The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen’s Guild Dramatic Society’s Production of A Christmas Carol

Harleston Players presentation of this play got me thinking that this sounds like a unique show of an iconic Dickens story and I was not disappointed in this very amusing adaptation. As always, this group of people are generous in their warm welcome and the foyer was buzzing with anticipation at this new venture

The cast of five played many parts in this well-crafted tale telling and transferred into the members of the guild and the players of A Christmas Carol, each one with an adeptness of the appropriate style. Pat Parris embraced audience participation with a fussy approach, combining this with her involvement in A Christmas Carol, and Martin Soudain sustained both male and female qualities with a good comedic technique. Meryl Keeble adopted the personalities involved with the variation needed and Christina Kenna won over the audience with a funny adoption of working her injuries suitably into the demands of both genres. Dawn Briggs had the enormous task of taking on the lead role of Scrooge, a classic, and achieved both the member of the guild and this role with hilarious success. All in all this cast worked together to make a very successful evening’s entertainment.

The production team assembled a slick drama and the scenery, (I liked the backdrops of the curtain in front of the backdrop) props, furniture and staging were effectively used and aptly constructed. The lighting was carefully plotted and the costumes applicable to both the drama and the guild. The music interludes for changes of scene related to the action and the songs/singing was how it should be.

A stereotypical approach to the guild and A Christmas Carol brought old-fashioned slapstick humour, and I liked the door/bed sequence, the cemetery and the matchsticks with red lighting and the injured lady ensconced on the floor with the cast walking over her, to name but a few of the notable scenes. The closing of both act 1 and act 2 had the 5 shuffling individual letter cards, primarily making nonsense phrases, and finally making the words "interval" and "good night" was a nice touch. Be careful when speaking through a mic backstage as the sound becomes a little blurred and inaudible. When plays are as humorous as this one was, it is easy to laugh out of individual characterisation in a funny scene.

This play gave the audience a fun-filled, inclusive comedy entertainment and I enjoyed my evening immensely. Thank you Harleston Players.

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