| amateur theatre | reviews list | |
| A true ensemble piece | |
Dead Thursday, Dancing Friday |
[print] |
Aberystwyth Arts Centre Youth Theatre |
|
Aberystwyth Arts Centre |
|
November 14, 2007 |
|
A play from the pen of a first time writer, with a young director directing a younger cast may sound like a recipe for mediocrity. I’m happy to say that any fears on this front have proved groundless. The cast produced a brilliant ensemble piece, where pace and timing were neverlacking. Paula Gallagher’s "Dead Thursday, Dancing Friday" premiered at Aberystwyth Arts centre on the Thirteenth of November. An Upstairs Downstairs comedy crossed with an Agatha Christie murder mystery, the play tells of an elderly and nasty minded lady and her corps of industrious and revenge seeking servants. Liberally cut with mistaken identity, the discovery of long lost children and every other device known to theatre, the play often differed from expectations but never disappointed. The play begins with Lady Hamilton driving her servants to distraction. In revenge they plan to fake her will, leaving her property to her missing son, who will be imitated by a former servant. At this point the real son makes an unexpected return, causing a few awkward moments before the butler knocks him unconscious with a rolling pin. With him out of the way, the fake son appears. Overcome by emotion Lady Hamilton promptly drops dead, leaving her will unsigned. At this point the play came into its own and begins to capitalise on what was set up in the first act. The corpse is unceremoniously carted around the house by the servants, desperate to stay ahead of the family. When the death is discovered, murder is suspected and the fearless and moustached Inspector Hodge begins to prowl the house to discover what has happened. All ends well though as the servants last subterfuge pays off, setting the scene for a final twist. Any play with a plot this complex needs pace. This one had plenty. It also had brilliant acting, hilarious dialogue and a cast who clearly enjoyed every second. To be honest pace was probably the most important part. If it had flagged, it would have died. Thankfully it didn’t. While the first half had it’s quiet moments and occasional scenes that seemed to have little purpose, they paid off in the second act. The young cast was another question mark. While many of the major roles were filled by youth theatre veterans, who had a hand in writing the play, many roles were played by younger members of the cast. Frankly I’d never have guessed it from the performances. While constraints led to many male roles being played by women and at least one female role was played by a man, the characters were so convincing that this was irrelevant. As with any first night there were teething troubles. Fluffed lines and momentary slips of character were seen, but the rapid progress of the story prevented this from being an issue. The crowded stage also impeded certain scenes, sometimes loosing minor details among the tightly packed cast, although cunning set design made the round studio seem roomier than it could have. All in all then, an engaging comic play. I won’t soon forget the house’s ageing butler dragging his mistress off stage by her ankles, or her Ladyships ability to go from sobriety to drunken tears in fifteen seconds flat. The truly comic scene of the play though came from Inspector Hodge. Lining up the family and servants, he pronounces that, “Someone in this house is a murderer”. Pure Clouseau. I missed the end of the sentence due to laughter from the audience, but I’m sure it was good. This play was a true ensemble piece. Unfortunately lack of space prevents me from naming all the actors. With such an ensemble cast, I refuse to pick out any one for special praise, though many deserve it. For this reason you should immediately book tickets for the rest of the run and see the show for yourself. If you don’t, the loss is entirely yours. |
|
| Alex J Gilbey | |
| This review has been read 829 times |
|
Privacy Policy | Contact Us | ©2006 keith morris / red snapperr web deisgns / keith@artx.co.uk