Reviews

Relatively Speaking by Alan Ayckbourn

The latest offering from The Other Theatre Company was another comedy from this popular playwright. Performed at Plumley Village Hall it was unashamed, laugh-out-loud stuff and had the audience captivated. Played by four members of the company this play, having no message or significance, clicked and fizzed until the end with almost continuous laughter throughout.

Played in two scenes, it was a simple plot but with a complex mix-up of relationships, love affairs and misunderstandings. Briefly, the story concerns two young people who decide to get married and it is when the young man goes on his own to meet a man the girl has described as her father (but who is in fact her lover) that the complications arise and have to be explained away.

This was verbal farce at its best; a situation of dramatic irony and misunderstandings was exploited until the tenseness of a stretched elastic band was reached.

As the middle-aged wife, Sophia Kennedy put in a wonderful performance, standing in at the last minute. British politeness, irritation, frustration, confusion; they were all there in her facial expressions – marvellous! Dave Thornton took the part of her husband brilliantly and handled the role with hilarity, making his character of the hapless ‘father’ both plausible and explosive. Anne-Marie Lonsdale, the girlfriend, gave a great performance; bubbly and confident as the seductive schemer. Completely at home ‘in the round’ she connected well with the audience. Joe Moore, a new ‘recruit’ for the company, played the young man and has an easy, relaxed style. He made his character quite charming and very likeable and also turned in a good performance.

To sum up, I literally had tears streaming down my face towards the end as the confusion grew. This was one of the funniest things I have seen anywhere, in ages.

All credit to the cast and also to Harry Kennedy, the Director and Sophia Kennedy, the Producer. Another triumph!

Recipe for a Thespian Pie – The Other Theatre Company

Everyone was wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome to Plumley Village Hall on three bitterly cold evenings in late November when The Other Theatre Company served up A Thespian Pie. And, what a tasty dish this was.

Lashings of numbers from the musicals, served with a sprinkling of dialogue and a good dollop of fun, the evening had all the ingredients for success. Whetting the audience’s appetite, the dancers provided a truly tasty starter. The sizzling hot appetiser took us to the Kit Kat Club in 19030s Berlin where 14 fishnet clad legs, fruitily choreographed by Sophia Kennedy, kicked their way through some well known numbers from Cabaret.

What use is sitting alone in your room, when you can come hear the music play on your doorstep; the audience was soon tapping its feet and all that jazz as other numbers flowed from Chicago and A Chorus Line. This pie was a riot of colour: the cast dressed in red, black and gold, razzle dazzled the audience with their polished performances. The entertainment was certainly not just one singular sensation and Sweet Charity’s Hey Big Spender was very spicy indeed.

Tasty side dishes of dialogue – both funny and poignant – were beautifully prepared by Harry Kennedy, John White, Roger Barlow, Glen Godson and Caitlin Sherwood.

The talented duo of Arthur Taylor and Ron Chadwick took us back in time with the songs of Flanders and Swan. This was a treat for everyone to savour, particularly when there was a chance to wallow in Mud, Glorious Mud.

Sarah Sherwood showed her variety – in both solo spots and alongside the cast – with the bittersweet Cry me a River and As Long as he Needs Me being particularly stirring.

A Thespian Pie was described in the programme as an opportunity for the cast to let their hair down and it was obvious that all were relishing the occasion. Watching and listening from the back of the hall, the audience were also enjoying the chance to indulge. Adding that final soupçon to the pie, the closing number took us all down the boozer in Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel for the finest mustard pickle! All was sweetened with the food of love – music from the accomplished Ian Sherwood and Tony Howard.

Thanks to all those behind the scenes who helped give this Thespian Pie its distinctive flavour. We look forward very much to another helping from The Other Theatre Company.

Plumley's own Other Theatre Company turned their casting problem into a triumph with their latest production in the Village Hall. Unable to find a play that matched the female to male ratio in their available players they gave us two one-act pieces: “The Dock Brief”, by John (Rumpole) Mortimer for two men, and for six women the lesser known Derek Lomas' “Darlings, You Were Wonderful!”

There are strong parallels between the two playlets. (Neither really has a plot for the reviewer to give away.) In both, victory is snatched from the jaws of failure by a deus-ex-machina theatrical device. We do not see the main drama of the courtroom scene (in the first) and the amateur dramatic festival (in the second): we observe the characters as they prepare and interact with each other, and the strength of the plays lies in the way the actors bring their characters to life and make us believe in them. Harry Kennedy made an excellently incompetent barrister and Jon White's pathetic bird seed merchant who did away with his wife certainly won the sympathy of every husband in the audience. In the second play, Mandy White, Glen Godson, Paula Mattock, Anne-Marie Lonsdale, Sarah Sherwood and Kate Smalley played a vamp, a mother-hen figure, an imperious drama queen, a pair just out for a giggle, and a traumatic teenager – roles which came quite naturally in some cases but required rather more demanding acting for others. The rehearsal of the play-within-the-play was hilarious, and if all sixteenth century Spanish drama is like this, I hope the Other Theatre Company will give us more of it in future.

