| GENERAL REVIEWS
Gizmo Report by Marjory Graves
Gladstone! Report by Sian John
Gladstone! Report by Jo Cummings
Boom and bust - The Recession Revue
An Evening of Melodrama
Treasure Island
Mish Mash
When Did You Last See
Your Trousers?
Under Milk Wood
The Roaring Boy of Brent
The Grand Guignol
NATIONAL OPERATIC AND DRAMATIC ASSOCIATION REVIEWS
Dry Rot
The 101 Dalmatians
The Frogs
The Government Inspector
Date: 28 November 2009
Production: Gizmo
Venue: Henry Nihill House, Edgware (HNH)
Report by: Marjory Graves
The Madhatters have been working on this play for a few weeks and we
were so pleased when they said they would bring in a ‘working
production’ to our old folks home here in Edgware. It’s hard for most of
us to get out so it’s lovely when the entertainment comes to us!
Gizmo is a dramatic play, with lots of twists to keep us all awake. Even
though this was a rehearsed reading, with most of the actors using
books, they really brought the play to life and put the complicated plot
across well.
Gizmo is a play about crime and miracle cures. Simon was good as Ben, a
young barman disabled in a terrible attack. Doctors, played by Cathy and
Carla, try to help Ben, who is only just on the road to recovery when he
is attacked again, this time by two thugs ably played by Jess and
Michael. Fortunately Ben is rescued by a lovely young under-cover
policewoman, played by Lina.
Lina and Carla both made their Madhatters debuts with Gizmo. They both
show a lot of promise. Simon was very believable as young Ben. Cathy put
on her normal sterling performance as a doctor and a hearty Welsh physio.
Jess and Michael were suitably scary as thugs and Martin stood in well
as Ben’s nurse.
Michael also entertained us with songs and harmonica playing.
We always enjoy the Madhatters shows. It’s the third time they’ve come
along to HNH and we really appreciate the entertainment. We do hope they
will come again.
Review by Marjory Graves, aged 101, founder of the Mill Hill Operatic
Society and now a resident at HNH.
Date: 4, 11 and 12 July 2009
Production: Gladstone!
Venue: Gladstone Park
Report by: Sian John
2009 is the 200th anniversary of the birth of William Gladstone and
what better way to celebrate than a play about his life in Gladstone
Park, Dollis Hill, where the People’s William loved to spend his
weekends relaxing with family and friends. Brent Arts Council were very
fortunate to get a grant from the Arts Council to commission and stage a
brand new play about the GOM (Grand Old Man) and the weather was kind
for nearly all of the six performances. Of course it bucketed down the
afternoon that I came but the cast were able to adapt the show so that
the audience sat under a tree and only the performers got wet.
This was a promenade production, taking the audience round the park that
Gladstone so loved and ending by the lovely walled garden, where
Gladstone liked to pick strawberries. This was a great way of getting
the audience involved and allowing new people to join the crowd – or
slip away if their children were crying. Thanks to the grant, there was
no ticket charge and even the attractive and informative programme was
free.
Gladstone lived a long and very active life that spanned the Regency and
Victorian periods. As a politician there were lots of long speeches and
lots of potential for boring the audience. However, the fast moving play
worked wonders. Amy Bonsall and Michael Redston are to be congratulated
for producing such a lively play and Sian Thomas’ direction was fluid
and drew the best from her crew of professional and community actors.
Sarah Llewellyn’s music worked beautifully. The musicians were excellent
and it was especially pleasing that talented pupils from Malorees Junior
School were involved. The witty lyrics to well known songs were greatly
appreciated, especially the witty Vote for me dialogue sung by Gladstone
and his political rival Disraeli to the tune of the hymn Abide with me.
The play started at the very beginning, setting the scene with a look at
the great changes of the 19th century: from Napoleon to steam trains.
This was an enjoyable scene but perhaps the one we could have done
without, with there being so much else to pack in: over 60 years on
parliament, prime minister four times, a family of eight and infamous
rivalry with Gladstone and Victoria. This last was very amusingly
handled, with Maggie Robson making a super temperamental Victoria and
Clive Greenwood an excellent Disraeli, fawning over her.
The play was fast moving and entertaining, with some lovely touches,
such as Gladstone’s coach entering Dollis Hill and a parliamentary brawl
over Gladstone’s free trade proposals – another opportunity for Disraeli
rivalry.
The whole cast were excellent but special mention should be made of
Michael Coghlan’s Gladstone, played with wit and humanity, with just the
right touch of gravitas, especially when delivering his speeches on the
Bulgarian Atrocities. Anna McNicholas was delightful as Paris Hilton (!)
and Mrs Gladstone and Laura Brydon was convincingly genuine as Ellen,
the prostitute rescued by the GOM, especially during her bun fight with
the snobby ladies who distrusted the People’s William. Martin Redston
cross-dressed hilariously as the snobby Ida and Andrew Howditz was
excellent as a detective and Big Ears, in the amusing scene which threw
Robert Peel and his idea for policemen into the Dragon’s Den!.
The whole play was delightfully compeered by Helen Taylor as master of
ceremonies, a touch of music hall which Gladstone would have greatly
appreciated. She kept the tone the right side of light, as did Andy
Thomas’ Dr Who, who occasionally crossed the stage with Dalek in tow –
guaranteed to keep the children entertained. The set was delightful too
– a stylish door to No. 10 and Big Ben, both of which, miraculously,
stayed up through wind and gales.
The quality of Gladstone! the play can be measured by the resilience of
my audience, who stuck it out through a downpour. A couple of them even
mentioned that it was their second visit to Gladstone: they’d enjoyed it
so much that they’d come again with friends.
Roll on July 2010: I wonder what next year’s play will be?
Date: 4, 11 and 12 July 2009
Production: Gladstone!
Venue: Gladstone Park
Report by:
Jo
Cummings
“‘Gladstone in the Park, a promenade play, comedy in the sunshine.’
