The Rivals

I have to admit, I wasn’t enthralled at the idea of going along to review a play written in 1775 and having sat through the first ten minutes of the play I still wasn’t ‘on board’. How wrong I was to assume. This production, directed by David Varley, won me over and I, along with the audience, were laughing in all of the right places throughout. I think it’s fair to say that this play is a little dated and not written for a modern society, however, the themes of the play are still relevant, and with well-rounded characters, Frodsham Players have brought new life into this piece. Set traditionally with traditional costumes, this play very much looked fantastic. The costumes (and props) really added to characterisations, particularly the use of Mrs Malaprop’s fan and I’m sure that it was a huge effort into both researching the correct costume style, let alone trying to find the correct period costumes. A huge well done to the costumes and props/stage crews for your obvious hard work.

Setting this production in the middle of the aisle of St Laurence’s Church, Frodsham was highly suitable. I loved the way in which the lighting added to the atmosphere of the building which was a perfect backdrop to this piece. I personally would’ve played around with candlelight or candle effect lighting a little more, but this is just a personal reflection. The use of video wall was great and helped establish locations. I particularly loved the video of the opening of the curtains for each act which was a lovely added detail. The sound cues for the scene changes were also suitable and helped with the overall feel of this production. This seemed very much an ensemble piece with cast and crew working together to create a piece of entertainment and that came across to the supportive audience. Well done to all involved.

For the most part the direction was great. I personally would’ve had the actors and crew standing around the outside of the audience to make us feel more enclosed and claustrophobic drawing on the metaphor that society is being looked upon at all times and judged, particularly in Bath. Again, this is just a personal thought. I felt that the actress playing Lydia was far too old to be seventeen and that some of the storytelling was a little lacking in places from some. I also doubt that I would’ve understood a lot of what was going on if it hadn’t of been for the scene-by-scene explanation in the programme.

That being said, there were tons of positives from the direction of this piece. The projection and general storytelling from the majority of the cast was great. I loved some of the characterisations and the physicality too. Despite my misgivings at the start, I left, converted and thoroughly entertained by the end.

This play is VERY wordy, and I appreciate how hard the language is. Despite the odd fluff of lines and times when cast forgot their text, it was barely noticeable as it was superbly covered by characterisation.

The parts of Miss Lydia Languish and her cousin Miss Julia Melville were played by Carrie Bennett and Pollie Shorthouse respectively. Both actresses had good diction and projection and very much looked the part. I felt that both were probably too old to play the young ingénues and for me, didn’t bring the same likeability as some of the other characters. Lucy the maid was played by Carol Crooks. Whilst I didn’t understand why the maid was wearing her hat indoors in every scene, I really enjoyed the energy and stage presence that Carol brought. Her characterisation was believable too.

Mrs Malaprop was greatly played by Julia Burgess. I really enjoyed the way in which she used her physicality to portray character. She had a great rapport too with her fellow actors.

Captain Jack Absolute was brilliantly played by Iain Bennett. Whilst I wasn’t a massive fan of the styling of this character (he looked a little too much like Gaston for me) I cannot fault Iain’s performance. I always felt very comfortable when watching Iain as I knew we were in safe hands. Iain brought a lot of humour to the text, which was greatly appreciated, and he was thoroughly entertaining throughout.

Captain Jack’s father, (Sir Anthony) was brilliantly played by David Leslie. David has this special way of line delivery that I rarely see in other actors. He brings energy, pace and an added je ne sais quoi that makes him stand out. Despite having a few memory lapses (brilliantly saved by Iain Bennett) I really enjoyed David’s performance.

Ian Lancaster was thoroughly entertaining as ever as Mr Faulkland, the love interest of Miss Julia and friend of Captain Jack. Some of Ian’s line deliveries were brilliant and very funny! “Country Dancing” stands out and still makes me smile! I loved the physicality that Ian also brought to this role!

I also really enjoyed John Blaskey’s portrayal of Mr Bob Acres. His characterisation was great as the wannabe fop. I felt that John was very well cast in this role! Sir Lucius O’ Trigger was played by Mike Howard. Mike’s pace was brilliant which helped with the overall scene and energy. He also had really good storytelling and humour.

The other minor roles were played by Tony Boyd-Williams and Sam Mulford, (who played two roles). Both were able actors who enhanced scenes and plot. I particularly liked the energy and commitment to the role of David from Sam Mulford. He was very watchable and one to certainly watch out for in the future.

Overall, despite my misgivings, this production turned me round and showed that you cannot judge a book by its cover! A huge well done to director David Varley for your efforts, especially with the added humour and staging. This venue was the perfect setting which added atmosphere. The visuals of the screen, as well as the outstanding costumes and props/set helped add layers to scenes and establish character. I thank Frodsham Players for their kind invitation and I wish them all the very best for their next production of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

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