As usual, the sets were impressive, the sound and lighting systems ran with a smoothness belying the hard work that went into them, and the village can be proud to host an Amateur Drama group that operates to professional standards – and look forward to the next production.

Review by Roger Barlow.

Cheating partners, overprotective mothers and body image issues. No, not an episode of a daytime talk show but the latest offering from The Other Theatre Company.

Written and directed by Harry Kennedy, who also took on the role of the narrator, Wish was performed at Plumley Village Hall on April 30, May 1 and May 2.

The production followed a group of office workers, whose intertwining stories told of their turbulent love lives.

The show’s music, created by Ian Sherwood, Peter Mallinson and Harry Kennedy, was superb with a range of catchy songs, some performed with more success than others.

Genevieve Smithson shone as Poppy, a girl desperately looking for love and a slimmer frame and showed off some stunning vocals.

The production was choreographed by Sophia Llewellyn and the first number of Act one, We’re Going, stood out as a favourite, with the cast appearing to be battling with the daily commute on a London tube.

The performance culminated in a slightly dubious ‘happy ending’, which saw Claire, played by Kate Smalley, finding herself destined to be the mother of twins to a philandering other half and Hungarian immigrant Tomaz, played by Roger Barlow, officially accepted as a true Brit.

Credit must go to Harry Kennedy and the cast for creating, from scratch, a play which proved an extremely entertaining production.

Plumley Village News June 2009

We are very fortunate in the Plumley area to have the productions of ‘The Other Theatre Company’ in our village hall. On 27, 28 and 29 November we were treated to a presentation of ‘Time of My Life’ by Alan Ayckbourn. It was very professional and entertaining and held the audience’s interest throughout.

The play, a black comedy, is set entirely in three time warps, past present and future and was easy to follow once the seven characters had been established. It centres around the Strattons, a fairly well to do family with a few skeletons in the cupboard and explores the relationships between three couples: Gerry Stratton (Roger Barlow) and his wife Laura (Sarah Sherwood); their son Glyn (Dave Thornton) and his wife Stephanie (Sophia Kennedy) and their younger son Adam (Greg Walker) and his girlfriend Maureen (Eleanor Barlow).

The acting throughout was excellent by all the cast, including Harry Kennedy, who cleverly played the restaurant owner and four different waiters, requiring different costumes and accents, to the great amusement of the audience. Very demanding but carried off superbly.

The backstage team had worked hard to produce a well designed and appointed set.

Overall an excellent production which the audience clearly enjoyed and who will no doubt be looking forward to the next production in April next year.

It never ceases to amaze me that musical theatre of a high standard can be produced by a local, amateur cast and successfully performed in a small, rural Village Hall but that is precisely what The Other Theatre Company achieved once again, with their performance of Oscar Wilde's 'The Canterville Ghost'. Wilde's parody of an English country house ghost being browbeaten by a visiting American family does not have the most inspired dialogue but there are some interesting characters, clever observations and one-liners which have stood the test of time. There were enthusiastic and confident performances all round, notably including the younger members of the cast, in the parts of the Otis children, Virginia (Hannah Mattock) and twins Washington (Greg Walker) and Junior (Teddy Wilshaw). Hiram Otis (Roger Barlow) led from the front the family's disregard for English tradition and blind belief in all things American. The ghost (Harry Kennedy) is, of course, the star of the show being blessed with the best costumes, some of the best lines and the only false hand in the entire play. The part was devoured with gusto and obvious relish. My first impression of the phantoms (Katherine Bland, Helen Coultas, Glen Godson, Tom Lloyd, Paula Mattock) was that they were a little too quiet to be malevolent but they grew on me and their slightly understated performance became eerily spooky. There is a lot of music in this show – but not many good tunes, in my view. One notable exception is a delightful little song, 'Poor Ghost,' which was performed very touchingly by Virginia. Much of the music makes difficult singing but it was tackled with verve and the line up was headed with two fine, strong singers in the roles of Lucretia (Rebecca Taylor) and Mrs Umney (Sarah Sherwood). The twin Otis brothers delivered a powerful performance of 'Terrible Twins'. Underpinning the high quality of the performances were excellent costumes and make-up, an imaginative set and seamless instrumental accompaniment. In summary, another tour de force by The Other Theatre Company, a delightful evening's entertainment and I'm already looking forward to the next offering.

A perfect choice for the time of year, Season’s Greetings was presented by the now well-established Other Theatre Company at Plumley Village Hall on 22, 23 and 24 November.