You’ll be on your feet for an hour and a half,” Debby said. I didn’t
believe it but when we walked into the Stables courtyard, I knew she was
right. Troubadour Chris Channing, playing his Hohner guitar, persuaded
the audience toward the gloriously green open spaces of this park, so
appreciated by Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone. I am past being
able to sit on the ground and was grateful for fences, a wall, trees,
the back of a wooden seat and a waste bin to lean on. A bit far from the
scene at times, I couldn’t hear all of the words but caught behind the
scenes activity and found that interesting.
I found the play brilliant! So cleverly devised. I thought the musicians
talented, admired the acting and the costumes. After the performances I
knew that I should love to see this play again. But what chance of that?
I loved the umbrella wheels on the Gladstone carriage, the coconut shell
horse hooves and the slapstick. I thank and congratulate all concerned.
Debby and I saw the play 12th July. Rain fell 11th July. Was the play
performed? (Yes it was, with the audience sheltered under a big oak
tree.) Should Dollis Hill House be restored and part of it include
a stage so that this play could take place in the dry? Imagine back
cloths – Gladstone Park green, just as it is outside, with Big Ben, 10
Downing Street, a kitchen/dining room tables using these same props – so
simple – but what about the coach and horses?
Some of the performers sang Abide with me. The last words of the first
verse are: When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, Lord, abide with me. But who will help finance the
restoration of Gladstone House?
Date: 8, 9 and 10 May 2009
Production: Boom and bust - The Recession Revue
Venue: Malorees School and the Stables Arts Centre
Report by: Rosemary Bloomfield
Cast: (various roles) in alphabetical order: Jess Abbo, Chris
Channing, Gemma Dickenson, Simon Dutson, Michael Fay, Joan Foster, Judi
Friend, Roger Kelly, Cathy Mercer, Martin Redston, Garry Smith, Nigel
Smith. Malorees School: Claudia, Isaac, Miles, Millie, Nirvana,
Ramiza and Shian; directed by Jennifer Redston and Martin Redston.
Piano: Tom Rainbow; Director: Jess Abbo
An ultra-topical theme for this revue, devised and performed by the cast
with lots of variety, vigour and enthusiasm throughout. With songs,
sketches, quotes and jokes galore the message that ‘the more things
change the more they remain the same’ was humorously shared with the
audience. Costume and scene changes were handled quickly and
efficiently, even in the confined space of The Stables. The consistent
theme of ‘the times in which we live’ was integral to making this a
cohesive and interesting evening.
The most successful items included: (Not) Serious Money, a
brief take on Caryl Churchill’s Serious Money. Written by Jess, it
opened the show: a scene of total mayhem and panic in a city
stockbrokers office in 1987 when the markets suddenly crashed and
hurricane winds blew. The traders were panicked even more by the arrival
of their big boss, terrifyingly played by Michael Fay. Very funny, both
visually and verbally.
Beating Depression, a highly specious ‘documentary’ piece,
also by Jess, featured an ‘expert’ from Florida (Martin), explaining
financial matters with the ‘help’ of a ludicrous flip chart. His
attempts to reassure his audience that all’s well in the financial world
was very funny. ‘Eye witness’ accounts of the Great Depression in the
USA were also funny: Gemma was outstanding as one of the three old dears
recounting tales of hardship, Joan entertained with an odd transatlantic
accent placed slightly west of Dollis Hill and Cathy obviously relished
her less than subtle portrayal of an old bag remembering a completely
demented version of 1930’s events.
Quotes from wits such as Groucho Marx and Mark Twain, on the
funnier side of money, banks and global depression were well delivered
by a line-up of the players.
Songs, ranging from jazz, blues and folk songs of the depression
era to modern times were performed with great feeling and gusto by Chris
Channing, Garry Smith and Nigel Smith. The disgruntled street-sweeper
(Chris) clearing loads of presumably worthless money collected by a
yuppie lady (Judi), reduced to playing a banjo in the street with a
placard announcing that she has a mortgage and Porsche to support was
quite inexplicable. More to-the-point was the scurrilous self-penned
song about ‘merchant bankers’ from Garry.
Overall, however, I felt that there were rather too many items squeezed
into the evening and those that worked less well were the two excerpts
from longer plays, one written in 1692, The Stockjobbers,
and Roaring Trade, a modern play. Although well performed
by Joan, Cathy, Roger, Martin, Michael and Simon, these pieces were too
short: the audience just didn’t have enough time to appreciate the
themes discussed.
The two contributions from the group of children made an interesting
contrast and they were obviously well rehearsed. Their performances were
enthusiastic and lively and all in all contributed to a very topical and
funny show, well devised and presented.
Date: 29 November and 8
December 2008
Production: An Evening of Melodrama
Venue: Stables Arts Centre
Report by: Mary Draffin
The Madhatters put on a very enjoyable evening for the audience with
two melodramas, and recitations and readings of nineteenth century
poetry.
Black Eyed Susan by Dr Douglas Jerrold is typical of the early
melodrama: a tale of love, wickedness and sensational incident with
songs interspersed. It was written in 1829 by a humourist and playwright
who had served in the navy. The nautical theme is integral to the plot:
the constant wife, Susan, waits languishing for her husband's return
from sea. Her wicked uncle and landlord has contrived to sell her to the
captain of her William's ship, by threatening her with eviction and
forcing her into the captain's arms. The captain has plotted to step in
to "rescue" her from poverty, telling her William is dead and
she should marry him. William is not dead but has miraculously escaped
from the desert island where the captain had marooned him. He returns in
the nick of time to release Susan from the captain's clutches, but is
arrested, tried and condemned to hang for attacking his senior officer.
