Variation on a theme

 The Marlborough Dramatic Club showed us how to produce superb theatre with their autumn play, Variation on a Theme. If you managed to get a ticket, you'll know what I'm talking about. And if you didn't, well, you missed a treat.

Director June Fitzgerald and the entire cast whisked us right away from the chilly autumn weather in Essex to a sun-drenched villa on the French Riviera back in the 1950s. The small audience were spellbound by the intricacies of the plot and we totally forgot we were in the beautiful Memorial Hall at Brentwood school for a few hours. Plays struggle to fill an auditorium which is a terrible shame as this was so well done, as I would expect from a proven society who list Sir Derek Jacobi as their president. 

Terence Rattigan's script is a bit of a hidden gem, and the cast handled its emotionally charged story with real skill. Everyone seemed really comfortable in their characters and on the set. The tale of worldly socialite Rose and her tempestuous affair with the young, ambitious ballet dancer Ron is not an easy one, but you could feel the chemistry sizzling between them on stage. And a special mention has to go to Sara Thompson, as Rose, who was simply superb. Her diction was clear and her facial reactions were subtle and entrancing. She totally involved us all in her story and her difficult, but noble entanglement with Ron, played by Nathan Davis. They both had great stage presence and handled the difficult storyline with ease. It's a classic story of desire, ambition, and heartbreak, and the actors really delivered on all fronts. Hettie, played by Juliette Bird, was the disgruntled companion, and had developed her ‘Ron’ face delightfully. She juggled her affection and frustration with Rose beautifully. Spencer Carter warmed to his role of the sugar daddy, Kurt, and handled such a pompous man so well. I loved the daughter, Fiona, played by Lucy May Fuller. Her portrayal was subtle enough to display the embarrassment and discomfort felt by a 16-year-old daughter whose mother, despite her best intentions, just didn’t understand her!

I’m a big fan of Roy Hobson who gave us Sam, Ron’s confidante and adviser.  There was some mighty long dialogue in the second act and his slightly detached demeanour and affable personality handled controlling the extrovert Ron so well. 

Props and costumes were really good and perfectly suited to this era.

Marlborough’s sets are always good and this one transported us to the gin and tonic cocktail hours portrayed in the script delightfully. The team's hard work down at the barn paid off.! Congratulations to Steve Bearpark and everyone involved.

June Fitzgerald’s direction was unfussy, clean and everyone understood their roles and used the space efficiently. It was so good that I wasn’t worried about how and where actors would appear and move around at all and could relax and enjoy the narrative. Good use was made of the all the stage and also the side steps.

To the cast, the crew, the tech team and director June Fitzgerald—you all did a great job. It's always a pleasure to see plays of this calibre.

Many thanks for inviting me and looking after us so well.

 

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