Patience

Patience, the village milk maid, loved by two rival poets, satirising the 1880s aesthetic movement.   Well no actually!   Not this interesting new take on the story.    Director Lynda Barrett-Mercer opted to set her version in Pinetree Film Studio in 1928, at the birth of the talkies era, no less.

Bunthorne and Grosvenor were now rival film stars - Bunthorne,in black and white, a British silent film star and Grosvenor, a colourfully dressed American talking movie star.    Patience was now the suffragette studio tea girl - from milk to tea?    Perhaps not such a huge leap after all!    The Pinetree studio set, AKA Fetcham Village Hall stage is considerably smaller than its too well known rivals - Elstree and Pinewood Studios!

Cleverly setting the outside wall and sign (in reverse) "Pinetree Studios" at the back of the small stage, with prominent signs to various rooms - make up, wardrobe, editing etc., the tiny actual stage appeared more spacious with an effective illusion  of a far larger studio.  Certain dialogue relevant to  poets was suitably changed to suit filmstars.

The love sick maidens entered through the hall sighing and moping over the picture  of the "adorable" Reginald Bunthorne.   Chief among these were The Lady Angela - Gill Eve, The Lady Saphir -Tessa Lawn and The Lady Ella - Lorraine Lawrence.   All were dressed as flapper girls, some in black, others white with headbands, fascinators and some wearing wigs.    Enter the formidable Lady Jane - AKA Joanna Silcox, in true Madame Arcarti attire, artistic elegance and 20s chic!   "Red and Yellow, primary colours!", such artistic disdain for the Dragoon guards' uniforms, with stage presence to die for!

Colonel Calverley, Major Murgatroyd and Lieut. The Duke of Dunstable were played in a suitably miffed and bewildered style by Peter Grove, Andy Hoskins and Kevin Wood respectively "harrumphing"          in upper crust style disgust at their cruel rejection.

Sid Dolbear was a splendidly stolid Solicitor to Reginald, emanating legalistic anger at Bunthorne's attempted ticket fraud à la Lady Jane.   Fiona Dunbar and young Eleanor Hegarty danced rapt attendance as  Chief Reporter and Reporter, photographer equipment, notebook and pencil in hands.

An amusing cleaning lady cameo was given by Mary Grove, trying to dust the MD's hairless head and then hoovering on the studio floor.  The indignant head was provided courtesy of Roger Wilman, the Musical Director, who marshalled the show's music in fine style, including the excellent sestette - ably assisted by lone pianist David Mortimer and his nimble fingers.

Stephen Taylor and Martin Elliff were the excellent rival film stars Reginald Bunthorne and Archibald Grosvenor, their evident stagecraft, timing, presence and delivery both being of special quality.    Both could really sing making the lyrics clear, crisp and meaningful.   Paragons both!

Selena Hegarty played suffragette Patience in fine style, her soaring soprano showcasing Sullivan's beautiful melodies in a way of which the great man would have surely approved.   The scenes between Selena and  Stephen and also between Selena and Martin were like watching three professionals.

Grosvenor's transformation, including accent, during the duet with Bunthorne was highly effective with Archibald's still adoring, now everyday young girls in fetching colourful costumes.  All costumes were co-ordinated by wardrobe mistress Jenny Hasted and were eye-catching in their variety.    

Gill and Tessa gave splendid support, not least in  the catchy and insistent quintette "If Saphir I choose to Marry", but the palm for comic hilarity is surely shared among Peter, Andy and Kevin in the trio of grotesque aesthetes, "It's clear that mediaeval art."

It fell to the "put upon" titan Joanna as Lady Jane to finally reject and thus crush Reginald / Stephen at the very last and instead accept the Dukes hand in joyful haste.

At the tuneful finale all the couples paired off and Bunthorne had to be content with a tulip or lily.                                                                                             

Lynda Barrett-Mercer's sparkling and original production left the audience with a sparkling bouquet!

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