The Ladykillers

The play "The Ladykillers", adapted from the 1955 Ealing comedy film of the same name, was first performed in 2011 and written by Graham Lineham and is set in 1950's King's Cross, London. A gang of criminals which are led by a Professsor Marcus have a plan to rob a train at King's Cross station ; Marcus rents a room in a nearby house while he perfects his plan. The house belongs to a widow called Mrs Wilberforce who lives alone apart from her parrot. As cover for their criminal activities, the gang pretend to be musicians who wish to use Mrs Wilberforce's spare room for rehearsals. however the robbery does not go according to plan.

Trying to recreate on stage one of the greatest British film comedies was never going to be easy. They could have easily copied what had gone before but to their credit the Society put their own interpretation on the show and it's characters on stage. Yet their were times when one could,pick out he nuances from the original.

Sweet Mrs Wilberforce (played by Judith Smith) and creepy Professor Marcus (Chris Binns) dominate the early scenes, making a fine and amusing double act. The Professor's gang of robbers, comprising Bernard Wilson (as Major Courtney), Alex Franz (Harry Robinson), David Collins (One Round) and Dave Harris (Louis Harvey), had some very funny lines, which they delivered well, as they established their individual character defects which, together with a basic lack of trust, soon made it clear they were bound for failure. Bumbling Constable Macdonald (Martin Isbister) keeps turning up at in opportune moments but somehow never uncovers the plan. The ladies playing the guests (Joan Kay, Clare Burnside & Ann Winter had the unenviable task of only coming on close to the end of Act 1, but made the most of their time on stage. All the cast managed to hit the mark with their interpretations suiting their roles very well and performing together as a team with no weak links. Their comic timing and diction were spot on, dialogue was clear and flowed effortlessly at just the right pace. As a result the action could be followed easily, holding the audience's attention throughout.

The very effective and unusual set was more than up to STARS usual standard making efficient use of the stage and auditorium and along with authentic furnishings, props and costumes, which suited the era, produced a splendid working environment for the actors. Huge congratulations to the set designers and builders (Mel Silver, Brian Stead, Jeff Brown & Fran Silver), props (David And Joan Waite), lighting (Andy Wright & Peter Wallwork), sound (Neil Bradford) and wardrobe (Clare Burnside).

Well done and congratulations to Director, Joan Kay, and to all involved in this excellent production and thank you for inviting us. We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

 

 

 

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