Rumours

Ken and Chris have found their host, Charley, a prominent Government Official, in his bedroom, too dazed to speak, with a bullet wound in his ear lobe! Leonard and Claire arrive, themselves injured in a car crash, and are soon joined by Ernest and Cookie, Glenn and Cassie, each with their own problems. They all try to hide what they think is a scandal from each other, until everyone is caught up on a web of rumour and misunderstanding. 

 
The audience were introduced first to Chris (Clare Rayner) and Ken (James Ager) a married couple trying to think of ways to disguise what they believe to be a suicide attempt by Charley. Clare and James portrayed their characters well and it was easy to believe that they were concerned about their friends Charley and Vivienne, coming up with elaborate stories as to why neither were present at their own anniversary party when each of the guests arrive. 

Claire (Lauren Desantos) and Leonard (Thomas Houghton) then joined the party, having had an accident in their BMW. Thomas brought comedy to the piece, keeping true to his character having whiplash and was entertaining with his falsified conversations with Vivienne on stage. Claire was equally amusing, getting drunk with Chris in the toilet to avoid having to answer the door and provide a reason as to why Charley and Vivienne were not present at their own party. 

Hazel Wright played the part of Cookie with understated humour, arriving to the party in a traditional Russian dress and crawling across the floor at times due to her bad back. It was relatable yet ridiculous at the same time! Her husband, Ernest, played by Martin Picken, brought a sense of seriousness with the explanations given to the new guests, Cassie and Glenn, for how he injured his hands, providing a story that seemed too extreme to be true but believable thanks to his delivery. 

Cassie (Lesley Emery) was amusing with her attachment to her crystal and being understandably upset when it is dropped down the toilet. Dean Baylis portrayed Glenn, as a fed-up, no-nonsense husband, just going along with his wife’s infatuation with her crystals yet not believing in their healing powers.

In Act Two, two police officers attend the home, PC Conklin (Stephen Power) and PC Casey (Gill Wilson). This was Stephen’s debut with TADS, and he did a brilliant job. He kept in character throughout and didn’t stumble at all. Both he and Gill brought an element of seriousness to the play, trying to get to the bottom the accident with the BMW and then the incident with the gunshots, when one of the guests accidentally lets slip. 

A standout moment was when Thomas’ character, Leonard, went off with his elaborate story of how Charley came to have a bullet wound in his ear. It was fast paced and far-fetched about Vivienne being stuck in the basement, completely unbelievable and farcical, yet at the end, a knock was heard at the basement door, with Vivienne asking to be let out. 

Sarah and Simon Smart provided the direction. There was good use of the two storeys on stage, providing lots of space for movement around the set and preventing the stage appearing overcrowded, ensuring all characters could be seen at all times. The whole play was fast paced, and the cast didn’t miss a beat with their cues. 

Simon Smart also provided the lighting and sound. The lighting was simple and perfectly captured the feel of being inside someone’s house. There were added sound effects at times which helped develop the narrative of the play. 

The set was impressively hand built by Ryan Wright and reflected the status of a Government Official’s home. It was spacious with intricate details and matching furniture. The use of carpet on the stage muted the sounds of the performers’ footwear, ensuring every line was heard by the audience. Each character had their own personal style in terms of their costumes which reflected the character’s personality and role within the play.  

It was a pleasure to review this show and, in my opinion, has been the best play I’ve seen so far from Thrapston Amateur Dramatic Society. I look forward to seeing what they perform next.  

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