The Scottish Play

Phoenix’s Players’ latest production was something of a special occasion. On receiving notification that the Players were staging The Scottish Play, playwright Graham Holliday got in touch to say that this would be the 100th production of the show.  How appropriate that it should also be taking place in Stratford-Upon-Avon, birthplace of the Bard!  The Players told me that Graham had visited them to see the play at the previous performance, and afterwards spent time with the cast backstage.  What a great evening that must have made for, and I am sure that Graham would have been pleased with what Phoenix made of his play! 

The Scottish Play, then, charts the trials and tribulations of Michael, a member of the Shellsfoot Thespians, as he attempts to stage Shakespeare’s famous Scottish Play, Macbeth (I think I’m fairly safe just writing that down!)  But the theatrical curse often attached to that play comes to strike Michael and his colleagues again and again, as cast members desert the production, the venue is lost, and Michael’s marriage disintegrates.  Amazingly, despite it all, the show does eventually go on!  It’s an unusual play, in many ways a comic look at amateur theatre, with its egos and petty rivalries.  But it’s also deeply tragic, as Michael is left weeping alone in the lighting box at the close of the play.  

In the hands of Phoenix Players, the Shellsfoot Thespians were skilfully evoked.  Poor Michael (Nick Johnson) had clearly bitten off more than he could chew, and his mounting frustration and isolation were well conveyed.  In the face of Michael’s obsession, his long-suffering wife Lynne (Andi Hardy) ended up feeling neglected, although her attempts to mount the moral high ground were somewhat undermined by the fact of her affair with lead actor Frank (Phillip Leigh). 

Meanwhile, in a charming little subplot, technical guy Alan (Chris Leonard) – initially rather gauche but ultimately one of the nicest characters in the play – courted new member Fiona (Lisa Maxwell).  The romance between these two was very sweetly portrayed, and a nice contrast to the often more serious main plot.  We also met vampish Shellsfoot old-stager Geraldine (Lynne Gaskell), always expecting the main role and gunning all out for revenge when unsuccessful; and hard-done-by trier Barnaby (Baz Stilinski) – desperate to be involved yet the first to be cast aside when other options appear.  Poor Barnaby!

The cast was completed by Sally (Lisa Cowley) and Mary (Nadein Baghat), who made up two of the three witches alongside Fiona and were always up for a bit of gossip; Les (Rob Warnes), Michael’s boss whose patience finally runs out after one too many amdram related diversions; Jackie (Nicole Laffan), Michael’s colleague and occasional accomplice; and Daisy (Karen McDonald), a one-person backstage team!

For anyone involved in amateur theatre, there was great fun to be had in spotting all the familiar elements of being in a group – the backstage panics, the trips to the bar, the titbits of gossip, the rivalries big and small.  I liked little touches such as Barnaby’s pleasure at having sold 57 programmes, Michael’s sneaky use of work resources, and Alan’s scale model of the set.  And, of course, the theatrical superstitions around what to do if someone says ‘Macbeth’ were amusingly conveyed.  Director Samm Lees showed a keen eye for bringing out these moments, and contrasted the tragic and comic sections of the play to good effect. 

The Scottish Play started its life as a radio play, and as a result was quite episodic in nature, but the team did well to keep the pace up, helped by an open staging and some efficient set changes.  Parallels to the tragedy of Macbeth were also nicely introduced – there was a moment where Frank appeared like Banquo at the feast, Lynne showed Lady M-style ruthlessness in leaving her husband, and Geraldine was sidelined like the vanquished Duncan.  There were also some well delivered snippets from the play itself, doing justice to the great man’s text.

The play was nicely lit by Adam Rastall, with lighting used to delineate the various acting areas and locations in the story.  There was some good sound content from time to time (well done to sound man Andy Jepson) – I particularly liked the doomy winds that could occasionally be heard during set changes, echoing the famous blasted heath. 

Congratulations to all at Phoenix for a lively performance of an interesting play.  Thanks for the customary warm welcome, and I look forward to seeing you all again in October for a new play, murder mystery ‘Death Us Do Part’. 

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