Table Manners

CAODS are always very welcoming and this time it was good to speak to the director, John Kirk, both before and after the show. He was clearly proud of his cast. The background music was well chosen and enjoyable.

The set was attractive, clearly a homely dining room. There was good attention to detail, including a three-duck mural, flowers and a rather attractive dresser and sideboard. The latter contained copious amounts of cutlery which, alongside the large dining table, played a huge part in this play. Besides a door leading to the rest of the house, there were patio doors leading on to a rather colourful garden. The whole stage had been fully utilised and looked very inviting.  Well done to the set construction, set dressers and properties teams.

The programme was colourful, informative and contained coloured photographs of the cast, including some taken at rehearsal. There were no biographies, which was a shame as some of the cast were less familiar than others.

The costumes had been well chosen which is something the costume department excel at every time.

Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy centred around a rather dysfunctional family. Annie, carer for her mother, unmarried,  rather downtrodden and weary, is visited by her brother, Reg and his wife, Sarah, who arrived to take over from Annie while she had a weekend away. Annie’s intention was to go away with her sister, Ruth’s husband, Norman and not her neighbour, Tom, her would-be suitor. Having confided in the rather strait-laced Sarah, the latter then invited Ruth to the house. Chaos, misunderstanding and disagreements amongst the family then ensued around the omnipotent dining table.

The cast of six were all at the top of their game and interacted perfectly, so much so that it would be difficult to single out an individual for a mention.

The talented  and adaptable Rebecca Lennon managed to encompass the traits of Annie, namely frustrated, envious of her sister-in-law and desperate for some excitement, with ease. Anne Walpole was also able to portray the interfering, pious, nagging wife to great effect.  In trying to organise the table settings and seating plan, she blew her top, which was the antithesis of her initial calm and controlled persona. This scene was excellent with great timing from all the cast. Norman, was clearly a ladies’ man, able to work his charm on vulnerable women, rather egotistical, irritating but with a boyish charm. Jack Brading captured these traits superbly. A highlight was something of a tour de force as he attempted to encourage his family to talk after they had decided to ‘send him to Coventry’. His family, at the table, continued to eat their breakfast in silence. This was no mean feat on their behalf when subjected to his monologic ramblings. Martyn Stanley was perfect as Reg, the loud, exuberant, hen-pecked husband. He had some great quips, especially around  food, which he clearly loved. His dislike for salad and his delivery of the line ‘the caterpillar hunt is on’, was excellent. Tom was played very well by Martin Deane. He remained rather boring, dour and withdrawn and either totally unaware of Annie and a potential romance, or maybe just devoid of any emotional intelligence. He did seem very involved with the animal kingdom which showed a warmer side to his character. Finally, Ruth, Norman’s wife, breezed in exuding confidence and well able to ignore or handle her husband’s dalliances and foibles. Her career seemed to be of more importance to her. Jess Fellis had great stage presence and embodied her character with aplomb.

This was a very entertaining show. The audience of around seventy were rather subdued despite the humorous interjections. However, it could be that they were fully engrossed and engaged in this well executed production.

Congratulations to Director, John Kirk for choosing such a competent cast and bringing out the best in them all. Likewise, well done to the stage crew for their involvement. This was a huge success.

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