All ends well at the last, by dint of a creaky plot coincidence that
Dickens would be proud of. Mrs Cathy Mercer played Susan with as
much piteous emotion and heart felt joy as the plot and the evening
could bear. The part of Captain Crosstree was taken by Sir Kenneth
Govier, whose overtures to Susan conveyed the menace in his
character. If I could not believe in the change of heart Captain
Crosstree shows at the end, this was hardly Sir Ken's fault; blame it on
the plot. Mr Roger Kelly played William. His name did not appear
in the programme, and I wonder if this was by design, so that the
audience would believe that William is dead. Mr Kelly gave a spirited
and jaunty performance. He sang the sea shanties and danced off the
stage with a convincing nautical air. His lines were full of sailors'
idioms, which I found amusing. The versatile Mr Donald Elliott
played the wicked uncle Doggrass with venomous mien. Mr Elliott, with
lightning changes of costume, facial hair and regional accent, also took
most of the other parts: Seaweed, Pike and Quid, William's shipmates,
and the Marine. Miss Joan Foster took the part of the Admiral,
and had the job of sentencing William to be hanged. This she did with
appropriate severity.
The second melodrama of the evening was "The Wages of Sin or
Perfidious Piecework" by Mr Andrew Sachs, the well known actor.
This was a treat of over the top wickedness where the wicked and foolish
come to a sticky end. Lord Peregrine Fortune-Mint, married to the
virtuous and haughty Lady Priscilla, who is always leaving home to go
off and do good works, is astonished to be visited by her identical twin
sister, a vamp, who makes a play for him. He succumbs to her advances
with a will, but is she really who he thinks she is? Suffice it to say
the play ends with the stage strewn with almost as many dead bodies as
Hamlet. Mr Jess Abbo played Lord Peregrine with just the right
mix of snobbery and vacuousness. Of course he was going to succumb to
Mrs Brown, the identical twin sister, the temptress. But the wages of
sin is death…. Mr Martin Redston played Jasper, the elderly
butler. His painful progress across the stage and all the stage business
conveyed his dodderiness very well. But the plot reveals he was in
disguise, and at the right moment Jasper threw off the grey wig with a
flourish to claim his reward for deceiving his employer. But the wages
of sin is death…. Mrs Cathy Mercer played Lady Priscilla
and Mrs Brown. What a haughty, self-righteous Priscilla, and what a
lascivious, wicked Mrs Brown! The three actors mentioned here are to be
complimented on the melodramatic staginess of their characters' dying. I
think Mr Abbo would have the prize for the most protracted death.
I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek way the Madhatters approached the genre
of melodrama. Black Eyed Susan could have flowed a little
better. The direction in The Wages of Sin was particularly good.
I wonder whether more could have been made of lighting effects. The
music, provided by Mr Thomas Rainbow at the keyboard, was well
chosen and added to the atmosphere of the plays. Our evening's enjoyment
was made complete by the excellent refreshments. Well done, Madhatters!
Date: 5 - 6 July 2008
Production: Treasure Island
Venue: Gladstone Park
Report by: Edit Howard
This was a completely up-dated and localised version of the classic
children's novel, ably adapted by Michael Redston and Amy
Bonsall - Amy also directed it, with the help of Sian Thomas.
This was a very jolly romp played out in different parts of the
attractive pleasure garden of Gladstone Park in Dollis Hill. Jim Hawkins
became a feisty Jane, well played by Stephanie Clarke; the
Admiral Benbow Inn was re-located to Willesden High Road; and the
treasure was a secret formula for free fuel buried on a desert island.
Maggie Robson put on a splendid show as the Squire, a computer
hacker hoping for treasure to help rebuild her ruined family home,
Dollis Hill House, and developing a taste for rum along the way. Andy
Thomas' Long John Silver, complete with a crew of incompetent
pirates, strutted and plotted and raised lots of laughs. Gary Lynch
was very convincing as the good Doctor Livesey and Leila Reid
was funny as a batty cheese-mad Berth Gunn. Rob Waters doubled
up as Billy Bones and Captain Picardilly, involving children in the
audience by inviting them to take the part of the ship's figurehead.
Actors from the local Madhatters Theatre Club played supporting
roles to the professionals, notably the incompetent pirates: Cathy
Mercer was the tarty landlady and pirate, Ella, paired up in the
galley with Ken Govier's Sam; Martin Redston also
doubled up as a sinister Bill Pew and Ivor Squint, the ship's myopic
pilot; the ever-popular Michael Fay played Rom Weigh, an equally
incompetent helmsman; and Fiona Cowie was charming as ever as
Annette Fisher; Chris Channing opened the show playing his blues
guitar. Other pirates were played by Roxy Afifi Sabet as the
cerebrally challenged pirate May Day and Stephen Lanigan-O'Keefe
as Rod Fisher, doubling also as DJ B-Dog.
As in any promenade performance, props and set were minimal. A few
ropes and sail hanging from a large oak tree made up the ship, with a
recruit from the audience acting as figurehead. The final scene was
played out in front of a lavish mobile home, borrowed from one of the
cast, with Jane Hawkins and chums lounging and sipping cocktails, while
the chained up pirates carried the cargo for the homeward trip. Costumes
were modern too, with the pirates in appalling shorts and Silver in
gaudy and villainous garb.
This was a promenade performance and we were promised a play come rain
or shine. Having chosen the wettest weekend so far this summer, we were
fortunate to get sunshine for three out of four of our shows, with only
the final performance played out in the rain. The audience stuck with
the show to the very end and their laughs were loud enough to carry over
the lashing rain and howling winds!
Date: 10 May 2008
Production: Mish Mash
Venue: The Stables Gladstone Park
Report by: Michael Toohig
Once again the Madhatters have come up with something completely
different: an evening of party-pieces and audience participation. The
Mish Mash was a chance for Madhatters members to perform extracts from
their favourite plays and the audience were invited to join in. The idea
sounds chaotic but it was very well run and as no piece lasted more than
five minutes, there was never a dull moment. The evening's entertainment
was accompanied by food and drink, all included in the price of the £5.00
ticket. It must be hard to find a better-priced evening's entertainment
and the delicious strawberries and cream and wine all made for a good
atmosphere.
The turns were varied: Michael Fay recited the Highwayman, Martin
Redstone, Jess Abbo and Joan Foster produced
monologues, while Donald Elliot and Cathy Mercer put on
a very funny extract from Miles Kingston's Let's learn francais.
