When we are Married

This was my first visit to St Vincent’s which plays in a lovely Parish Centre.

This was the first time I have seen this J B Priestley play in many years and the key to Priestley is that the humour comes from the quick exchange of words between the characters. Some of the cast had to take prompts which throws the flow of dialogue and some didn’t get the correct line in the right place which means the following line by another character doesn’t make sense.

The set and props were lovely and used well by the cast. Most of the costumes were in keeping with the period but a couple looked out of place as did hair styles.

Ann Campbell was very good as Ruby Birtle delivering her lines with ease and although not the correct playing age this didn’t detract from the part. Ben Kilburn as Gerald played well as the only southerner but his costume and hair were not correct for the period and Lisa Kilburn playing Nancy Holmes opposite him worked hard to deliver lines but the obvious irony for not telling her aunt and uncle was not emphasised enough. A little more direction would have overcome this as it can be difficult sometimes for younger players to fully grasp the irony that are obvious to older players.

The three couples who were celebrating their anniversary worked well together but with some missed lines this slowed the pace down somewhat. Some good comedy pieces though especially from the ladies.

The supporting cast put in performances which were steady overall but again some cast members changed lines around or forgot lines which created some uncomfortable scenes between players.

The star of the show for me was Howard Clare as Henry Ormonroyd who played drunk photographer brilliantly. His lines were delivered perfectly with clear diction even though he was drunk which is a difficult thing to do. He commanded the stage and his scenes were filled with comic moments.

Overall an entertaining evening with an appreciative audience.

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