Time, Murderer, Please

Once we had taken our seats we could appreciate the set before us. The Phoenix does not have a stage but always manage to make the most of the limited space that they have. For this production, the set was in two halves, cleverly divided by an imaginary wall. On stage right was a cosy sitting room with three working doors, one of which led to stairs which was so effective. Stage left was a working bar with optics which were in constant use, a typical pub table and stools for the customers and a further three working doors which were utilised to full effect, together with the working light switches, till that behaved a bit like Arkwright’s, played an integral part to the plot.

The play as you will have gathered is set in a small, licenced pub with rooms that are rented out. The clientele was a mixed bunch and depicted the 60’s era to a tee, and although I was not old enough to drink then, it was very reminiscent of pubs I did eventually frequent.

The landlord and landlady were typical too in the sense that the wife Mrs Dugdale, played brilliantly by Jackie Phillips, was the boss and ruled with an iron fist and a slap across the back of Mr Dugdales head at every opportunity. This character must have been an absolute joy to portray, and Jackie certainly did it justice. Her accent, mannerisms and delivery were faultless.

Bob Houghton was the henpecked Mr Dugdale who liked a tipple more than being in charge, although he did have his moments. Another great part well played and bore the brunt of his wife’s temper and the audience’s laughter bravely. His bar action was smooth and didn’t detract from the dialogue at all.

Tony Hearn was George, a Policeman who appeared a bit dim but completely besotted with the barmaid. Tony looked like a Policeman; he sounded like a policeman and therefore came across as being very comfortable in the role. The comedy interaction with Sadie was hilarious, especially regarding the magnificent hats that she had made herself. Melanie Bailey as the said Sadie was superb in the role and didn’t even have to speak to get laughs from the audience. Her face spoke a thousand words, but when she did speak, she had the funniest voice which could turn on a sixpence between dippy, naive, dim and innocent to fishwife when shouting at George. Another lovely character.

The two ‘regulars’ in the bar were Irma (Denise Hall) and Grannie (Ann Stirrup) who had an opinion on everything. Grannie hated the Police so took every opportunity to ‘have a go’ at George whilst Irma was holding a torch for him so flirted with him constantly. Small but integral parts that brought much amusement.

Seren Bateman, a relatively new member of Phoenix, took on the role of Pat the Dugdale’s niece and gave an excellent performance. She conveyed a strong grasp of the conflict troubling Mike, and her delivery was both clear and well-paced.  Seren wanted to bring the character to life, and she certainly accomplished that.

Nigel Patrick played the thoroughly annoying and unlikeable Freddie. The fact that this is exactly how he came across is testament to his acting ability. Nigel’s aptitude to alter his dialogue to emphasise the distinct aspects of his character was first-rate. His threatening nature was masked by an overly slick friendliness that felt rather unsettling. Well done, Nigel.

Phil Field played Mike, the central character, who had lost his memory and would not accept that he could have killed someone. Phil is a solid actor who appears to relish a role where he has to absorb himself into the character, and it’s something he does exceptionally well. Whilst the turmoil was there throughout his performance, the moments when his emotions made him become unbalanced were incredible. He does angst very well. We were all pleased to learn it was not him.

Finally, the smallish role of Mr Brooks was acted by the plays Director, Brian Jackson, who was understudy for another member of Phoenix. I was pleased to see him in the role as I always enjoy watching Brian on stage. He has such presence and a wonderful voice that resonates with me as a great performer and was evident in his faultless delivery.

Thank you for a most enjoyable evening; I look forward to the next Phoenix production.

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