Produced by Sophia Kennedy, who also co-directed with husband Harry, this Alan Ayckbourn play is a comedy built around a family Christmas with all the joys, trials, tribulations and calamities such a gathering generates.

The players gave convincing characterisations that subtly brought out the hidden play within a play referred to by the Director in his programme notes. Each personality living their part and interacting – albeit aided by special effects – gave us the comedy for which Ayckbourn is renowned.

Mention should be made of the two new members of the cast, Christopher Preen and Kate Smalley, who both played their parts well – that should encourage them to continue with their acting careers. The performances of both Roger and Eleanor Barlow were outstanding and deserve a special mention.

A very enjoyable show.

London Theatre audiences of 'Phantom' or 'Les Miserables' expect to see and be thrilled by the elaborate stage sets. Last month, the audiences in Plumley Village Hall were treated to the same high standard of complex stage setting, designed and principally constructed by Chris Wilson for the production of 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13¾, taking everyone by surprise. With a garden at floor level, steps up to a living room, hallway and kitchen with more stairs up to two bedrooms, (in one of which Mr and Mrs Mole spent quite some time!) and a bathroom (Adrian Mole actually sat on the porcelain toilet), the admiration from the audiences was well deserved. All this on the small stage in Plumley Village Hall. Such a set was admirably complemented by the performance. The story by Sue Townsend is well-known but not perhaps, the stage show with its liberal number of songs that enhance the script. In a well-rehearsed show with numerous scenes the cast carried an appreciative audience; notable were the younger members with Adam Wright as Adrian, Eleanor Barlow as Pandora and Peter Smithson as Nigel/Barry, whilst Sarah Rickelton was the schoolgirl, all of whom seemed so at home on the stage that it must bode well for the future of amateur Dramatics in Plumley. Accomplished performances from Roger Barlow and Rebecca Taylor as Mr and Mrs Mole, Jonathan Lloyd as the philandering Mr Lucas with Stephanie Wattam as his long-suffering wife and Sarah Sherwood as Adrian's Grandma anchoring all the teenage trials and tribulations conjured up by Adrian Mole. A charming portrayal of poor Miss Doreen Slater by Paula Mattock was countered by Harry Kennedy's wonderfully cantankerous 89 year old Bert Baxter. The play was directed by Harry Kennedy and choreographed and produced by Sophia Kennedy. Arthur Taylor was Musical Director of a four piece orchestra that led virtually every cast member in a number of solo songs competently performed. An excellent night out but that set... WOW!!

The three performances of this delightful extravaganza performed by The Other Theatre Company on the 28th, 29th and 30th April in Plumley Villlage Hall displayed the quality and enthusiasm of the whole company. The audience was given a taste of the whole range of MusicHall entertainment from the melodramatic, the saucy (not rude) humour to the flamboyant and the whole performance was smoothly linked by the severity and humour of the Chairman. This was a most professional presentation and it is hard to see how it could have been improved. Full marks must be given to everyone connected with these performances both front and back stage. 'Oh what a night it was' being present for one of the performances of the Victorian Music Hall! This was a show superbly presented by the individuality of all the cast, from the beautiful singing of Sheila Evans and Sarah Sherwood, the coyness of Stephanie Wattam (Penelope), the cowardice of Jonathan Lloyd (Captain Jampton), the disorganised Roger Barlow (Major General Black), Glen Godson as 'our nurse with the candle' (Nurse Partridge) and of course the Hottentots (where did they get 'dem bones?) with Eric Vogel as the Prince of Timbuctoo in the melodrama 'For King and Country'. Andy Hagan and Harry Kennedy, as usual, putting up a fast moving comedy duo and Audrey Hughes with her 'Salvation Army' and 'Rochdale Hunt' monologues had the audience laughing once again. The whole chorus entertained brilliantly and the dancers, all smiling, were a great compliment to the coaching of Sophia Kennedy, with the finale of the whole company representing the Pearly Kings and Queens, in wonderful costumes, rounding off the show all looking as if they'd enjoyed it as much as the audience. Arthur Taylor, the Musical Director was, as always, indispensably in control and full marks must be given to everyone involved, whether front or backstage for a very polished and entertaining presentation.

