Volunteers

This is a lovely gentle comedy.  With the action set within a charity shop, there was wonderful scope to create some highly believable interactions and characters that the audience could relate to easily.  

The set of the stage as a charity shop was excellent, with rails of hanging clothes, two models, shelves of books, CD racks, bags hung on the walls, jewellery, desk, till and carrier bags - and jazzy music.  The realism of the set was amazing, as was the realism of the people involved.

A lot of thought had obviously gone into the production planning.  The action was varied and ran at a good pace throughout. The changes between scenes were small and worked very well, with just enough time for the audience to breathe before we were off again. The pattern of play was nicely done, with people overhearing conversations from behind clothing rails and plenty of movement around the set.

The costumes were very well thought out, with each strengthening the character being played: Denny with her old-style dark glasses, Brenda with her relaxed smartness, John in a brown suit and Claire in suggestive office wear. The change in Prue when she is leaving the shop was very nicely done just by costume – this gave such a clear indication of her hopes and dreams. As for Leanne, her street-style clothes immediately told us who she was and what her attitudes to life might be!

Lighting and sound were well done – subtle lighting changes enhanced the production throughout and the music and sound effects were excellent.  The shop bell in particular was most effective. The props were also very good and well used: mugs for the staff tea, carrier bag for Mrs Chainge and the macintosh and large hat for Mr Stayge.

However, it was the relationships built onstage that created the comedy most effectively.  All the cast acted their parts very well with confidence and energy, and were well disciplined in facing the audience when speaking. It was both the mix and the interactions of characters that helped to make this such a good evening of entertainment.

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