Last Tango in Little Grimley & Last Panto in Little Grimley

Last Tango in Little Grimley and Last Panto in Little Grimley are two short comedic plays which, if you have ever done " Am Dram" you can identify with and recognise the characters immediately. All Saints' ( Elton) chose to perform each play as a completely separate entity and so used two casts. This is always interesting as it is in effect the same core characters being interpreted by two individuals.

In Last Tango - Joyce was played by Beth Timperley and Margaret by Teri Braiden. The two characters balanced each other well in all aspects, their chemistry onstage was evident, they both used the stage space well and engaged the audience. Diction and projection was good although at times it was a little difficult to hear "Joyce" but as she was the much more introverted character perhaps it was down to characterisation as opposed to an actual volume point.

Stuart Butt as Gordon and Chris Terry as Bernard also showed us some good onstage chemistry, diction and projection were also good, there was no unnecessary wandering about the stage or fidgeting, they too  were engaging to watch.

Lighting was complimentary to the piece, sound came in on time, costumes were modern day, the set was quite simple and any moveable pieces were moved quickly and quietly. The audience enjoyed the first play and were in good spirits heading into the interval.

In Last Panto, Joyce was played by Grace Hampshire and Margaret by Samantha Wadsworth, these two also had great chemistry onstage, their comedic timing was good and the audience felt very safe in Samantha's acting hands - she has a confident presence on the stage that is lovely to see as it appears to just flow and be effortless.

Matthew Fleming as Gordon and Andrew Braiden as Bernard worked well together and had some great comedic moments - I personally would love to see Matthew in a Basil Fawlty type role . Something for Andrew to consider is to just work a little on projection and volume, he has quite a soft tone to his speaking voice and so at times a little difficult to hear all his dialogue fully.  His banana eating throughout thoroughly amused me and his face when his banana had been squashed was comedy gold.

The lighting and sound were both complimentary to the piece, set again was moved quickly and quietly. There were a few more pieces of props/wardrobe in this play and they were handled competently by the actors. The audience again fully enjoyed this play and there was much laughter in all the right places.

Thank you for your hospitality and an enjoyable evening, I look forward to seeing you all again soon. 

 

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