Many people I spoke to asked me 'how can you do a musical of Jack the Ripper?' to which I replied 'I will let you know when I see it!' I thought the stage was simple yet well planned out. The costumes were very authentic and colourful. You could feel that you were reliving the whole story through the actors. The music was easy to enjoy and understand and everybody who took part acted professionally and looked as though they were really enjoying playing their part. As a first time watcher at Plumley, I really enjoyed the overall entertainment and professionalism shown. I would highly recommend other people to go and enjoy themselves at another of The Other Theatre Company's productions. A thoroughly enjoyable evening with plenty of laughs. Very professional with authentic scenery and precise stage direction. Beautifully choreographed with great performances from Sarah Sherwood, Rebecca Taylor and Edward Barlow. Last week The Other Theatre Company transformed Plumley Village Hall into the streets of Whitechapel for their production of Jack The Ripper. This musical uniquely combines music hall with the infamous story of Jack The Ripper. The company rose to the challenge of a demanding variety of songs and the harmonies in the chorus numbers were particularly memorable - clearly a lot of hard work during rehearsal which paid dividends in production. The cast were well-rehearsed and well-disciplined, cockney accents were well handled and consistent in both speech and song. Musical direction was in the competent hands of Arthur Taylor, who led an equally competent band and Harry Kennedy's direction ably combined the comedy with both the more horrific and tender moments. There were particularly strong performances from Sarah Sherwood, Rebecca Taylor and Glen Godson who easily coped with some difficult songs. The show was well dressed with costumes of the late 1880s and the group had also paid attention to appropriate hairstyles and props. Lighting was used effectively to contrast the dingy streets of Whitechapel and the Steam Packet Music Hall, however the lower stage area was poorly lit, leaving some of the action here in shadow. Also, the light columns on stage were not only too modern for the period but also proved to be something of an obstacle and occasionally masked some of the cast. I found the projected silhouette of Jack to be too indistinct to be fully effective. The split set was used effectively but there could have been better definition between the streets and the Steam Packet: the exterior backdrop of a brick wall worked well for the streets but this continued into the Steam Packet which would have benefitted from an interior backdrop. I thought the on-stage audience on the lower stage were unnecessary and occupied valuable space which could have been better used to avoid some staging problems; perhaps the area could have been the stage of the Steam Packet which would have given the opportunity for some more movement in the chorus numbers. Some areas of production did need more thought but overall this was a show presented by a talented company and was clearly enjoyed by both cast and audience alike.

People of Plumley, if you didn't see the Victorian Music Hall you should kick yourselves, for you missed a terrific show. The singing, dancing, costumes and sets were flawless. Not to have heard the lilting voices of Rebecca Taylor and Sarah Sherwood is indeed a sin and they were ably supported by a very melodious chorus. It began with the Ascot scene from 'My Fair Lady' which made you feel you were almost there (I nearly lost my shirt). The costumes were beautiful, not to mention the excellent jockey dance by the younger members of the group. The first part ended with songs and sketches from World War I; many memories were jolted in the audience and a few tears were shed. Tears of laughter were also shed at the hilarious Audrey Hughes in her nightie and nightcap and her cello which she didn't play! The Gilbert and Sullivan parody was extremely funny, especially the Policeman's Lot led by the wonderfully camp Andy Hagan. The show ended with the cast dressed as Pearly Kings and Queens singing the old Cockney songs and the audiences enjoyed singing along too. The different acts and songs were brought together by a superb Master of Ceremonies, Harry Kennedy, with the patient tutelage of the wonderful Musical Director, Arthur Taylor. The whole show was choreographed by the very talented duo Sophia and Harry Kennedy.

The Other Theatre Company, in association with Plumley Productions, brought many new faces to the stage of Plumley Village Hall from the 11th - 13th November. As Pierrots, but using many quick changes of disguise and some astonishingly 'authentic' French, Belgian and German accents to portray the combatants and families during the Great War 1914-1918, the cast had been moulded by Harry Kennedy into achieving a slick effective scenario. The tragedy of war, its stupidity and pathos was interspersed with rank humour from the trenches, coupled with wonderful singing of tunes familiar to the older generation, held the audience spellbound. Choreography was ably directed by Sophia Kennedy and Pam Chatburn oversaw the costumes. The Musical Director for the show was Arthur Taylor and Stage Manager was Chris Wilson. No-one will forget the dramatic and emotional finale - a moment so poignant that the audience seemed frozen in their seats when the house lights came up. You may not have liked the theme of 'War' but this was an unforgettable and excellent performance from a talented cast.

The return of the Victorian Music Hall was another lively, bright, humorous and entertaining evening which was fully supported by an enthusiastic and appreciative audience on all three evenings of the production. Harry and Sophia Kennedy (Director and Choreographer), together with Arthur Taylor (Musical Director) put together a show of their usual high standard and have assembled a company of varied local talent who obviously worked and rehearsed hard to achieve such high acting standards and provide a warm, welcoming, friendly evening. The singing from the soloists was superb and the costumes were colourful and beautifully made. Chris Wilson again did an excellent job with his artistic scenery and other off-stage helpers did sterling work with make-up, manning the door, selling raffle tickets and serving drinks from the bar all evening. All in all everyone connected with this excellent show deserves our praise and we look forward to the next production which is due to be held in November.