Out of Focus

Just when we thought we had seen our last pantomime for a few months, here was another, or at least part of it.  There again, we might have seen a badminton match or listened to a talk on steam trains or attended a meeting of the Brownies.  That all these events were booked for the same evening was not the fault of the hall bookings secretary at Linton but rather represents the concept of this entertaining play by Peter Gordon. 

There is little in the way of any further plot, except for developments in certain relationships, the lines are amusing rather than hilarious and so it is left to the cast to exploit the various idiosyncrasies of their characters in order to generate much of the fun.  That they succeeded in this was due to further good work from the Director and some excellent performances from his cast.

The culprit as regards the confusion over the bookings is vicar’s wife Evonne, a highly-strung, rather nervous type, living in the shadow of the Reverend Donald Duckworth, yet striving to make her own mark in the parish.  Emily Grange gave an excellent portrayal of this character, switching expertly from enthusiasm for her pantomime which, mixed with a little sympathy for her predicament, encourages the rest to abandon their original plans and to take part, to despair when things begin to go wrong.   

I also enjoyed Simon Burdett as the bumbling Leonard, prepared to give a talk on any of a large number of subjects, all illustrated with his vast collection of colour slides.  His confusion at the circumstances in which he finds himself and determination to deliver one of his presentations even at the after-show party was very amusing and played a vital part in the eventual outcome.  Bob and Kath have some marital problems, particularly in view of the proximity of his secretary, Linda, and John Clithero, Marie Clinker and Sarah Welbourne gave good performances in these roles, the former making a return to the stage after a 10 year absence.  Enid Doyle as Helen, the leader of the Brownie pack, admits to a tendency to be type cast as the rather bossy type but is certainly convincing in blowing hot and cold about her part in the panto.  Wayne, a young man whose outward appearance as a knowledgeable, self-assured man-about-town is really quite different to his true self, was confidently played by Adam Stewart, another returning to the stage after a number of years.  The cast is completed by Maureen Savage and Fred Lyn as Sue and David, two characters intent on a game of badminton or table tennis but who subsequently find true love during pantomime rehearsals.

The set was simple but effective and, although we see action at the pantomime only back stage, this still gave us the opportunity to see some appropriately amusing costumes.   

This was another example of the way in which, following its merger with a Drama Group 3 years ago, the members successfully provide entertainment of various genres, whether it be drama, musicals or pantomime (sometimes the real thing!).                                    

 

 

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