Taking Steps

“Taking Steps” by Alan Ayckbourn

Production given by Salterton Drama Club 

Performance: Salterton Playhouse, Budleigh Salterton, East Devon

Tuesday 4th March 2025 

Reviewed by:  Nick Lawrence, Past President standing in for Regional Representative 6:

 

Alan Ayckbourn is regarded as one of the best playwrights of the late 20th and early 21st century, and it is a prudent drama group which regularly includes one of his works among its programme to attract audiences.  Of course, one of the things that sets Ayckbourn apart, is that he was constantly pushing the boundaries, and setting challenges to his actors and technicians as well as himself.  “Taking Steps” is no exception.  Set on three storeys of an elderly house, once a bordello, and requiring action on all three floors simultaneously, the play certainly set the director and team a major challenge in the cosy atmosphere of the Salterton Playhouse.  The decision to follow Ayckbourn’s original intentions, that the play should be played ‘in-the-round’, inspired the Budleigh team to new heights.  It only took moments to establish the different rooms and the various staircases linking the floors.  The concept of the different staircases was particularly clever on Ayckbbourn’s part, and the arrangement of these made at Budleigh added extra laughs as the various characters used them to access the various rooms.  The director and his actors had worked this out very well; especially when actors passed each other, but with their characters on different floors.  It was in the general movement around the house that the benefits of rehearsing in situ were made evident.  Salterton Drama Club certainly makes the most of owning its own theatre, despite its compact size, and with what appeared to be limited alterations to the performing space became a very usable space.    

Two bedrooms and a lounge were required with a hallway leading to the front door and the stairs to the first floor and further stairs to the attic.   Clever use of the theatre’s main entrance to make a front door allowed easy access to and from the garden & street outside.  The long staircase to the first floor, which crossed the entire auditorium, presented plenty of humour and the tiny ribs laid across the walkway, effectively gave the impression of characters’ cases bumping down the stairs. The way the various actors expressed their characters with differing ways of tackling the stairs, was much enjoyed by the audience; and the fellows trying to get the half-asleep Roland down the main staircase had the audience in stitches and yet seemed perfectly natural.  The overall white bannisters and master-bedroom furniture really stood out against the dark surround of the audience, while the brown and tired looking fold-away bed in the attic offered a most suitable contrast.   Also, there was something special about the carpet in this room.  It was so reminiscent of dusty old top floor rooms, that are rarely opened up.        

Naturally, with all this coming and going into different spaces, the lighting team was extremely busy.  No time for a quiet sit here.  Cues were spot on throughout, following the characters about the house and concentrating the audience’s attention on where the important dialogue was taking place.  Ayckbourn introduces each character so carefully that it was remarkably easy to follow the fairly easy plot as it moved about the house.  

Director, Leigh Steedman, was very fortunate in his cast.  All six worked so well together and for each other.  They understood what each was trying to accomplish and gave space for each to ‘do their thing’ including some rather apt ad libs.  This was truly an ensemble piece with no one standing out from the crowd.  This was especially obvious when one actor struggled with some lines.  With help from the fellow actors and a lightening quick hint from off-stage the situation was rescued with barely a ruffle to the well maintained pace of the production.  It is interesting that Ayckbourn and the London press fell out over which character was the central role in this play, but these players showed that no one character had to stand out to make the piece work.  Each character has their moment to shine leading the silly antics and each one took firm hold of the script and delivered.   The actor for whom this was the first time on-stage, must have found the whole situation strange as we all start with an idea of a stage with curtains separated from the audience.  In fact, for most it must have been an unusual arrangement, but there were no signs of anyone being uncomfortable (audience included).  

The rightsholders had granted permission for one of the characters to change sex (isn’t it always a struggle to get enough suitable male actors ?)  Well the alteration of the role of the landlord to a landlady worked brilliantly.  One couldn’t tell that Ayckbourn originally intended the motor-cyclist house owner to be male.  In fact, with clever use of a crash-helmet at the vital moments it merely added to the already confused situation.   

The first scene in any play is always pressurised as the audience gets used to the sound of the actors’ voices and, especially in this case, the different angles that the voices are coming from with the ‘in-the-round’ arrangement.  It was new experience for everyone.  Salterton Drama had not tried this style of production before.  It took a little while to get into the mood and some of the gags were lost in the naturalistic presentation, but this was quickly dealt with and everyone was generally audible and diction was good.  Herein lay an advantage with this type of staging as there was always a t least one section of the four-sided audience who heard the gag and laughed.  Actors are required to do so many things at once, and this cast had everything under control.  The director had taken great care to get the actors to work the auditorium while appearing totally natural in their movement and conversation.  

One of the inevitable problems with performing in-the-round is that, the moment you enter the space or do something individually, the audience is immediately aware of you.  On the whole everyone timed entrances, exits and new involvement perfectly.  There were a couple of moments when an actor was obviously awaiting their cue to move.  This was not too distracting, but it did draw the eye mainly due to the excellence of everything else.  

Particularly impressive was the movement of the actors about the attic which was obviously supposed to be small and also, for most of the time, without light.  Of course being in-the-round there were no walls, but the feeling along the walls to find the way round the attic bedroom was very well portrayed; as was the stepping into the light of the landing.  Little details like this littered the production and added so much to the atmosphere.

In a usual production an actor gets to go off when they are not supposed to be in the room, but in-the-round’ when all rooms can be seen, there are a number of occasions when an actor is visible but not involved.  The quality of the naturalness of people out of the spotlight was excellent.  Everyone had little things to do and timely moves to make, which kept their characters alive and interesting.  Wherever the audience looked there was something happening.  

As we have come to expect at Budleigh Salterton, the actors inhabited their characters efficiently.   Everyone had defined characteristics which they maintained throughout the play, in the light and in the dark.  It was particularly impressive how the rhythms and pace of each character’s dialogue was  individually held against the others; and yet the overall pace was maintained and the climaxes built effectively.  This success can be judged by the constant giggles of the audience and the raucous outbursts for the major gags.  When the motor-cyclist was mistaken for a burglar and was pinned to the floor by other characters, the audience was fighting for breath as everyone fell about laughing.   There was a particularly ‘Budleigh moment’ when the unsuspecting wife got into bed with the comatose solicitor – wonderful fun. 

The evening ended with smiles all around and worthy acclamation.  The actors had clearly had fun presenting this very funny play, and, in consequence, the audience went home glowing with the warmth of shared jolly good fun.  I must admit to being one of those who thought farce involved a lot of rushing in and out of doors, but with this play Ayckbourn proved that staircases can offer just as many laughs.  Another feather in Budleigh Drama Club’s cap.  

Nick Lawrence

5th March 2025

 

  Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance and it is inevitable that his assessment will be affected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions

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