Reunion

Thank you to St James Players for the warm welcome to their production of Reunion by Jamie McLeish. There was a friendly community feel to the evening, and it was clear that the society take pride in their home venue at Lostock Hall. Smaller venues can create a close and intimate atmosphere for theatre, and this setting suited the reunion-style nature of the play, allowing the audience to feel close to the characters and the unfolding story.

Reunion is a two-act comedy drama centred around a group of former classmates meeting 30 years after leaving school. What begins as a supposedly friendly reunion is muted by the recent death of their former teacher, Mr Drummond, and as the evening develops, old rivalries, friendships and past tensions resurface. The play explores how, despite the years that have passed, the characters still fall back into the personalities and roles they had at school. As the event winds down, it is revealed that Mr Drummond did not die peacefully at home, as first believed, but was murdered. From that point, the play becomes a question of which member of the group is responsible.

This was a very warm evening, and the performance space became extremely hot. The cast deserve credit for maintaining their focus and continuing the performance in uncomfortable conditions. Keeping concentration in that heat would not have been easy, particularly in a play with so much dialogue and limited opportunities for some characters to leave the stage.

Dave Bentley, as Director and Producer, had worked to bring together a group of performers and create a clear setting for the story. The single room arrangement helped establish the reunion environment. The production had a clear structure, although it would have benefitted from a little more pace and confidence in places to help the tension build more steadily.

There were moments where line prompting affected the flow of the performance. Prompting is sometimes needed in live theatre, but it is most effective when handled as discreetly as possible so that the audience remain fully engaged in the story. Greater confidence with the text would have helped the dialogue feel more natural and allowed the relationships between the characters to develop more smoothly.

Angela Ross played Lily with a quiet and unassuming manner, which worked well for the role. She blended into the group scenes effectively and did not draw too much attention to herself, which made the final revelation that Lily was responsible for the murder a genuine surprise. Angela handled this well and gave the character a stillness that helped the twist land.

Dot Pilkington played Julie and also served as Assistant Director. Julie appeared to have a considerable amount of dialogue compared with some of the other characters, so there was a lot to remember. There were moments where Dot seemed less confident with the text, which affected the flow in places, but she worked with commitment and gave Julie a clear place within the reunion. Her scenes with Danny and Martin helped bring out some of the relationship tensions within the group.

Stu Cann appeared as Danny and worked well alongside Dot Pilkington as Julie. Together, they created the impression of a long-married couple who knew each other very well and, at times, seemed to be simply putting up with one another. This gave their scenes a believable dynamic and helped add humour and familiarity to the group setting.

Aneta Park played Caroline and brought humour and confidence to the role. She had some very funny moments and acted well, helping to bring out both the comedy and the tensions within the group. Her reactions and delivery added energy to the scenes, and she gave Caroline a clear personality within the reunion.

Andrew Croft played John and contributed to the ensemble nature of the piece. There were moments where he appeared less secure with the dialogue, which affected the confidence and flow of the character, but when he was confident with his lines, he delivered some very good moments. 

Frank Duxbury played Chris, an off-duty police officer, very well. He brought a calm authority to the role and gave Chris a believable presence within the group. As the character began to question what had really happened to Mr Drummond, Frank helped move the murder mystery element of the play forward. He maintained focus throughout, particularly in the difficult heat, and gave a solid and assured performance.

Dave Bentley played Martin as well as directing and producing the production. Taking on both performance and production responsibilities is a considerable task, especially for a small society. Dave gave Martin a clear emotional thread as a man still in love with Julie, and his scenes after a few drinks, where Martin expressed those feelings before descending into more of a drunken haze, were handled well. His commitment to both the role and the production was clear.

Stuart Lockhart was one of the strongest performers of the evening as Steve. His performance grew as the play developed, and he brought a stronger sense of emotional truth to the later scenes. The moment towards the end, when suspicion seemed to fall heavily on Steve and he began to break down, was very well handled. Stuart allowed the character’s distress and panic to come through, and this gave the final section of the play some much-needed dramatic weight.

The play contains some strong language and explicit content. In future, it may be worth including a clear content advisory in the marketing and programme.  On the evening I attended, there was a young audience member present, and some of the material felt more suited to an adult audience.

The set constructed by Thomas Bolton was simple but appropriate for the story, the venue and the requirements of the play. Reunion is written to work with a minimal set, and the table and chairs created a clear reunion environment while giving the actors a practical space to work within.  The setting gave the production a solid foundation. As the play is quite static and dialogue-led, the simple arrangement allowed the focus to remain on the characters and their interactions.

Props by Becca McCooey helped support the setting, and the production had the necessary items to suggest a social gathering. With a small-scale play like this, props do not need to be elaborate, but they do need to feel natural and well integrated, and the overall effect supported the reunion atmosphere.

Costumes by Lilian Eastham were suitable for the characters and the setting. The cast looked appropriate for a reunion event, and the costumes helped distinguish the different personalities without drawing attention away from the play. In a production with simple technical elements, costume becomes an important part of establishing character, and the overall look was fitting for the piece.

Sound, light and photography were by Abi Banks. The lighting was simple, as would be expected in a community hall setting where there is not a great deal of technical equipment to work with, but there was a clear attempt to use it thoughtfully. At times, areas of the stage were isolated for smaller two-person conversations, while the rest of the cast remained in the background, continuing to create the feel of a party or reunion taking place around them. This was a good idea and helped give focus to the dialogue scenes.

Stage Manager and Props were handled by Becca McCooey, with stage crew Jenny Carter and Tom Sherliker. In a small production, backstage roles can often involve a great deal of practical work that the audience does not always see, and the team should be thanked for their contribution. Sheila Kenny and Libby O’Carolan were credited as prompts, providing support where needed during the performance.

Front of House, led by Helen Kynaston, gave the audience a friendly welcome. For small societies, the front of house team are an important part of the evening, and their support helps create a welcoming atmosphere before the performance begins. 

Overall, this was a committed production of Reunion by St James Players. The company created a clear setting and worked hard to bring this comedy drama with a murder mystery element to their audience. While the performance would have benefitted from greater confidence, pace and line security, there were effective moments and the company should be encouraged by the support of their local audience. Congratulations to Dave Bentley, Dot Pilkington, the cast, backstage team, front of house volunteers and everyone involved in supporting St James Players and bringing live theatre to the local community.

 

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