Blithe Spirit - Review - People's Theatre

Blithe Spirit

People's Theatre
15th November 2018

The People's Theatre production of Blithe Spirit is a delight. Light hearted and fun, it is the perfect pick-me-up for the end of a busy week.

The set is a sumptuous depiction of a country house, complete with leather chesterfield and wingback armchair, drinks trolley and French windows with just a glimpse of wisteria covered garden wall. it is perfect for the setting of Coward's witty comedy.

Charles and Ruth Condomine (Ian Willis and Emma Weetch) have arranged a dinner party with friends Dr and Mrs Bradman (John MacDonald and Karen Elliot) and invited a local medium, Madame Arcati (Maggie Childs) to hold a séance as research for Charles' latest book. Neither the Condomines nor the Bradmans believe Madame Arcati is genuine and they take great delight in making fun of her "performance" during the séance. However much to the surprise of Charles, he discovers that Mme Arcati has in fact summoned the spirit of Elvira (Alison Carr) his deceased first wife. Only Charles can see and hear Elvira and he has to convince Ruth that he is not playing a joke on her, or indeed, going mad!  Obviously there are many misunderstandings as Ruth hears Charles talking to Elvira, and assumes he is talking to her. Elvira, of course is as mischievous - and petulant - in death as she was in life - and creates as much disruption as possible. She wants her husband back - and, since she is dead, there is only one way to achieve this. Charles - flattered by the attention cannot see the danger. Of course it all goes terribly wrong and Charles' life - and his wife's death become even more complicated.

Best performances of the night go to Maggie Childs as the brilliantly eccentric Madame Arcati, and Nicky Dexter who is hilarious as the long-suffering maid, Edith.

The set, costumes, lighting and special effects combined with strong performances from the cast combine to make this a delightful production.

Blithe Spirit runs until Sat 17th Nov. It's proving a popular choice so book your tickets in advance to be sure of a seat!

Denise Sparrowhawk

Review - No Sex Please, We're British - Royalty Theatre

No Sex Please, We're British!

Royalty Theatre
24th Sept 2018

Written by Anthony Marriott and Allister Foot
Directed by Andrew Barella and David Farn


The Royalty's opening show of the season is a classic British farce - that staple of any game of charades in the 70s - No Sex Please We're British!

The play is set firmly in the 1970s and reflects the society at that time. Peter and Frances Hunter are newly weds, just settling into their flat above the bank where Peter is assistant manager. The flat is provided by the bank, and offers them little in the way of privacy - an intercom links the flat directly to the bank downstairs. Wanting to speed up her dream of owning a house with a garden, Frances has ordered a consignment of luxury Swedish Glassware to sell. This goes against the bank's policy which prohibits their manager's wives from working.  As if this was not bad enough, when the consignment arrives they discover to their horror that it is infact pornographic photographs. Add to this the arrival of Peter's mother, the regional manager of the bank, the financial inspector, and a missing cheque and you have the recipe for potential disaster. Lives could be ruined - and discovery must be avoided at all costs. Hilarity ensues as Peter and Frances, helped and hindered by head clerk Brian Runnicles, try to extricate themselves from this unfortunate predicament.

The set is simple - the living room of the flat with a selection of doors to facilitate the door slamming and room hopping which is a requirement of a good farce, and a malfunctioning sliding partition to the kitchen, used throughout for physical comedic effect. The set itself is fairly nondescript - it could be from almost any era, but the costumes (by Laura Finlay and Sue Bailey) are bang on 70s with wing banger collars, beige suits and amorphous print dresses. Director Andrew Barella chose to keep the 1970s setting but he could easily have set this play in the present and it would have worked (with just a bit of a feminist tweak) in light of the recent revelations about sexual misconduct in high places.

The cast do a stirling job, eliciting plenty of belly laughs from the audience as the situation becomes

more and more farcical and the attempts to remedy things lead to more and more outlandish ideas and consequences. Lee Wilkins portrayal of the increasingly desperate banker, does not  disappoint, while Nichol Kilty gives good support as his beleaguered wife. the star of the show is undoubtedly Tom Kelly as Brian Runnicles, who flounces and sulks his way through the many outrageous attempts to dispose of the illicit materials. Mik Richardson adds to the hilarity of the final act with and over the top performance of sleeping pill induced stupor. Special mention should also go to the two ladies of the night - not mentioned in the programme - who provide the spice in the final act.

There are of course some first night hitches - boxes that refuse to perform, and scenery that wobbles perilously when the doors slam, one or two stutters over lines, but there are also plenty of well delivered lines, pregnant pauses and raging innuendo. It's a fun start to the season - as long as you take the 70s misogyny with a pinch of salt!

