The Unfriend

Thank you for the very warm welcome at Earls Barton Parish Church Hall, especially the reserved parking space and lovely cup of tea after my long journey.  Your front-of-house team, led by Chairperson Linda Ellis-Barratt, was very hospitable. It was especially lovely to put names to faces, as this was my first visit and I enjoyed hearing about your production journey from Director Nick Barbar. I also noted the way you displayed your awards in the foyer, and the decorations with sky and picture frames set the tone for the evening’s entertainment. (Designed by Jess Swain).

"The Unfriend" is a comedy play by Steven Moffat, an award-winning writer known for shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock. This satirical fast-paced comedy is about a couple Peter and Debbie who befriend a seemingly normal American widow named Elsa on holiday. Shockingly, they look her up online, only to discover her darker side. When she invites herself to their home, they are too polite to say no! Against their better judgment, she meets their family and neighbours, seemingly improving the family’s relationships and happiness, but this leads to humorous and perilous situations due to their attempts to remain well-mannered and deferential. Steven Moffat examines middle-class England's instinct to be polite, even in dangerous situations.

Your staging was superb! I was delighted by the attention to detail. The facilities at the hall seemed tiny, yet you packed it full of charming detail, colour, warmth, and interest. Dave Lawrence, your set build was magnificent, and your lighting design was very effective. (Also on set creation were Claire Henson and Karen Crowshaw.) The way the scene changed from ocean seascape to suburban home was very clever, I liked the ingenious use of light and sound effects to cover the slick changes. (Stage manager Okami Kogarashi, props Anne Earle and Liz Newell) A split-level created simply with steps going off stage right, 3 doors, kitchen, working fridge, carefully chosen small-scale furniture offering your actors more space to move around, the pictures on the walls, the colour scheme and general atmosphere created were all excellent. Well done.

Your programme is marvellous. Colourful, clever use of passport style inclusions for your cast with good photography. Information about the play and communications from both director and chair of your society. The cast and crew are named, with ‘thank you for the support’ and local advertising which shows that you are well supported with-in the community. It’s a shame you didn’t include the NODA information, otherwise I think it would have done well in the NODA Programme competition, next time perhaps.

Nick, your direction was intelligent, measured and utilised the space expertly.  Your cast were amazing, giving you ample opportunity to let the script shine. Claire Henson as Elsa, kept her American accent throughout. No mean feat considering the ample range of emotion her performance demanded. Her characterisation was perfect, charmingly subversive and Claire played this very well. The couple Debbie and Pete were played with excellent comic timing by Karen Crowshaw and Robin Hillman. Their acting choices demonstrated characterful expertise and their mastery in playing a typical suburban couple shone through the whole play. I enjoyed their on-stage shenanigans displaying great facial expressions and body language which had your audience laughing along with all the word play and situational angst the script demanded. They are obviously experienced actors who oozed confidence through the whole play.  Sophie Thomas as Rosie and Kira Kogarashi as Alex gave very good support performances, demonstrating the changes within their characters stories with sublime assurance. This was enhanced by clever costume changes and acting choices which were delightful. (All the costumes were well thought out and enhanced the characters well. I felt that thought had gone into creating a cohesive over all look, including the all-grey costume for the neighbour and Rosie’s change from black to colour reflecting the changes in her attitudes to life after meeting Elsa.)

Ross Green as the Neighbour, cleverly never named in the script, because despite a 10 year relationship, Pete has never bothered to remember his name. Ross played his character as stiff, annoying and passively aggressive, with great attention to detail. As the annoying nosy neighbour Ross played up the pernickety, bothersome guy from next door expertly. The audience chuckled at his deadpan expressions and stillness which contrasted well with the other more frenetic characters. Andrew Green as PC Dave, (or was it Phil) had a demanding role. I felt the tension, he created within the story and enjoyed Andrew’s comic timing and acting choices.

Thank you for meeting me after the show, especially on your first night. It was lovely to chat to you all and I wish you all the best for the rest of your run.

Overall, your production was slick, well-paced, characterful, and made me squirm delightfully as Pete and Debbie wrangled their way through the improbable yet funny situations.

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