The Little Hut

This comedy of manners featuring a ménage a trios is set on an unnamed desert island. The period of the play was a little unclear. The character of Henry was already on stage when we entered the auditorium, some 10 minutes before curtain. He appeared to be asleep and certainly seemed comfortable, but I assume he had been there for a long time and it is no easy feat to remain still for this length of time while the auditorium fills. With no front tabs we had plenty of time to take in the set which was excellent. There was an authentic looking hut, and a raised area with a seat on it. This area was well-used and provided a useful change of level for the actors. Centre stage there was a ship’s mast with ladder up to a platform which housed the gramophone. This gramophone was ‘operated’ by use of a rope pulley, and this was well-cued when dance music was required. The flats were concealed by several palm trees and other foliage, which gave a good impression of depth. Lighting was suitable and appropriate.

There was no introductory music used at the start of the play, and although music was not strictly necessary, some kind of sound bite, e.g. waves on a shore, tropical bird sounds, would have enhanced the desert island ‘feel’. The plot centres on Susan, her husband Philip and his best friend Henry, who also happens to be Susan’s lover, who have all been ship-wrecked. Henry’s decision to tell Philip of the affair, and their subsequent joint decision to ‘share’ Susan backfires on him as it revitalises his rival’s marriage and it is he who is left feeling neglected and jealous. When it was written the ‘wife-swapping’ element to this play would have been very risqué, although it is perhaps a little dated by today’s standards. Nevertheless, it is a good thing to please one’s audience, and the largely ‘mature’ audience certainly appreciated the humour.

The appearance of the ‘stranger’ in the 2nd Act allows for the introduction of the themes of class and status, and some genuinely funny moments: the timing of the falling curtain in the doorway of the hut, when Susan takes the stranger inside; the appearance of the finger bowl during the discussion about ‘primitive’ conditions. Susan’s ragged dress was just right for the setting. I felt that the men’s evening suits could perhaps have been a little more scruffy, particularly by Act 2. The ‘native’ costume looked authentic and the appearance of so much bare male flesh on stage was certainly a crowd pleaser! Props were generally good and authentic looking, apart from the palm ‘leaves’ that Susan brought out on a couple of occasions, which were not painted on the back. The business of the ‘shooting’ of the arrow into the mast was very well done indeed, as was the distress rocket.

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