No Sex Please runs until Saturday 29th Sept - advance booking gets you a reduced price on the ticket but even at £9 on the door it will hardly break the bank! Book at Ticketsource .

Denise Sparrowhawk

Preview - No Sex Please We're British - Royalty Theatre

ROYALTY THEATRE BEGIN 2018/19 SEASON WITH NO SEX PLEASE, WE’RE BRITISH

Nichol Kilty, Tom Kelly, Lee WIlkins

Credit: Royalty Theatre

Sunderland's Royalty Theatre will begin their upcoming season with the classic comedy No Sex Please, We’re British.

The farce by Alistair Foot and Anthony Marriott follows the misfortunes of banker Peter Hunter and his new wife Frances, whose attempt to order some Scandinavian glassware by mail goes awry. Instead of glassware they receive videos, books, photographs – and visits from young ladies – of the sort they wouldn’t wish their visiting relatives or banking superiors to find out about.

The original play starred Michael Crawford, and the film version, Ronnie Corbett - no small shoes to fill for the Royalty cast. They have fielded a strong team with Royalty regular Lee Wilkins taking the lead role, and Nichol Kilty playing his wife, while Tom Kelly co-stars as Peter’s friend (and the bank’s chief cashier) Brian.

No Sex Please, We're British runs from 24^th to 29^th September.

Tickets are £9/£7.50 on the night or £8/£6.50 in advance and can be booked online via  www.ticketsource.co.uk/royaltytheatre or by telephone on 0333 666 3366.

Season Preview - Royalty Theatre

ROYALTY THEATRE ANNOUNCES 2018/19 SEASON 

The Royalty Theatre have announced the programme for their 2018/19 season, and it is a strong programme with a great mix of plays which we are very much looking forward to!

They begin a packed season with classic comedy No Sex Please, We’re British. 

The farce by Alistair Foot and Anthony Marriott kicks off a season that theatre bosses believe has something for everyone.  It’s joined in the comedy stakes by May’s Barefoot in the Park, the film version of which starred Robert Redford and Jane Fonda.

For fans of suspense drama, Daphne du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel will be performed in October and November, and the time-honoured favourite Dial M for Murder is the Royalty’s March offering.  Hobson’s Choice in February and Jane Austen’s Emma in June add to the drama.

The annual pantomime this year is Jack and The Beanstalk by local writer David Farn.

Once again, the studio is put to use for intimate small scale productions with the premier in  January of Billy Towers’ Mary, Mary, based on the life of Jack the Ripper victim Mary Kelly.  April’s studio production is John Godber and Jane Thornton’s Shakers (Re-stirred)

Thanks to the popularity of last year’s A Night at the Musicals, The Royalty are reprising this for two nights only on September 7^th and 8^th.

Visiting companies include Pink Floyd tribute act What the Floyd, appearing on 5^th October.  Sunderland Stages return to the Royalty with Red Ladder Theatre’s The Damned United, the story of Sunderland and Middlesbrough legend Brian Clough’s ill-fated 44 days at Leeds United, on 13^th and 14^th November.

Artistic Director Nikki Slack says, “We’re now raring to go for the 2018-19 season. We have a year packed with a range of diverse plays that will appeal to all. Recent media has been much focussed on equality and ‘Girl Power’ is certainly coming back with a bang! Our programme of plays this coming season shines the spotlight on our female talent from more female-centred plays to our female directors and technicians.”

Tickets are on sale now at www.ticketsource.co.uk/royaltytheatre.  
Tickets for The Damned United are available from the Sunderland Stages website.

Move Over Mrs Markham - Review - Royalty Theatre

Move Over Mrs Markham

Royalty Theatre
24th May 2018

The setting is a London flat in the 1980s, new home to Joanna and Philip Markham. The Markhams have been married for 15 yrs. Philip works as junior partner in a publishing firm. Their steady, settled marriage is a complete contrast to their friends Linda and Henry Lodge. Henry is the senior partner in the firm. He often works late "entertaining clients" leaving Philip to do the actual graft.  His wife Linda is aware that these clients are are just excuses to hide his philandering and decides to embark on an affair for revenge. Linda arranges with Joanna to use their flat to meet her lover, Walter Pangbourne. Meanwhile, Henry has arranged with Philip to meet his latest conquest there the same night. Meanwhile, unknown to both Joanna and Philip, their interior designer has designs on their au pair and has arranged to meet her on her evening off - in the Markham's flat. Throw into this a genuine, high profile new client who has high moral standards (she has left her old publisher because there was too much sex going on...) and you have a recipe for disaster.
Cue then, much room hopping and misinterpretation of events as they all try to avoid letting cats out of bags and imaginary dogs out of baskets!

