Three Victorian Melodramas

Your 40th birthday and a reprise of the original programme of Three Victorian Melodramas which opened your history. And you managed the continuity with the Butler of 1979 playing the same role in 2019!!

I do remember the ‘tin tabernacle’ where you performed (came to support several pantomimes) before the building of the smart village hall where events take place now. What a great idea to celebrate in this way with the melodramas and the pie supper from The King’s Head. Susan Jowett as Co-ordinating Director must be pleased with how well it has all turned out with the full house.

The introduction to the evening from the Chairman Roger Turner in ringing tones and suitable alliteration to be worthy of Leeds City Variety, a splendid personification. (and how lovely to see recovered from the many operations)

‘The Wages of Sin’ directed by Meryl Anderson was the typical moral tale Victorian drama: the wronged husbands played by Pete Harrold and Geoff Gildersleeve and the twin sisters by Ellie Hupton (were they twins or the same). The plot to extract the money! And the Butler played by John Underwood 40 years on. A neat little tale.

‘Maria Marten’ directed by Sally Elvin, and this is the ‘classic’ in melodrama with Lilly Hodges as the title role, poor cowering girl threatened by the villain.  Pete Harrold took great delight in being the wicked and threatening villain of the piece in a forceful performance and we loved to boo him. And the stage hands Fizzy Thomas and Alison Underwood did their part in the play.

And then the pie and peas by candlelight and a lot of talk.

‘Hiss the Villain’ (and we did) directed by Ryan Enever, who made the decision to have an all-female cast dressed in male attire, and so they had the worth-while parts to perform. Susan Jowett took the part seriously as Silas Snaker a rascally banker, a nasty piece of work. The clerk Bowler from Bella Chirodian was totally OTT and perfect in this melodrama, great timing. Sally Elvin as Captain Noble stalwart and holding her own with Samantha Allen as Mrs Noble, and children Lucy and Percy from Emma Frith and Lilly Hodges. Add in friend Harold from Clodagh Lohan to complete the cast in this well played and great period melodrama and giving laughs as so different from our modern plays.

And as the programme instructed we finished the entertaining evening with a rousing chorus of ‘Down at the Old Bull and Bush’.

Wonderful display of programmes and photos over the 40 years in the bar area. And in the foyer loved the double bank cast photos of the 1979 and 2019 productions.

A good evening out to celebrate for the society. It seems a lot of work for one evening: have you considered doing a Friday performance without supper to get two airings of your labours?

And all the best for the next 40.

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