THIRD WEEK IN AUGUST

One could relate to this play as Criccieth is a fabulous tourist centre, and the Company must be congratulated in presenting this entertainment once a week throughout July and August. This is a huge commitment during the summer season. The set was well constructed as a caravan/camping site and much attention was paid to details regarding props.

The play opens with Sue, played by Kelly Stevens on the evening I was present, looking for peace and quiet, in order to write her latest book. Also present were the neighbours, husband and wife Neville and Mary. Neville played by Dave Hillman, is a person who lives by quoting rules and regulations and Dave gave us a believable portrayal of this boring character. The role of Mary was in the capable hands of Karen Dolen-Smith, who gave a domineering characterisation of his interfering, bossy wife, I can still hear her shouts of ‘NEVILLE’ from off stage, constantly gossiping about her sister in law who had just split from her husband, and how this situation had affected her. Having been to the same camp site on the same dates, hence Third Week in August, for the past twenty odd years, Mary and Neville decide to take their sister in law, Liz on holiday. Karen Tomkins was excellent in the role of Liz, her timing was spot on, venting her frustration at the situation in general, and especially at Mary, interfering and trying to direct her life. A commendable performance from Paul Stevenson as Tony, the laid back husband of Jenny played by Paula Carr. Paula rose up to the challenge with a self-assured portrayal of the spoilt, snobbish sun-worshipper with the sarcastic streak. I must also mention the three other members of the Cast who shared the performances and doubled the roles on occasions. Joanna Vincent as Sue, Dan May as Tony and Bryony Green as Jenny. Even though they were not on stage for the performance I witnessed, I am confident from what I have seen in the past, these roles were in safe hands, and they showed their support by working back stage or front of house on the evening I attended.

On the downside, I felt that as the venue has quite a large area, more voice projection from some of the characters would have been an advantage, as sadly some of the comedy was missed on occasions. There were also a few prompts but this did not detract from an enjoyable and creditable evening. Thank you for your continued support of Amateur Theatre in the area.

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