It builds nicely through the first act and though the pace drops off a little at times in Act Two, there are plenty of laughs and some brilliantly over the top acting. Corinne Kilvington and Tom Kelly steal the show as the beleaguered Joanna Markham, (disapproving of her friend's behaviour, and falsely accused by her husband, desperately trying to keep everyone's secrets and make things right) and her  flamboyant interior designer, Alistair Spendlow. Ryan Rowntree drinks his way through the play perfectly as the laid back, smooth-talking, womanising Henry.

All in all this is an entertaining bedroom romp.
There are two performances tonight and Saturday - it will brighten your bank holiday weekend if you go along to see it.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Preview - Move Over Mrs Markham - Royalty Theatre

ROYALTY THEATRE TO PRODUCE MOVE OVER MRS. MARKHAM

The Royalty Theatre will continue their 2017/18 season with Ray Cooney and John Chapman’s comic caper, Move Over Mrs. Markham.

The frantic farce follows the attempts by three pairs of lovers to get use of Philip and Joanna Markham’s empty flat one evening to carry on their affairs. Joanna’s best friend Linda wishes to woo her civil servant beau, while Philip’s business partner Henry, Linda’s husband, hopes to “entertain an important client” while no-one else is about.  Interior designer Alistair and au pair Sylvie have their own plans – and it’s not long before the evening has descended into a maelstrom of deceptions, misunderstandings and sauerkraut sandwiches.

Director John Appleton says, “Move Over Mrs. Markham is a good old-fashioned British farce – it’s high-energy, with a touch of the risqué, but above all, hilarious.  We’ve all had great fun in rehearsal with the play and I’m sure audiences will love it.” 

Credit: Royalty Theatre

A talented cast includes Tom Kelly, Sean Landless and Corinne Kilvington, who takes the role of Mrs. Markham.  Newcomers Nichol Kilty and Amber Peters also star.

"Move Over Mrs Markham" runs from 21st-26th May. The show starts at 7.30pm and doors open from 6.45pm. Tickets can be booked via www.ticketsource.co.uk/royaltytheatre or on 0333 666 3366, and are priced at £8 (£6.50 concessions).

Review - Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense - Royalty Theatre

Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense

Royalty Theatre
19th March 2018

Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense is based on the story "The Code of the Woosters" written by P G Wodehouse in 1938. It takes the form of a play within a play as Bertie stages a dramatic representation of the recent events at Totleigh Towers.
It begins with Bertie introducing his idea of the play, which is to be a One Man Show performed by himself. After all, he says, how hard could it be? It very soon becomes apparent that it is considerably harder than Bertie had imagined and he calls on his Butler Jeeves to assist. Fortunately the ever resourceful Jeeves, knowing the shortcomings of his master has anticipated the problem and made arrangements in the form of scenery, and supporting actors. Or to be precise, supporting butlers. He has recruited fellow butlers Seppings and Wilkins to play themselves, and all the other characters in the play - including the female characters. And so we are set up for a play with wobbly scenery, terrible wigs, and unconvincing acting as the two butlers find themselves having to play several characters, often at the same time. They exit suddenly stage left to return seconds later sporting a wig, or a hat, or a frock. It provides for some ridiculous and hilarious moments, most of which are scripted, though on the first night quite a few were not quite, and there was a lot of opportunity for ad libbing, as props refused to co-operate, costumes malfunctioned and the actors swapped character so quickly they confused even themselves!

This is not classic Wodehouse as you might expect it. The script may well use his erudite words but most of the laughter comes from the physical humour. James Errington as Bertie has the challenging job of  keeping the narrative going for the entire play, not so easy when your scenery misbehaves and your fellow cast members are in danger of corpsing. He copes admirably with the trials the performance throws his way. There are quite a few moments that may, or may not, have been scripted, and some that certainly weren't. It's a tribute to Errington's presence of mind that he was able to negotiate his way through all of them and transform them into assets to the performance.

John Seymour plays Jeeves with the most convincing sang-froid of a truly great English butler. Dead pan throughout almost all of the proceedings, he allows himself only the slightest show of disdain, a tad more disgust at one point, and just a touch of butler-ish smugness when required.