Cathy and Maureen MacMillan staged a battle of the Bracknals,
with audience members taking the supporting roles. Judy Friend
took to the parts of Gwendolyn and Cecily like a fish to water. The
Madhatters' turns were interspersed by audience participation. Odette
Elliot recited some very funny poems, Chris Channing
performed part of Samuel Beckett's Embers with his feet in a
bucket of sand and Judy played pieces on the recorder and performed a
murder scene from Pirandello.
Madhatters entertainments are always fun and this one was particularly
enjoyable. The atmosphere was relaxed, the entertainment was varied and
fast-paced and the food and drink were good. I've seen several of the
Madhatter's recent plays but I enjoyed their Mish Mash more than any of
these. Roll on Mish Mash 2!
Date: 6 - 9
December 2007
Production: When Did You Last See Your Trousers?
Venue: Malorees Junior School
Report by: Michael Toohig
This was a timely revival of Galton and Antrobus' hit 1980s West End
farce When did you last see your trousers? All farces require
lots of doors and this one had more than most. The star of the show was
therefore without question Roger Kelly's magnificent box set with four
(five?) doors, which consistently refused to stick and withstood nightly
battles between bent copper Jess Abbo and leading man Leo
Zahra. The set also looked spot-on for a seedy low rent '80s London
flat.
This farce offered a variety of hilarious parts, all of which were well
played. Leo, fulfilling a life ambition to star in a fast-paced farce,
had an enormous part as Howard Swirling, the man whose trousers get
pinched. He tackled it manfully and womanfully too, his best turn being
his remarkable transformation into Martha, a German chanteuse who won
the heart of Jess' bent copper. Donald Elliot continued his
portrayal of crime in the dual role of burglar and seedy bent police
inspector and Cathy was the long-suffering 'bit on the side'.
She coped remarkably well with her many lines and the stream of ever
varying repartee she confronted. Michael Fay and Fiona Cowie
stole the show as a stoned punk and Danish au pair. Michael is always a
favourite with the audience and as usual played his part with wit and
energy. Whether Fiona's accent was really Danish is hard to say but it
certainly sounded suitably exotic and she looked delightful in her punk
gear. Martin Redston's dirty old home secretary and Roger
Kelly's gravely-voiced colonel both went down well. Martin's fight
with Leo over their trousers was especially effective. I can still hear
him saying: it's MY suit! Maureen MacMillan made a fine debut in
dangly ear-rings and negligee as dirty Deirdre and doubled up as
seamstress on duty, mending the suit which Leo and Martin mauled very
night. Sound and light were very well handled by Annetta Ivanov,
who stepped in to at very short notice and, as you'd expect from a
farce, had to deal with a lot of sound and light effects. Tom
Rainbow directed the Madhatters with skill and flair but farce
requires swift action and reaction and the Madhatters weren't always
quite fast enough for the climax, racing round and round and in and out
of all those doors. The Madhatters Theatre Club should be congratulated
on this production. They are a small company but they dealt
magnificently with the hard work of acting, set building, lighting,
sound, publicity, programme design and printing for this production. The
inevitable trousers motif on the programme and fliers was simple but
particularly effective. It was good to see a sizable audience for their
show, including fans of the Goons and Steptoe and Son, drawn in by the
rare staging of a play by Galton and Simpson.
Date: 31 November-3 December 2006
Production:Under Milk Wood
Venue: Malorees Junior School
Report by: Rose Bloomfield
Under Milk Wood is Dylan Thomas' magical evocation of one day in the
life of a small South Wales town. A challenge for any amateur group to
stage but the Madhatters played their parts with gusto, humour and
empathy. The decision to retain their own varied accents was a wise one.
Director Susan Schrand gave the production a truly professional
feel. Each separate scene was well-timed and “pacey”. On the
one occasion that an entrance was missed this hitch was dealt with from
the stage with humour and professionalism and the colourful cavalcade of
Llareggub’s townspeople continued smoothly. The production was in
the round but with the use of a stage for small domestic scenes. Joan
Gillison’s lighting worked perfectly and each character or
setting was individually lit. The use on stage of characters in
silhouette was very effective. The set with its village pump,
sign for the Sailors Arms etc was excellent and conjured up the village
atmosphere, giving plenty of room for a large cast to move around in as
well as enter/exit from all directions. The costumes too gave a feel of
times past in a small fishing and farming community. Tom Rainbow’s
music set the scene from start to finish, especially in the Pub
Scene and in the Children’s Song.
Jesse Abbo – First Voice and Organ Morgan: Jesse together
with Donald Elliott held the whole production together from start to
finish. Their narrative skill set the scenes and brought out the fine
poetic language. Jesse also played Organ Morgan whose long-suffering
wife complained that he lived only for “Organ, Organ, Organ”.
Donald Elliott – Second Voice, Mr Cherry Owen and Evans Death:
Donald’s narration was excellent, reading Thomas’
wonderful prose and providing a humorous and wise overview of the
townspeople. He also showed his obvious affection for them by his facial
expression alone. As Mr Cherry Owen, Donald showed his versatility by
becoming the drunken but funny husband whose very tolerant wife knows
just how to deal with him. Roger Kelly – Captain Cat: This
was a totally believable and heart-warming portrayal of the blind
Captain Cat, his sailing days now over, who hears and “sees”
all that’s going on, and who yearns for his beloved Rosie Probert
who appears in his dreams. Shane O’Connor – Mr Waldo, Mr
Pritchard, Willy Nilly and NoGood Boyo: Shane threw himself into his
portrayals of the put-upon Mr Pritchard as well as most of Llareggub’s
Bad Boys. He acted with vigour and conviction throughout. Tom
Fernley – Mr Mog Edwards, Mr Pugh and Ocky Milkmam: Tom’s
playing of the lovelorn Draper, Mr Mog Edwards, was spot-on. His postal
courtship of Myfanwy Price was beautifully handled by both actors as was
his evident pride in the way of life he’d built up for himself. In
contrast, as the cruelly henpecked but outwardly obedient Mr Pugh - who
devours “Death of Famous Poisoners” at the breakfast table and
fends off the barbs of his icily sarcastic wife – his facial
expressions alone were a delight.
