When we are Married

This was my first visit to the Thurrock Courts Players and to the Thameside Theatre and I enjoyed the show very much. It is a beautiful venue and I received a very warm welcome.

The souvenir programme gave an insight into the group, the playwright and the cast and crew. The photographs were such fun to look at as the actors were hardly recognisable in their costumes - especially the women.

As the curtains opened the audience was treated to a wonderful set, designed by Vic Gray and Paul Lazell. Costumes and props were also of a high standard. The details; plants and furniture all seemed in keeping with the time frame and you could see that this detail was maintained into the hallway behind the drawing room and through the French doors into the garden. You could even see beyond the window the stonework of the outside of the building and notice the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

The plot revolved around three couples who had gathered at the Helliwell’s home, to celebrate their silver wedding anniversary. They had all been married in the same chapel on the same day. They discover to their horror that they were never legally married and are forced to examine their relationships while also trying to stop the community from finding out about their shameful secret.

The first characters we meet are Ruby the maid, played by Louise McIntosh, and Gerald Forbes, played by Joe Drury. Ruby is a sweet character who seems to be protective of the family, while enjoying the gossip she overhears. I was disappointed that Louise had not removed her facial jewellery and ear studs initially but by the end of the first Act she had removed her nose ring. She also had a tattoo on her inner arm which could easily have been covered with makeup. Apart from these visual issues her acting was good, and her accent and diction was clear. We also had our first glimpse of Mrs Northrop, played by Jayne Jones. Jayne played a fabulous character who was seemingly a servant but was feisty and funny. She was a strong actress who from her first appearance held the audiences attention.

Joe Drury played a smartly dressed Southerner, Gerald Forbes, who was the organist in the chapel, not liked by the main characters for his loose living and womanising. Little did they know that he was fraternising with Nancy Holmes, the niece of the Helliwells. Joe had a smarmy look and demeanour. He was very confident and I enjoyed his little, knowing smiles when later in the plot whilst being ‘cross examined’ by the men, he revealed a letter that exposed the awful truth about the illegal wedding ceremony. I remarked to my colleague at the interval that when you feel like you could slap a character they must be a very good actor. Well done Joe! Nancy was played by Anna Catchpole, she was a pretty young woman who was quite in awe of the handsome Gerald Forbes. She played the role delicately and her light voice reflected her youth and innocence.

It is Nancy and Gerald who greet the reporter and photographer from the local Newspaper who have come to report on the occasion of the Silver wedding and hope to capture a picture of the group  just as they were on their wedding day. Jay Willoughby played Fred Dyson, the cheeky reporter and Martyn Williams played Henry Ormoryd, the photographer. Jay is relatively new to the company but seems a great addition as he embraced his character well and was very believable as a confident reporter. Martyn Williams got progressively drunk as the play went on and by the end was hilariously inebriated. He was obviously a seasoned character actor and physically a big guy. There is a fine line between playing a drunk and overplaying it. Martyn was spot on and exploited Priestley’s script in every aspect. 

Eventually, the six main characters burst into the room.  The house owners, the Helliwells; Alderman Joseph Helliwell, played by Wayne Prince and Maria Helliwell played by Jill Snelling. These characters seemed the most well-balanced and commanded the room, obviously as they are the home owners and have arranged the gathering. They are close friends with the other two couples despite their obvious differences. Councillor Albert Parker and his wife Annie; Albert was played by Michael McFarlane, he was an opinionated man who was never tired of his own voice and his wife was a quiet and sensible woman, played by Michelle Gouldie. I enjoyed their relationship, the loud and commanding nature of Albert contrasted against the somewhat understated performance of Annie. Michelle had a natural effortless nature to her acting which sat well with the noisy characters around her. The final couple in the trio of couples was the Soppitts. The hen-pecked Herbert and the fiery Clara played by Jim Wilkinson and Gemma Cavini. Both were also great character actors. I felt so sorry for Herbert, he couldn’t seem to get his voice heard as he was continually belittled by Clara.

These six characters were all so strong, with excellent accents, and diction, the relationships were clear and the various pecking order amongst both the woman and men was also evident. The stage was used well and there was no significant drop in pace, just a pause after Mrs Northolt went off laughing. The stage was empty and eventually the women entered. Within seconds the pause became a memory and normal service restored.

Due to the farcical nature of the events in act two, there was a lot of laughter. I noticed the younger actors did not always let the audience laughter die a little before they delivered their lines and occasionally delivered lines with their back to the audience. These are skills that can only be learned by experience and I have no doubt that working with this company is a great training ground for good stagecraft. I also thought that Mrs Helliwell should have presented a paper pound note rather than a pound coin which was not in keeping with the period, when under-paying Mrs Northrop.

The final two characters to introduce were Lottie Grady, a very colourful ‘Lady’ that the men had met while in Blackpool and the Rev. Clement Mercer.  Lottie was played by Lisa Chapman. She was brightly coloured in her dress and her hair. The newly ‘single’ women were very suspicious of her, each of them thinking that their man had promised to marry her if they were free. Lisa played Lottie well with a level of haughty confidence that made us feel uncomfortable. (I was viewing this as a jealous wife of course) The Rev. Clement Mercer, played by Robert Clay, was rather a plain man who helps bring the plot to its conclusion, which of course had a happy ending with all the couples rejoined and somewhat improved by their experiences.

It was clear that this production had an experienced director and a talented group of actors who interpreted the text accurately and explored the themes and intricacies of Priestley’s script perfectly and hilariously.

I have been following this group for some time on social media and was delighted that the production lived up to expectation. I was disappointed that the theatre was not full and would recommend The Thurrock Courts Players to anyone who enjoys an entertaining evening at the Theatre. I look forward to the next show.

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