The Actress

It was interesting to see this as it was quite new to me, as it would have been to the majority of the audience having had its world premiere as recently as 2015.  The play is for a cast of five women and two men of varying ages.  The female lead, the retiring actress,  dominates the story and requires a strong character with the ability to learn a great deal of dialogue.  With this production the actress took on the role well into the rehearsal period and must be congratulated for having been so successful with both the mammoth job of line learning and also her interpretation.  The script is interesting with all parts well drawn, giving the actors a wonderful opportunity to explore the very different characters.  There were some excellent interpretations. It was particularly impressive that when they were in the "background" they all kept to their characters busying themselves quietly around the stage.

The Actress' ex-husband appearance was just a shade young for the part, especially as he was the father of their adult daughter.  Sometimes it is necessary to cast this way but it might have looked a little better balanced if with the help of stage makeup he could have been aged somewhat.   The diction was excellent, not a word was missed.  This was particularly impressive as one of the actors held an Irish accent throughout and another had an outburst of hysteria.  

The play was presented on an open stage with the curtains never being drawn.  It is set mainly in the actress' dressing room which was untidily attractive with many bouquets, a well-stocked bar area, sofas and the rail of costumes and everything else one would expect to see.   A couple of scenes were on the stage of that theatre and this was set unobtrusively downstage left.  This proved to be a good arrangement as it allowed the scenes to run contiguously.  A good pace was maintained, holding the attention of the audience.

Sound and lighting were in safe hands.   There were a number of times when someone knocked on the dressing room door. This sounded a little unreal, rather like a sound effect.  Perhaps the feeling of reality could have been enhanced if the actor himself knocked the door or used a theatrical door knocker.  Costumes were well chosen helping to show the different characters.  

This is described as a comedy and there were many moments that made the audience smile. Also there was a depth to it that left us wondering.   Thoughtful direction and acting had brought the different levels of this well-written play to life.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.