Open All Hours

Southport Drama Club recently staged their version of the comedy "Open All Hours,” adapted from creator Roy Clark’s original television scripts by Laura Martin. “Open All Hours” starred Ronnie Barker as Albert Arkwright, David Jason as his nephew Granville and Linda Baron as Nurse Gladys Emanuel. The show had its premiere in 1973 as an episode of Ronnie Barkers comedy anthology, “Seven of One”, and was later commissioned for 26 episodes over four series. The first series began in March 1976 then continued from 1981 until 1985. Having seen several adaptations of various popular TV comedies, some excellent, others less so, I am glad to say this production successfully captured the spirit of the original show.

The narrative unfolds within a traditional corner shop in Doncaster South Yorkshire, owned by Arkwright, a shopkeeper who is not overly generous, penny pinches and has a stutter, he also has a passion for the local District Nurse Gladys Emanuel who lives across the street. Arkwright is helped in the shop and shares his home with his nephew Granville, who aspires and dreams of greater opportunities. While there is no overarching plot, the story revolves around the daily routines of the shopkeeper and his interactions with both Granville and the shop's customers.

This production was directed by Elspeth Fisher and featured a skilled comedic cast who delivered engaging and good quality performances. The two main roles were dialogue-heavy and dominated the stage, making correct casting essential. Adrian Miles-Roberts very skillfully played Arkwright, blending his own style while staying true to Ronnie Barker's original portrayal and displaying great comic timing. He handled Arkwright’s stutter convincingly and humorously, without affecting the clarity of his dialogue. Chris Smalley gave a believable performance as the unfulfilled Granville, partnering well with Adrian to deliver key comedic moments which contributed to the production's success. I was particularly impressed by Chris's ability to perform falls. Karen Parkinson portrayed Nurse Gladys Emanuel, Arkwright's love interest, with humor, balancing her bossy demeanor with lots of warmth in her dialogue. Zoe Findlay gave a genuinely nice performance as the milk woman and Granville’s love interest, showing good chemistry with Chris. June Beswick was notable in her portrayal of Mrs. Blewitt, while Wendy Cox convincingly embodied Mavis’s indecisiveness and also took on the contrasting role of the bottle woman who did not say a word but made her presence known. Ronnie Orr stood out with his comedic interpretation of Cyril, even eliciting laughter through his characterisation upon entering the stage. Other cast members featured Dave Cox as Bert and the milk lady's fella, Tony Teresa as the paper boy and Joshua Jones as the milk boy; notably, these three actors also portrayed the burglars.

All dialogue was clear and the accents were effective. Although the play's pace occasionally slowed, it did not affect my enjoyment of the production.

The set for Arkwright’s shop was thoughtfully designed and constructed by Peter Beswick, with valuable assistance from stage manager Brendan Gillow and the construction team. Painting duties were managed by Bob Jessamine, who helped bring the shop’s traditional atmosphere to life. Notably, the set was ingeniously built to pivot, allowing the audience to view both the interior and exterior of the shop. However, the mechanism used to rotate the set could have benefited from some maintenance, as it produced a noticeable metal grinding noise during transitions. Adding to the authenticity, a ringing bell hung over the shop door, though it did seem to ring quite frequently throughout the performance. Another highlight of the stage design was the excellent representation of Nurse Gladys Emmanuel’s “2 up 2 down” house, positioned to the side of the stage.

Props were provided by Dave Cox, Wendy Cox, and Ronnie Orr, whose work was especially impressive. The delivery bike and the quirky, old-fashioned till stood out, with the till serving as a key physical comedy prop familiar to fans of the original TV show. Lighting design and operation were handled by Neil Yates, assisted by Neil Langridge, while David Proffitt was responsible for the sound. Both lighting and sound played a role in establishing the overall atmosphere of the production. Costumes, designed by Gay Stowell, Carole Macpherson, and Sally Bartlett, were perfectly matched to the characters and the period, enhancing the authenticity and visual appeal of the show.

Performing and directing a production based on such a well-known television programme presents considerable challenges. There is an inherent difficulty in recreating iconic characters and scenes, as audiences typically arrive with their own expectations about how the play and its characters should be portrayed. This can create pressure on the cast and creative team to do justice to the original material, ensuring that their interpretation honours the spirit of the beloved show.Despite these challenges, this production stood firmly on its own merits. The performance was enjoyable and demonstrated the cast and crew's ability to craft a compelling version that resonated with the audience. It was clear from the audience's reactions throughout the evening that they were entertained and appreciated the efforts of everyone involved, well done in bringing this production to the stage.

 

 

 

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