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Review
From
the Leamington Courier:
On
Monday Next deserves a bigger stage
Pity
the poor Drossmouth Theatre Company. It is Tuesday, the morning of
the first rehearsal, and none of the actors know their lines for the
first act.
The
producer is an egotistical moster, the director harbours deep but
unspoken resentments and the play, The Morals of Melisande, is as
dreadful as its name suggests. Worse, its writer, the niece of one of
the board of directors, has come to offer advice.
On
Monday Next is one of those comedies about actors putting on a play.
The
worst danger for any company putting these on is that they may end
up looking like the disaster onstage, so the Cubbington Players had
their work cut out.
Barry
West launched himself into the role of megalomaniac producer Harry
Blacker, and his performance deserved a bigger stage than Cubbington
village hall has room for. He made the character likeable enough to
win respect from the actors, but the silent tension with director
Jackson (Joseph Hughes) also worked well.
Two
subtle performances from Paul West and Ruth Bishop made the
bickering marriage of the "big fish in a small pond" and
his more talented wife entirely believable. Brenda West also added
depth to the drama as veteran character Maud.
But
this production worked best when it stuck to the comedy. A sub plot
in which young actress Sandra (Ruth Bishop) has to wrestle with the
prospect of giving up acting does not really really work and it is
not clear if carpenter George really does want to kill the producer.
There
were occasional stumbles over lines and the final scene (a very
tacked-on ending) is awkward, but the only major problem was down to
the venue. With up to seven people on stage, some characters can't
find room to be in the right place to deliver their lines.
Overall,
Cubbington Players emerge from the play-about-a-play ordeal with
comparisons safely skirted and credit for an entertaining evening.
Maybe
a tour of some larger venues might be in order.
Robert
Collins 7/10.
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