Teresa Kelly – Rosie Probert, Myfanwy Price, Mrs Cherry Owen
and The Guide: As Rosie Probert, her loving words – from beyond
the grave to her true-love Captain Cat – were very moving. Then, as
Miss Myfanwy Price she obviously relished her postal courtship, without
any of life’s real problems. As Mrs Cherry Owen, she cheerfully put
up with her husband’s drunken antics, one of Llareggub’s
better marriages! As the Guide, a comic performance, how a patronising
stranger might view the townspeople and their countryside. A trio of
great performances. Cathy Mercer – Gossamer Beynon and Mrs
Pugh: two very funny performances from one of the Madhatters’
stalwarts. Firstly, Cathy played a sex-starved schoolteacher, clutching
desperately at her dream of respectability (and to her over-the-top
vowels) in the face of Sinbad’s lustful gaze. Then she became the
icily sarcastic Mrs Pugh who enjoys tormenting her husband over the
breakfast table, unaware that he grows his moustache in fond memory of
Dr Crippen! Tricia Oates – Gossip, Mrs Dai Bread 2 and Bessie
Bighead: This was Tricia’s debut performance with the
Mahdatters and she showed real stage presence, her body language was
totally natural. She conveyed lots of humour and the pathos in all her
characters. Sue O’Connell – Polly Garter and Lily Smalls:
In this pivotal role as Llareggub’s single mother and Femme
Fatale, Sue brought out the many sides of Polly: the hard-working mum
and a warm woman who despises the smug married fold. She moved very
sensuously and left the audience in no doubt why she was such a
favourite with the men folk and so feared by their wives. As Lily
Smalls, the Beynon’s overworked skivvy whose only confidante was
her mirror she was very appealing. Sue Ling – Gossip, Mrs
Watkins and Mrs Dai Bread 1: Another newcomer to the Madhatters, Sue
was a very natural and easy on stage. She relished her parts, especially
as a gossip and as the sultry Gypsy-like Mrs Dai Bread 1 who
effortlessly bamboozled Mrs Dai Bread 2 into believing she could tell
fortunes. Joan Foster – Mother, Mary Anne Sailors and Mrs
Ogmore Pritchard: In Mother and Mary Anne Sailors, Joan showed the
town’s older generation’s contentment in their simple and
unchanging way of life. She gave an excellent Mrs Ogmore Pritchard, who
ruled her two (dead) husbands’ every move with an iron fist, which
she didn’t even pretend to hide in a velvet glove!
Martin Redston – Rev Eli Jenkins, Utah Watkins and Dai Bread:
Martin’s portrayal of the simple, kind-hearted cleric was
totally believable and sympathetic, as he tended his flock and gathered
together the history of his region. The happiness of this good man was
evident as he recited his poetry to the hills and distributed sweets and
poems to all. As Utah Watkins, he let rip as a sheep farmer who was
being driven mad by his flock. As Dai Bread, who had two wives to
contend with, he wisely let the ladies do the talking. Christopher
Channing – PC Attilla Rees and Drowned Man: First, Christopher
appeared as the spirit of the drowned sailor. Later on he erupted onto
the stage as a manic Policeman, straight out of a Keystone Cops movie.
Charlie Chaplin would have signed him up on the spot as he brought a
touch of mayhem to the proceedings. Michael Fay – Mr Ogmore,
Butcher Beynon, Sinbad and Jack Black: Playing Mr Ogmore, Michael
was suitably subdued as one of Mrs Ogmore-Pritchard’s husbands. But
he really shone when playing Butcher Beynon whose descriptions of the
strange animal parts he sells and gives to his family were very funny
indeed. As Sinbad the Sailor he was full of unspoken lust and longing
for the schoolteacher he feels is too educated for him. Both Cathy and
Michael acted their scenes together with great humour and expressions.
Rosanna Neophyton – Mrs Willy Nilly and Mae Rose Cottage:
This young actor dealt admirably with her roles, both as a young wife
whose excitement comes form reading other people’s mail and as a naïve
seventeen year old who is half longing and half afraid of the bright
lights, excitement and romance she dreams of.
The Children of Malorees’ School: The troupe of children
enthusiastically threw themselves into playing goats, sheep, a cat and -
most notably – children in the playground: singling, teasing each
other, running about and quarrelling. They seemed to enjoy the
experience a lot.
Date: 4-7 May 2006
Production: The Roaring Boy of Brent
Venue: Malorees Junior School
Report by: Cathy Mercer
The Roaring Boy of Brent Written by Audrey Ringrose* Directed by
Jonathan Bidgood Music by John Asher Performed by the Madhatters Theatre
Club, Malorees School, Kilburn 4-7 May 2006 This was a very entertaining
piece of historical costume-comedy with lots of music and some excellent
performances. The production managed to appeal both to the grown-ups and
the children in the audience and gave a good insight into the history of
Kilburn, while remaining fun. The development of the play was
particualry interesting as it was written especially for the Madhatters,
with the aim of including as many children and additional adults as
possible. . The Madhatters Theatre Club have been performing in Malorees
School in Kilburn since 2002. They have tried to involve pupils in their
plays before but the problem they have found is that very few plays
exist which offer good parts for junior school age children. Most plays
offer either huge parts, which are beyond the scope of the majority of
children, or crowd scenes which do not involve them significantly in the
drama. The Madhatters therefore invited Audrey Ringrose to write a
community play which would give the children small but interesting parts
and involve them in the action throughout. The Madhatters chose the
dramatic theme of eighteenth century highwaymen who used to roam the
nearby Edgware Road, pouncing upon unfortunate travellers. This proved
an exciting subject with opportunities for beautiful period costumes,
fight scenes and a very effective hanging, dramatically staged with back
lighting. Audrey researched the period thoroughly and produced a
fascinating mix of real characters and her own creations. Audrey's play
was firmly set in the Kilburn area. The children played orphans from the
Kilburn Priory, an orphanage which stood on the very site of Malorees
School. The protagonist was Nathanial Gubbins, a former orphan trying to
make his way up in the world by dabbling in a bit of highway robbery.
