Move Over Mrs Markham

As we have come to expect from this company the curtains opened to a stunning split set depicting the newly decorated sitting-room and bedroom in  publisher Philip Markham and his wife Joanna’s flat. 

Chaos ensued when the Markham’s plans for an evening out were changed at the last-minute  putting paid to the nefarious arrangements of both his business partner Henry Lodge and his wife Linda, and the Markham’s Interior Designer, Alistair Spenlow who seemed to be a permanent fixture in their home! 

Henry, a serial philanderer, had persuaded Philip to let him borrow the apartment for a tryst with his latest paramour, while unwittingly Joanna had also reluctantly agreed that  Linda could use it to entertain her lover, all totally unaware that Alastair had planned an evening in with Sylvie the au pair to try out the new bed  – as the saying goes “the best laid plans”!

This was a super script from the experienced pens of Cooney and Chapman, full of fun, “double entendres”, misunderstandings  and innuendo -  an ideal choice for this group with a diverse range of characters, and perfect for a light-hearted evening of summer entertainment.

Act I set the scene and we were introduced to the main protagonists who were all excellently portrayed. 

As the character demanded Philip didn’t have much sparkle but was certainly kept on his toes and did exceptionally well running backwards and forwards as he became more and more suspicious of his wife and tried to cover for Henry. 

Joanna initially seemed to be just an ordinary housewife, accepting of her lot in life , but certainly showed a saucier side, in a delightful arrange of negligees as the action went on. Alistair was particularly well played, flamboyant with great expressions and the central lynch pin for all the goings on! He also sported a wonderful pair of boxer shorts!  

All the rest of the cast gave sterling support, and everyone worked exceptionally hard to cope with the rather tongue-twisting dialogue and the continuous changes of character as the plot thickened and  misunderstandings and cover-ups abounded.

The arrival of author Mrs Smythe looking for a new publisher added further to the confusion and made for some hilarious scenes, especially when Alistair was turned into a dog!

As mentioned, the split set was outstanding, with the myriad of doors for all the comings and goings demanded in farce. The sitting-room was simply psychedelic, the bedroom predominantly orange with very striking wallpaper, it seems there was also a floral bidet and a mauve low-level lavatory, as described by Philip “like living on a stand at the Ideal Home Exhibition”! The louvre door into the bedroom was just right and the moment when the “black bra” was fed through and then pulled in and out was priceless and left the audience in stitches! 

There was a lot of good “business” throughout, the pace did dip slightly on occasion, but it was an exceptionally warm evening, and the cast did very well to press on regardless! 

Everything ended happily of course, the publishing company acquired a successful new author and Philip and Joanna rekindled their affections!

A super production which was extremely well received and greatly enjoyed by the audience – a brilliant evening! Well done!

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what they see at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance, and it is inevitable that their assessment will be affected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

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