The stars of the show however have to be Seppings and Wilkins who swap between characters at a frenetic pace. I think they and the rest of the cast can be forgiven for occasionally forgetting which one they were meant to be playing. Now, pay attention - Lee Wilkins plays (slightly confusingly) Wilkins, Sir Watkin Bassett, Madeline Bassett, Gussie Fink-Nottle and Stiffy Byng. The scene where he has to be both Sir Watkin Bassett and Madeline Bassett at the same time is a classic. Thom Kelly plays Seppings, Proprietor (of the antique store  - a rare silver cow creamer is integral to the story, but you will need to see the play to find out how and why; it is simply beyond the scope of this reviewer to even begin to explain the rest of the plot), Butterfield, and Wooster's Aunt Dahlia. He nails each one but his Aunt Dahlia is an absolute triumph.

The lighting and sound crew are spot on - most notably when the scenic malfunction required a discreet blackout! The set and costumes are a mix of simplicity and ingenuity, adding authenticity and humour to the play.

There is a lot going on in this play, and Alex Goodchild has set himself quite a challenge for his directorial debut. Judging from his comments in the programme and the obvious fun that was being had on stage, I suspect directing this lot may have been not dissimilar to herding cats and mostly it has worked. It may not be entirely perfect. There is a certainly a lot of nonsense. But, it is very funny, entertaining nonsense.

Jeeves and Wooster will be perfecting their nonsense until Saturday 24th March. Get along to it.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Season's Greetings -review- People's Theatre

Season's Greetings By Alan Ayckbourn

People's Theatre

Presented by special arrangement with Samuel French Ltd

Season's Greetings dates from 1980 and combines the highly comical powers of farce with the bleak view of families, marriages and ‘Christmas togetherness’

As I walked into the theatre I instantly notice the set, which was most impressive and looked very much like how you would expect a middle class family house to look like at Christmas in the early eighties. The attention to detail is quite special. The only thing missing was the television, which was mimed. This stood out to me as everything else was present, except the children who were always off screen. Some productions have included the children and while I didn't think that was particularly necessary, some sound effects would have helped create the illusion that  they were there in the background somewhere.   

"I'll tell you what I've bought them all for Christmas - a gun" 

This gem of dialogue is delivered in the very first scene in which we encounter Harvey and Bernard at Christmas Eve. Harvey, a paranoid,  cantankerous, grumpy and violence obsessed man is Neville and Phillis’s uncle, and is played excellently by Tony Neale. We see him amused by the violent and cathartic Christmas film he's engrossed in throughout the first few scenes. 

Bernard however (played by Phil Hodes) is not amused by this and isn't a fan of sex and

violence. He is a failed doctor who is obsessed with putting on a puppet show that everyone hates.

Belinda, the lady of the house (played by Anna Dobson) is married to long suffering husband Neville (played by Sam Hinton), who seems to have an OCD like obsession with fiddling and fixing things. Flirtatious Belinda, isn't exactly the typical happily married wife and the couple bicker throughout, in fact they all do.

Our second couple is Pattie (played by Kate Reilly) and Eddie (played by Reg White) Pattie is heavily pregnant and Eddie is extremely lazy and seems to want to do the bare minimum (reminds me of one of my relatives!)  I think everyone can relate to this family predicament on some level, which is a good part of the appeal. 

Rachel (played by Ellie Pullen) is Belinda's sister and has invited her potential partner Clive (played by Ben Ostell) over. He is a writer, with a solitary novel under his belt, which no one seems to have read or heard of. This queues lots of writing jokes and stereotypes about writers, one of which is a hilarious drunken misunderstanding about train drivers, which should be dated in modern times, but easily got the biggest laugh of the night. The misunderstanding is from Phyllis (played by Alison Carr) Bernard's wife, who he quit his role as a doctor to look after. She seems, amongst other problems, to have a dependency on alcohol, but then who doesn't at Christmas time, and with a family like

this.    

The play takes place over four days Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the 27th December. For some reason they still haven't opened their presents by midnight on Christmas Day, rule of funny I guess, as this leads to a funny scene before the break, involving the unwrapped presents. 

Regarded as one of Alan's best works, all the acting is of a good standard and you believe in all of the characters and their intricacies. It's very middle class and I'm sure we can all recognise a fair few of these characters from our own Christmas gatherings. There are funny slapstick moments throughout and the soundtrack that plays before scenes is that perfect blend of misery and joy at Christmas. I found it amusing, which is not always a given for a farce, especially one written with the humour of 1980s theatre taken into consideration. If you hate Christmas you will get as much, if not more,out of this, than all those fans of yuletide. Merry Christmas everyone, only thirty nine sleeps till Christmas day!

Frank Cromartie Murphy                                              *photo credit Jim Mohan