This part was well played by Jess Abbo, who conveyed the pathos of a
poor lad with no options to better himself other than marrying his bossy
girlfriend and become a night-soil collector. Cathy Mercer did a good
job as the bossy but feisty fiancée, standing loyally by her man
to the very end. There were three villains to the piece, all drawn from
history: Jack Sheppard, famous for breaking out of Newgate Prison, given
a real mixture of bravado and sleaze by Donald Elliot; Jonathon Wild,
sinister double agent and thief-catcher, whom Martin Redston made into a
scary and menacing bully; and the glamorous Jeremiah Lewis, played by
Leo Zahra, who won the hearts of all the girls. Added to this historical
panoply was a host of vivid supporting roles.Shirly Marom made a fiery
Jenny, a tarty flirt who threw herself from one crook to another.
Corinne Gladstone was convincing as Belinda Bellevue, who works her way
up from the gangster's moll to the first highway woman in Britain. John
Stirling Gallagher was a comically bumbling Father Tom, well meaning
manager of the Kilburn orphanage, as well as an incompetent lord
chancellor. Michael Fay performed as well as ever as the visionary,
Derry Mick. Director Jonathan Bidgood gave a scary cameo as the hangman.
Fiona Cowie doubled up very well as the villain Blueskin and one of
Jeremiah Lewis' screaming fans, along with Simone Dornbach and Sue
O'Connell. Shane O'Connor and Chris Channing made excellent Madhatters
debuts as pair of policemen. And both Teresa Kelly and Sue O'Connell
performed well when they stepped in at very short notice to play the
bibulous mother of Jack Shepherd after Joan Foster was unfortunately too
ill to take the part. All of these were well supported by the crowds of
football-kicking orphans. The music was very atmospheric, well directed
by John Asher, who doubled up as singing coach. The play was set in the
round, which helped with the smaller children's voices and involved the
audience in the action and singing in the crowd scenes. Jonathan Bidgood
directed the play with a sure hand. He brought the best out of his cast
and handled the set pieces particularly well, including Jack Sheppard's
escape from Newgate Prison, Jeremiah Lewis' hanging and Nathanial
Gubbins' fight with Jack Sheppard. The lighting was low key but
effective, especially in the dramatic hanging scene. Although firmly
grounded in eighteenth century Kilburn, this lively play would transfer
well to any other amateur dramatic company's patch. The scenes at the
Willesden Spotted Dog could easily be set in another pub, as could
references to places such as Shooters Hill and Dollis Hill Farm.
Highwaymen roamed the roads throughout Britain and Audrey's play could
easily be adapted to meet local needs. One final point: the new Brent
Museum in Willesden Green Library has a very good exhibition about Jack
Sheppard, who robbed Dollis Hill farm and murdered the farmer's wife,
showing once again that the Madhatters are trail blazers in Brent. Jack
Sheppard was eventually hanged at Tyburn and, like many eighteenth
century criminals, ended up as a medical student's skeleton. His bones
are still on display in the Royal College of Surgeons Museum at Lincolns
Inn Fields.
* If you would like to perform this play please contact the author
directly:
Audrey Ringrose, 15 Ashburnham Grove LONDON SE10 8UH
Date: 25-26 November & 2-3 December
2005
Production:An evening of Grand Guignol
Venue: Malorees Junior School and the Stables Art Gallery
Report by: Cathy Mercer
Grand Guignol was a tiny theatre on the Montmartre in Paris at the turn
of the twentieth century. The Grand Guignol was famous for its gory and
horrific productions: Hammer Horror long before it's time! The
Madhatters selected two of the most popular Grand Guignol plays: a
comedy entitled Chop Chop and The Kiss of Blood, a piece of real horror.
Chop Chop is a very funny comedy starring an enormous guillotine. A very
flirty lady takes her boyfriend out for an afternoon of thrills and
persuades him to try out the guillotine - with hilarious and often
nail-biting consequences. Meanwhile a group of passing tourists request
that the blade should fall, to see if it really works as it's supposed
to. The guillotine held out for all performances and children in the
audience kept asking if they could test it out. The Kiss of Blood is a
scarier piece of psychological drama about a happily married man haunted
by the wife he has murdered. The two plays were neatly linked by a
short pastiche of Grand Guignol scripted for us by Corrine Gladstone,
who also starred in Chop Chop. Our autumn production was designed to be
less work than usual but things never work out like that… We
decided to stage these two playlets as a part of a French-themed evening
and laid on dinner for our audience and ran for two weekends instead of
the normal one! We were especially grateful to the help given to us in
organizing the food for all our hungry guests by John's Fruiters of
Dollis Hill.
