Three One-Act Plays

Hardingstone Players were very kind to invite me to their evening of a selection of three one-act plays. “Accommodation Haunted” by Alan Richardson. “Playing Gooseberry” by Kathy West and “Fate’s Thread” by Stephen Bean. 

We were very warmly welcomed to the village hall by Alison, Rhiannon and “Handbag” (the locals will know who I mean!). There was an amazing array of home-made cakes which all looked delicious. I wasn’t sure what to expect with three short plays in one evening; I thought it might make for a long night. However, my worries were not justified as the cast of all three plays kept me captivated the whole way through.

“Accommodation Haunted” is a play set in a letting office for the accommodation of recently deceased spirits. It was hilariously funny and at times had me laughing out loud. The newly deceased “Brian”, played by Joel Dobb has found himself in the letting agent without even know that he’s dead – bit of a dilemma! Once he has faced facts and the truth has dawned on him, he gets to work finding his new haunt (and a bit of ghoulish love). Joel played his character well and delivered his lines perfectly, he had some good comic timing and some great facial expressions. If I had to give any feedback it would be to be careful of not over-doing the “hand-acting”, it felt a little laboured at times. “Lucy” (the letting agent) was played by Alison Roberts who was just right for the part. She was professional throughout and kept in character well (even when waiting for the odd cue!). Jill Colston played “Eleanor” – the agents’ longest standing tenant, and she was hilariously funny, what a cracking little part to play. Finally, we had Charlotte Howley as “Sarah”, who, like Brian has found herself recently deceased. Charlotte played her part well and was very confident on stage. I look forward to seeing her onstage again. The piece was well directed by Rhiannon George, and I really enjoyed it.

After a short interval we were on to our second play of the evening. “Playing Gooseberry” by Kathy West and directed by Rachel Dobb. This told the story of a gooseberry growing competition and the fallout between two contestants who were once best friends. I literally cried with laughter at the humour in this piece. It was brilliantly written and equally well acted. The wives were played by Esther Poulus (Daphne) and Rachel Southgate (Freda). The pair had a lovely on-stage relationship, and you could well believe their friendship and the hardships they’ve both been through with their husbands. “Barry’ was played by Simon Wolfenden, and I just loved his portrayal of the character. A standout performance for me was Ken Roberts and “Vernon”. He was perfectly cast to this role. Delivering pun after pun and having the audience in stitches. His facial expression and body language were brilliant, and he was the perfect person to play him. 

After another short interval we moved on to “Fate’s Thread’ written by Stephen Bean and directed by Esther Poulus. This was a brilliant ending to the evening. So much humour, inuendo and naughtiness. I loved it! “Susan Davies” was played by Rachael Dobb. This character has recently died and been buried, and she must work out how she died. Two regular incumbents of the graveyard where Susan has just been buried were “Harriett Cole” played by Alison Roberts and “Alice Fletcher” played by Chris Hobson. The pair did a wonderful job of bringing these two characters to life (or should I say, death) and were brilliantly cast together. Harriett was the more strait-laced of the two and while she was doing all she could to keep on the straight and narrow, Alice made a path of destruction and hilarity! “Jack Davies” was very well played by Simon Wolfenden and his drunk acting made me believe he was drunk. We then had Esther Poulus as “Margaret Loftus” (the bit-on-the-side) and Rhiannon George as “DC Jenny Bayes”. Both ladies played their parts well and I really enjoyed the piece. 

Staging was simple, but effective and I was told that the stage is completely built from scratch for every production. Lighting was good and I thought all the actors projected well without the need for microphones.

All in all we had a wonderful evening with the Hardingstone Players and I thank them for their hospitality. I look forward to seeing their work again soon. 

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