Trivial Pursuits

Trivial Pursuits is a comedy by Frank Vickery, set over the course of one summer evening in August, sometime in the 1980’s at the annual barbecue of the Trealaw and District Operatic Society. Nick the Director (played by Andrew Read) is about to make the impending announcement of the societies next musical, however, he has promised the leading part to four different people!

This production directed by Edward Davies, had a well-designed purpose built two-tiered set that allowed for a number of acting areas to be established and a range of heights to be used, which helped the audience when multiple conversations were taking place at the same time.

This production has a cast of ten actors each displaying their own unique personalities (many recognisable from being in an Operatic Society for many years) but each one slightly exaggerated; Teddy, the flamboyant leading male (Alex Edwards), Joyce the lush of the group (Shirley Gladwin), Mona the societies Choreographer  (Karen Brittle), Pearl the fraught Treasurer (Jane Parkyn), Roz the directors wife and sister of Joyce (Jen Edwards), Jessica the newest member of the society (Emily Walker), Derek the boring geek (Richard Astle), Derek’s wife (Rachel Aitchison) and Eddie the TV obsessed freak (Kane McCabe) and of course Nick (Andrew Read). The play was cast well and each performer took ownership of their characters and scenes.

This is a ensemble play relying on each character to react to the situation they find themselves presented with. There was more said in the facial expressions and reactions than in the dialogue being delivered and was performed well by everyone involved.

This is an interesting choice of play for the society and I did have an enjoyable evening with a number of laugh out loud moments, but the play itself has a lot of repetition of storyline throughout which hindered the pace of the play as it progressed.

The enthusiastic applause delivered by the appreciative audience at the end of the evening was well deserved and I look forward to seeing their next production.

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