Trivial Pursuits

This comedy is set in the garden of the home of Nick and Roz, and revolves around the activities of a local amateur drama society with financial – and casting – problems.  Hence there was a great of identification in the audience’s laughter! The direction of the comedy was well achieved, with good timing and pauses given to certain sections of the play.  The scenery did not change throughout, with only a few items on stage were moved or replaced, allowing the flow of the action to be uninterrupted.  The characters were vivid and well played, with some nice contrasts in casting. I loved the touch of making the “BUMS” the Bristol United Music Society!

The scenery was very good.  The garden setting was established through the use of a plant-covered trellis, garden furniture, the outside wall and section of roof of the house and a prominent Television aerial.   The use of a compact barbeque was very good – with the smoke pouring out at one stage.  Music was used to good effect to further create the atmosphere of the play, with lighting and sound equally enhancing the reality of the setting.  Costumes were very well used to help strengthen the characters. All these were unobtrusive and gave good support to the action onstage.

The actors did very well to create a group of people that the audience could both sympathize with and laugh at.  The moody choreographer, the worried director, the separated couple, the TV addict and the rivals for leading roles were all beautifully realistic.  Delivery of the script and the story were excellent, with great clarity, sensitivity and character.  This was a wonderfully amusing evening of entertainment, with a lovely twist at the end!  Well done to you all! 

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