Movers and Shakers

Sometimes the most extraordinary comes from adversity. This show was born from not being able to cast another show they had planned, so the team came together to create something new in its place. Whether the pressure or opportunity was the spark that ignited this creative gem, this show was truly incredible. Excerpts of six different plays, with occasional musical interludes which make absolute sense, interwoven with the waitresses from Shakers threading everything together is a creation of absolute genius. This is something that could easily be a template for other societies to follow, as they have done the hard work of creating a show which is not only cohesive but a joyous triumph. 

Everything was staged in thrust with mercifully minimal set pieces mostly moved by the waitresses or the actors, which worked perfectly. The show opened with a joyful rendition of Sondheim’s ‘Company’ sung by all the players about to perform, with just David Barnett on keyboard as accompaniment, which worked so well. They all looked so genuinely happy it came out in waves to the audience. They made light work of a tricky song to sing, all greeting each other in different ways as they sang, creating interesting shapes. It was also pitch perfect. The decision to top and tail this production with that song was again genius, describing perfectly what we were about to see / what we had just seen, giving it a lovely sense of closure and completeness at the end.  

The first play segment was from the opening of Educating Rita, where Frank and Rita first meet: an appropriate start to the whole show. The clash between them is clear yet gentle, giving us glimpses into how the rest of the play will unfold. Becky Pearson gave a funny and soft version of Rita which was a lovely choice, as sometimes she has rough corners. This gave a fascinating glimpse into the possibility of deeper character work from her as there is clearly so much potential there. Trevor Hodgson gave a stunning portrayal of disenchanted and bored Frank, suddenly meeting inspiration for the first time in years: it was a delight to watch him really enjoy this role and excel at it. The effect of the drink on Frank was particularly subtle and lovely, as drunks don’t get drunk the way other people do, but they do get affected: Trevor had clearly studied this. Beautifully directed by first time director Rebel Atkinson who clearly has directing skills as well as his known acting skills. It was lovely to watch both actors, giving us a tantalising insight into wanting to watch the full play, which would be so hugely welcome as an extra show for Henfield with minimal set in thrust.  

Each time the waitresses from Shakers came on they were in character and commenting in perfect balance about the pieces seen. It was done exceptionally well. Next piece was a complete contrast: The Other Boleyn Girl, in full costume. Grace Gribbon as Mary, Brody Ridgley-West as an almost cameo of George, and Abi Pamment shining like a true Queen as Anne. Abi’s authority was absolute, holding the power in the room until the very end, giving us lots of lovely layering of other emotions underneath. With her portrayal we could see that Anne is acting out through fear, and the more the surface is scratched, we could see she was a terrified of losing her position as Queen. Again this was a complete scene, which left us wanting more of the play. Lovely direction from Daniel Chandler. The end dovetailed with a performance of ‘Comic Duet for Two Cats’: Suzie Newbold and Linda Jordan in similar costumes yet cat makeup, performing this fabulous song which is seldom heard on stage, which is sad, as it’s hugely entertaining. Hopefully this introduced a new generation to the wonderful piece. Their enactment of song almost echoing the confrontation we had just seen in the two Boleyn women was precious, and their voices blended beautifully and suited the song.  

The third piece was from Home I’m Darling which is again is such an interesting play and stunning choice. It was exactly the piece in the play that could stand alone as a scene: where Judy is confronted in her deluded 1950s romantic haze by her mother, as to what the 1950s were really like for most people. Jane Haines did a lovely heartfelt outpouring of this speech as Sylvia to her bewildered daughter: reminding everyone present that nostalgia can be dangerous. Ending with ‘Che Sera Sera’ sung by Kirsty Sheath sweetly, with some cameos from others, it lightened the impact of the drama of the scene as it headed to the interval: however the meaning still hung in the air for those who were moved, which was a lovely impact. 

Pygmalion followed, the scene where they return after their triumph at the Ball. Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering congratulated themselves on their success while Grace Gribbon sits silently as Eliza: silent but full of emotion and tension which we could feel. Trevor Hodgson here returns as Higgins and Ken Jones is the perfect Pickering. Trevor shows genuine bewilderment at Eliza’s behaviour and his slightly softer than usual approach to Higgins was welcome, rather than showing him full of bluster and bile. Grace Gribbon is a really lovely Eliza, with such a heartfelt “now you’ve made a lady of me I’m not fit for anything else” that it made us sit up and take notice. The whole scene was super as a stand alone, yet also made us wish for the rest of the play.  

Alan Bennett is perhaps the King of talking heads monologues and this piece: Waiting for the Telegram, is stunning. Lesley Barnes is spellbinding as Violet, reminiscing about lost and regretted love as if she was living the moment as she talked. She was truly magnicifent: the standout in an already wonderful evening. She was compelling, truthful and held the audience in the palm of her hand with her words, barely moving, but feeling every second, which we could feel. Her drinking out of a beaker was a just a moment but gave a huge impact, leaving us thinking about how we baby and dismiss older people, as if they are small children, or with nothing to offer, when they have so much. There were many tears in the audience and it took a while to leave her story behind, helped by another excerpt from Company, this time ‘Barcelona’ sung on an impossibly huge bed, but it worked! Here Daniel Chandler and Abi Pamment gave a wonderful rendition of the song both in quality of singing and acting the story of the scene. Far from being jarring, this song, following the last scene, worked perfectly.  

The final piece was the ending of Shakers: appropriate that the show started with the opening of a play and ended with the ending of another. The four waitresses transition in freezes and a gong sound between the different characters they played: Katie Carter, Maria Fitzgerald, Kirsty Sheath and Robyn Thomas. This was stunningly directed by Sarah Jenner-Jones, again known as a super actor and here showing great directing skills. The actors were so well rehearsed they moved in unison around the thrust without looking at each other, creating such interesting shapes and characters as they moved. The freezes were absolute: stopping together and starting together, with no concertina affect which can ruin it. Stunning work from all four actors, who clearly enjoyed the roles as well. It’s not often done, where John Godber’s connected play: Bouncers, is frequently done. It was so very welcome to see Shakers as this choice in the show. 

This was a truly stunning production, beautifully realised in all the different concepts on show. The sense of absolute thread between all the scenes showed how much every single detail had been considered, all of them giving us satisfying scenes in themselves, as well as inspiring us to want to see each piece as a whole. This has been curated so beautifully, it truly is an exceptional show of creative genius. Huge congratulations to everyone involved, including the advising directors / mentors: Karen Blunden, Jane Haines, Trevor Hodgson, Angela Reid and Anne Stern; for a remarkable, moving, entertaining, funny and poignant show.

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