The Unfriend

A very warm welcome greeted us upon arrival and gave us the opportunity to speak to members of The Colwall Players. It was opening night, and the house was full which was so encouraging for this comedy by Steven Moffat. The opening set was simple with 3 deckchairs and a backdrop depicting the cruise for the meeting of the three main characters and from the first encounter they had the audience in stitches.

The quick-witted repartee between Peter and Elsa was intense with Elsa baiting Peter in her the tongue in cheek support of Donald Trump, getting the reaction she was expecting, much to her delight. It was obvious from way that Elsa ingratiated herself upon Peter and his wife Debbie, manipulating their contact details from them, that she was going to be the ‘Unfriend’.

Act two and the stage opened into an amazing set with working stairs, two doors and living/kitchen room with running water in the sink! The attention to detail was, as always, impeccable. In the cloakroom a toilet roll holder, and paper could be seen and on the front door a knocker when the door was opened inwards. And a TV screen on the wall, which was used for a news report, with the most unflattering mugshot of the infamous Elsa. It’s the little things that make all the difference. How they manage to transform the village hall into a stage that you feel immersed in, is an extraordinary achievement and the set construction team led by Pip Barber and Ian Young should be commended.

The family dynamics are frustrating to say the least with Dad, Peter, being too busy to see exactly what is going on around him. Unable to face the ensuing problems head-on, preferring to leave it to the following day. His relationship with his neighbour being a perfect indication of how superficial his life is.  Mum, Debbie, on the other hand can see the problems but in her constant fear of offending anyone, never faces them. This explains the terrible behaviour of the children.  Alex the son was incredibly annoying and loud and Rosie the daughter self-absorbed and selfish. The next-door neighbour was too polite and completely frustrated by Peter but kept turning up like the proverbial bad penny.

Everything changes with the arrival of Elsa (earlier than expected) and just as Debbie is telling Peter that she had googled her and found out that Elsa was suspected of doing away with her Father, Husband and Sister.   With typical British politeness, Peter and Debbie, are unable to ask her to leave. What follows is a masterclass in manipulation in avoiding confrontation and the ease with which Elsa brings out the better side of Alex and Rosie, making them nicer people. You start to think that Elsa can’t possibly be this maniacal serial killing and then the neighbour dies. It really was a very funny play with the sense of politeness over-riding the need to confront their unease, leaving the audience feeling the same way.

Michael Peden was Peter and played him so well, I found him extremely annoying. His inability to pay attention to anything, his compulsive politeness and social awkwardness was irritating, even using his mother as an excuse backfired on him. If I had been Debbie, I may have asked Elsa to do away with him. Even his eventual breakdown couldn’t summon up much sympathy.

Jane Wooton played the long suffering and socially conscious Debbie who tried hard to get Peter to get rid of Elsa. Debbie had some wonderful lines, and I loved her describing Elsa as ‘Murder Poppins’. But when Debbie finally lost it and went into a tirade, not letting Peter get a word in, she was splendid. The way that she forced Peter up against the wall asking him if he would eat the sandwich that she had under his nose, allowed us to see all the pent-up frustration she had been feeling for days.

Eric Preece as Alex and Alex Swift as Rosie were excellent as the irritating offspring played their characters so well, I would have cheerfully done away with them myself in their opening scene.

Mike Fray played the neighbour who was trying to get Peters attention. Mike did this well coming over as the neighbour who was trying to insinuate himself into Peter and Debbie’s affairs with unwanted advice in a passive-aggressive way.

Pip Barber played the Policeman who quite literally popped in towards the end of the play and added a different type of toilet humour to the plot. It was very entertaining.

The indomitable Elsa was played by Venla Freeman who was brilliant in the role. Her American accent constant throughout with no faltering. Her character likeable and irritating in equal measure. Her observance and influence swayed between subtlety and brashness and her unapologetic behaviour robustly funny. It was difficult to see the real Elsa through the veneer that Venla portrayed so well. A fantastic character to play which we could all see that Venla revelled in.

Well done Colwall Players, I am looking forward to your February production.

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