Society: Madhatters Theatre Club
Date: 8th May 2005
Production: Dry Rot
Venue: Malorees Junior School Hall, Willesden
Report by: Harvey Kesselman
In performing a farce, not only do the actors have to be sure of their
dialogue, the most essential ingredient required is the pace in which
this dialogue is delivered. Unfortunately, this was rather absent in
this production. As a result, the play did seem to occasionally slow
down. There were quite a number of prompts that were given, and whilst
there is no stigma in receiving these, some of the characters still seem
to have a problem in picking their lines up even after having received a
prompt and, as a result, the speed of the piece suffered. Roger Kelly
was suitably pompous as Colonel Wagstaff, wondering why he had purchased
this seemingly run down "hotel". As Mrs Wagstaff, Angella
Hodge was rather on the quiet side, but looked right and acted well. I
could not quite understand why Fiona Cowle had bare feet on her first
entrance. One was under the impression she had just returned from a
walk, so why no shoes? The sling of her handbag was much too short to be
carried over her shoulder, and presented a problem when trying to take
out or put back the letter she had been given. On her next entrance, at
least she was wearing what looked like pumps. The first sign of comedy
was the appearance of Cathy Mercer as Beth, the maid. It was a funny
performance helped by a strange accent, and rather raucous laughter. The
pitch of Martin Redston's voice was rather too high; it might have been
preferable if he would have played it rather like a Bertie Wooster
character, a sort of upper class silly ass. Nevertheless, as John Danby
he acted well, rightly giving the appearance of not really knowing what
his employer was up to. As his employer, Alfred Tubbe, Donald Elliot was
very good. He played the seedy bookmaker perfectly. There was perhaps a
slight problem in seemingly remembering when he should put on a "posh"
accent, as opposed to his "real" voice (or was that
deliberate?), but it was a lovely performance. He was well supported by
Leo Zahra as Fred Phipps, his so called valet. Leo seemed to delight in
this part, and his scene with Donald, when he is being persuaded to be a
jockey, was very funny. As the third member of this 'unholy trio', Ken
Govier (Flash Harry) was suitably seedy and delivered his dialogue in a
lovely cockney (?) accent, spluttering his way through mouthfuls of
food. There was a truly wonderful performance by Jess Abbo as Albert
Polignac, the 'very' French jockey. Whether his French was accurate or
not, I cannot say, but his whole performance was terrific. Joan Foster
as Sergeant Fire did not really have the command the part needed. She
needed to have been more in control of the situation, and her dialogue
should have been delivered with more authority. Completing the cast,
although unseen, was Grahame Edwards as the radio commentator. His
description of the race was good, although it tended to drown some of
the dialogue taking part on stage. Timing the commentary and the stage
dialogue should have made a better balance. The set was rather drab, and
although the 'hotel' was supposed to be rather dreary, the set could
have been a little brighter and less depressing. The sliding panel
worked well (although it seemed that Leo kept kicking a wrong part of
the flat in order that the panel should open). The confusion in giving a
signal to Flash Harry by knocking three times to show the coast was
clear, and trying to convince the owners that they were looking for dry
rot, was funny. There were no problems with the lighting and sound in
the capable hands of Richard Lees, Alec James and Martin (Redston?). The
props were fine, but I felt the men's costumes were, in the main, rather
drab and in some cases ill fitting. The director, Simon Rawlings managed
to get the most out of this play, and the cast seemed to cope reasonably
well with a farce that somehow seemed to be rather dated.
Society: Madhatters Theatre Club
Date: 28 November 2004
Production: The 101 Dalmatians
Venue: Malorees Junior School Hall
Report by:
I was asked by your NODA rep., Harvey Kesselman, if I would review
Dodie Smith's play, as he was unable to do so. Like most people, I only
know the story from the Disney film, and wondered how on earth
Madhatters would get 101 puppies on stage! In the event the staging and
plot came across to the numerous juvenile (and adult) audience very
well, who were able to hiss the baddies and cheer the goodies pantomime
style. I particularly liked the clever back screen projections of
various locations, and the informative letter from 'Cruella' in the
programme. Theatre in the Round gives more space when there's a lot of
movement required, but does cause blocking problems and muffled dialogue
when actors' faces cannot seen, which happened here occasionally with
some players. I was rather confused when having been told that the
actress playing Perdita would be late, a young girl came on at the
beginning playing Cruella! Props and scenery were of necessity, sparse
but effective and the animal costumes were good, though Missus needed
black trousers when the dogs were covered in soot'. The play showed a
few signs of under rehearsing and prompts were sometime in evidence. In
the most demanding roles, Pongo (Martin Redston) and Missus (Cathy
Mercer) acted extremely well together, and Roger and Anita Dearly
(Donald Elliott and Fiona Cowie) were suitably 'upper crust' though the
latter's diction and manner were rather stilted. John Stirling-Gallacher
was typecast as the bumbling Butler and Col. Clutterbuck, while Diane
Stirling-Gallacher made a motherly and sympathetic cook. Corinne
Gladstone stole the show, and revelled in the role of the villainess,
Cruella de Vil, assisted by her two henchmen, Saul and Jasper,
brilliantly played by Jess Abbo and Roger Kelly. I was very impressed
with the cameo roles played by Leo Zahra, Teresa Kelly and Ken Govier,
while Joan Foster, Angela Mills, Michael Toohig and Michael Fay were
effective in their roles. The 'Puppies', led by Roxanna, Hana, James and
Denny, had a whale of a time. Many Thanks for your kind invitation to
us.
Society: Madhatters Theatre Club
Date: 14th May 2004
Production: The Frogs - Aristophanes
Venue: Malorees Junior School Hall
Report by: Harvey Kesselman
One of the earliest of comedies written, according to my research, and
first produced in 407 BC at the Lenaea, where it won first prize, was
now being given a new airing by The Madhatters, and their production
proved to be very successful. It was brave of them to tackle this early
comedy by Aristophanes, reducing the long wordy script, and taking out a
lot of the "rude" bits that usually were in these early plays.
Performing in the round (actually three quarters) does pose a problem as
it means that occasionally the actors have to deliver lines with their
backs to some part of the audience, thus depriving them with some of the
pithier lines of dialogue. In spite of this, the simple set worked well,
and there were some very funny performances. Splitting the role of
Dionysus into three actors and giving Euripides and Aeschylus acolytes
was inspirational, as it helped to move the play along and, certainly in
the case of the acolytes, seemed to make sense, as well as giving more
actors the opportunity to take part in this amusing play. Corinne
Gladstone (number one Dionysus) was excellent; she delivered her lines
with confidence although occasionally they were rather rushed (this also
applied to some of the other actors). Jess Abbo, as the slave Xanthias,
was wonderful. His asides to the audience were very funny, and he did
give the appearance of a worn out, put upon slave. The scene with Charon
(Leo Zhara), and that very clever ferry, worked well. The descent into
Hades (via the ferry) and the mix-up of identities, the changing of
roles as Hercules between Dionysus and Xanthias again was most amusing.
