RolePlay

RolePlay is the last in a trilogy of plays called Damsels In Distress, and had its first performance at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in 2001. Like the other two plays in the trilogy, it is inspired by London’s Docklands, where Alan Ayckbourn lived, and set in a modern apartment. Despite being the afterthought of the trilogy, it earned the most critical praise. It features Julie-Ann Jobson and Justin Lazenby who are holding a dinner party to announce their engagement to their parents. Things start to go wrong when they are unexpectedly interrupted by the woman from the penthouse flat landing on their balcony, shortly followed by her captor. It soon becomes obvious that there are cracks in Justin and Julie-Ann’s relationship as they are shown to be ill-matched and unable to communicate with each other.

As the lights went up, the first thing to impress was the marvellous box set, designed and created by Rick Tovery, making full use of the stage space and looking every bit the London apartment, with appropriate furnishings and props.

The two leads were well cast, with Jemma Waller as Julie-Ann and John Morris as Justin. Jemma cranked up the tension between the couple nicely, with her instructions to Justin to use her full name, a ban on sex and living together before their marriage, and her search for a missing dessert fork. She also used some great facial expressions as her panic increased before the guests arrived.  John was a good foil for her, looking increasingly bewildered as events spiral out of control and Paige Petite  – the lap dancer from the penthouse flat- played with great calm and coolness by Amy Gould, literally drops in, soaking wet and in need a hot bath and some dry clothes.

Paige is of course mistaken for Justin’s girlfriend by his mother, Arabella, a wonderful performance by Toni Tovery, arriving alone after mislaying her latest beau en-route. Arabella has some of the most cutting and humorous lines in the play and Toni acted the drunkenness perfectly, never taking it too far and keeping it believable. Chris Wrein was equally believable and nicely gruff as the rather dim ex-boxer who is supposed to be minding Paige. Last to arrive were Julie-Ann’s insufferably cheerful parents, well portrayed by Cliff Mullins as a bluff, bigoted Yorkshireman and Pam Phipps as his rather prim wife.

The play flowed well, building the tension nicely as the action became more frenetic. The lighting was effective, the costumes were well-chosen and the actors’ diction was excellent throughout. Congratulations to directors Rick Tovery and Beryl Buckle, and all the cast for delivering this complicated play with great aplomb.

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