the play are to go to the NHS, however, knowing what their productions are like the audience is left wondering exactly how much money will be raised, if any!

Both plays are a big ask for any actor to take on but these four were absolutely brilliant in both acts and it was obvious from the applause that my fellow audience members were also of the same thought.

Thank you Grimley Players, or should I say Denys Edward Players for an excellent evening.

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