It was delightful to see children performing on stage as "The Frogs",
the only problem was they were (although enthusiastic) rather difficult
to understand; nevertheless they made a good chorus, and looked as
though they were enjoying themselves. Once descended into the
underworld, the role of Dionysus was split between Martin Redston and
Jim Robson - this might have been confusing were it not clearly set out
in the programme that this was going to happen. Once established, there
were no problems, as it just seemed to be two other characters trying to
bring back a recently deceased Euripides, as, since his death, Athens no
longer had a worthy tragic poet. There was a lot of doubling up in the
various roles, and it is probably easier if I just listed them with
their various parts and the contributions made to the undoubted success
of this play: Michael Fay as the real Hercules (and one of the slaves to
Aeacus, Leo Zhara the other one) looked suitably menacing; Roger Forbes
doubled up as a rather lively corpse and part of the stage management
team; Kay Shelley was the other part of the stage management as well as
a slave to Pluto; Lawrence Matthias as the Leader of the Initiates;
Cathy Mercer as both maid to Persephone (Queen of Hades) and, one of the
Landladies (the other being Martin Redston); Ken Govier needed to be
more menacing as Pluto; Angela Mills was a bit lightweight as
Euripides's acolyte, her delivery of dialogue needed to be stronger; as
the other acolyte, Fiona Cowie was more expressive and easier to
understand. The wonderful, rather absurd poetic, battle between
Aeschylus and Euripides was carried out with great gusto by Donald
Elliott as Euripides and John Sterling-Gallacher as Aeschylus, both
quoting (via their respected acolytes) passages from their own works,
and each rubbishing the other. Both actors were very good. Adding a sort
of Greek Chorus, using modern tunes to the original words (in
translation), seemed to work, as did some of the updating of the
politics. Cathy Mercer directed a very funny play with some very good
performances; the set (Roger Forbes, Jess Abbo and company) was simple
but effective; Richard Lees (and Martin) were responsible for sound and
lighting; the costumes were in some case almost daring, but did seem to
fit the period; and the whole evening was great fun. The programme too
was quite fun, and the information regarding the background of the play
was very useful, although the format was rather cumbersome.
Society: Madhatters Theatre Club
Date: 5th December 2003
Production: The Government Inspector
Venue: Malorees Junior School Hall
Report by: Harvey Kesselman
This latest offering by The Madhatters was received by the audience
with the laughter this very funny satirical comedy deserved. Written in
1835, banned by the censors, a decision, which was subsequently
overruled by Tsar Nicholas 1st, who enjoyed its ridicule of government
bureaucracy in Russia in the nineteenth century. There are, I
understand, several versions (translations), possibly the best known one
being the film starring Danny Kaye entitled "The Inspector General".
The play premiered in London in 1920, opening on Broadway three years
later as The Inspector General. This translation by Guy Williams is
excellent, bringing out the corruption by the officials of a small
provincial town who mistake a petty clerk for the Government Inspector
and load him with bribes and gifts, only to discover, too late, their
mistake. The casting by the company was ideal. It was interesting to
hear the cast use what can only be described as 'mixed northern
accents'. It did seem to work, and these accents were kept up during the
performances. There were (seemingly) no hiccups, and the play ran
smoothly. Roger Kelly as the Mayor was suitably flustered and made
certain his worries were transmitted to the rest of the "officials",
although I felt his costume could have been slightly grander. Paul Hurst
handled the part of the Director well, although he was inclined to be a
bit on the stiff side. Donald Elliott can always be relied upon to get
into whatever character he plays, and his role as the Magistrate suited
him well. I would have liked a little more projection from the
Superintendent of Schools played by Joan Foster. Although I was sitting
in the front row, some of her dialogue was a bit on the quiet side, and
could have been missed by the audience sitting further back. Teresa
Kelly's Postmistress was well portrayed, and her reading of the letter
sent by the supposed Government Inspector, with interruptions by other
members of the cast, was most amusing. The 'double act' of Jess Abbo and
Leo Zhara as Peter John Bobsky and Peter John Dobsky was very funny,
Jess's description of the 'stranger' in the Inn, which causes the
confusion was so well done. He did however have a slight tendency to
make some of the pauses in between sentences rather too long, but
nevertheless, his dialogue was delivered confidently. As the Chief of
Police, Ken Govier was suitably gruff. I did enjoy Corinne Gladstone's
performance as Anna, the Mayor's wife - her acting was delightful. Her
delivery of her dialogue was very good, and she squeezed out all the
comedy the role required. Fiona Cowie, the mayor's daughter, started off
rather hesitantly, but improved as the play progressed. Joseph,
Lestakov's servant, suitably scruffy, was in the capable hands of
Michael Fay, whose Irish accent contrasted with the other players. Cathy
Mercer doubling up as the Waitress and the Sergeant's wife, and Adam
Taussik, as a militant shopkeeper and a Moscow Official, who announces
the arrival of the REAL Government Inspector to the utter confusion of
the town officials, played their parts well. I have left Martin
Redston's peformance as Lestakov (originally Ivan Khlestakov in the
original) until last. This was a tour de force. The amount of dialogue,
and the very long speeches were extremely well done. The gradual descent
to becoming drunk, and all the "money - bribery" scenes were
very funny. I did however feel his costume should have been a better
fit, particularly the waistcoat. This did not detract in any way in his
performance. Stage Manager, Roger Forbes, made certain that all went
smoothly, the lighting was in the control of Richard Lees, the set was
rather minimalist. Having the cast come on to the stage from the back of
the hall worked well, and getting the audience to participate was a nice
touch. The cast were occasionally upstaging each other, and a certain
amount of masking took place. Martin is to be congratulated in his
directing of this piece, and it is only a great shame that the audience
(which was most appreciative) was not larger.
A most enjoyable evening.
|
