Last Tango in Little Grimley & Little Grimley Does Strictly Sex Factor on Ice

This pair of one act plays following the machinations of the beleaguered Little Grimley Amateur Dramatics Society brought a very familiar set of amdram problems to life which would have been instantly recognisable to those of us who tread the boards in an amateur capacity! 

Although the two plays have the same character cast list Director Marion Hadley grasped the opportunity to present two different casts.  From the outset I should say that both casts worked together extremely well but, of course I will have to treat each play as a separate entity.

The evening opened with the familiar Last Tango in Little Grimley.  Staging here was minimal as it was initially a committee meeting.  The requisite table and chairs were fine but I thought the ladder looked a bit incongruous. Maybe this could have been omitted and set by Bernard when he was ‘building the set’.  Costumes were credited to the cast and each looked right for their character.  Lighting did all that was necessary but there was noticeably one or two slow cues on the first night. Sound cues were fine although I wasn’t too sure whether the rather indistinct and poor recording of the tango at the opening was intentional.

The basis of the play is the calling of a crisis meeting to discuss membership (which has shrunk to just four - with the audiences for their theatrical endeavours being roughly similar in number) and the society’s dire financial situation.  Colin Scott played Gordon, Little Grimley’s amdram supremo, with panache, capturing the put-upon chairman of the society well. Steven Fenn was splendid as the very down to earth Bernard with great timing as he grumbled and moaned throughout the enterprise. Emma Beardsmore did a very good job of bringing fussy Margaret to life, Suitably appalled when Gordon decides to ‘sex up’ Little Grimley’s forthcoming production with the promise of some female flesh, especially as the female flesh in question seemed to be hers. Completing the Grimley line-up, Sarah Clark made a great Joyce; dotty and enthusiastic - and with a penchant for musicals which unfortunately require a cast rather larger than the membership list - a nicely handled performance. This cast brought out the humour of the script well leaving the audience smiling as they made their way to the bar as the curtain came down on the first act.

Act Two presented a further adventure from our quarrelsome quartet, this time they’re up against the combined might of the various Saturday night television schedules. The horrors of reality TV; the culture of ‘celebrity’; judging panels and audiences voting for their favourites; all tactics which the Grimley gang attempt to use for their own purposes and attract audiences away from the telly. Again, all four performers brought a down to earth humour to their version of Strictly Sex Factor on Ice.

The setting for this play, which once again started with the committee planning their new show, had a mini-stage with a red backdrop set stage left.  Although it wasn’t too noticeable the mini-stage had a very slight slope which was put to good and comic use as the play progressed.  Lighting and sound were both used to good effect.  Again costumes were credited to the cast and thought had obviously gone into the fact that there would have to be one or two quick changes. Some clever choreography by Fiona Harvey-Maquire was executed well by Gordon, Bernard, Joyce and Margaret as they carried out the scene change.

On the acting front; again we had a team who worked well together.  With the characters being the same as those in act one it could have been easy to fall into the trap of replicating the previous characterisations.   This was not the case at all.  David Philpott handled Gordon with aplomb and well delivered deadpan humour. Alex Schosland was good appearing to revel in the role of the grumpy Bernard and April Murfet gave a very realistic portrayal of what could be a rather two-dimensional character as Margaret. A well-judged performance. Jay Hopper, making her NOMADS stage debut, was a hoot as Joyce, happy in her own little world of gormlessness. This was a lovely performance. Well done too on trying to project a sexy image whilst wobbling on roller skates. 

I initially thought that the second play was a little repetitive of the themes of the first, but once the ‘rehearsal’ for the talent show got underway the well delivered humour took over keeping the audience royally entertained.  Well done Director Marion Hadley and all involved. It was a good choice of entertainment for a damp October evening.

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