Seasons Greetings - People's Theatre- Review

Season's Greetings

People's Theatre 
14th Nov 2017

Written by Alan Ayckbourn
Directed by Hugh Keegan


The first thing that strikes you as you take your seat for the People's Theatre's current production is the set. It is a mini reproduction of a beautiful, well-to-do home; living room with leather armchair, dining room with impressive dining suite and drinks cabinet, a hall with Christmas Tree and presents at the foot of stairs leading to a landing. Two low walls delineate the boundaries between the downstairs rooms, and two doors can be seen leading - we will discover - outside to the front of the house, and to the kitchen and the back of the house. At the top of the stairs a door leads to the out-of-sight bedrooms. As we will soon discover much of the important drama happens offstage in the rooms that cannot be seen by the audience.

A family and friends have gathered in this beautiful house to celebrate Christmas together. They all know each other well and it is clear that this is a ritual Christmas gathering. The hostess Belinda, (Anna Dobson) decorates the tree while her sister-in-law, Phyllis (Alison Carr) is in the kitchen preparing the Christmas Eve supper. Uncle Harvey (Tony Neale) watches a film on TV, drawing each member of the household in to share the action at different points: "Oh this is a good bit this, watch! There he goes! Ha ha ha!" This becomes a refrain through scene one.
It looks at first like a perfect Christmas scene, but the cracks gradually begin to show. Other than Harvey the men are no-where to be seen. Pregnant Patty (Kate Reilly) is upstairs trying to settle the overexcited children and calls for her husband, Eddie (Reg White) to come up to their son, who won't settle till he sees his father. Belinda's husband Neville (Sam Hinton) appears and is reprimanded for not serving drinks that were asked for over an hour earlier, and he and Belinda spat while Eddie finds excuses not to go upstairs. Bernard (PhilHodes) appears, flustered from the kitchen where Phyllis, a little the worse for drink has had a mishap. And so it goes...as the festive season progresses the jealousies and resentments are revealed. The only one who seems happy is Harvey as he gleefully pokes and prods at the weak spots like a boy prodding a sleeping bear with a stick.

Into this dysfunctional group comes Clive, (Ben Ostell) the new blood. The "sort of" new boyfriend

of youngest sister Rachel (Ellie Pullen). He is good looking and interesting - a writer, a divorcee -

and he has an impact on the women, and the balance, of the house. There is an immediate attraction between him and Belinda - which will lead to the hilarious climax of Act 1. There is a sense that this Christmas story has played along the same lines for several years and that this year Clive will prove to be a catalyst that changes the direction of the usual holiday bickering. Throughout the play Ayckbourn drops little hints and clues to the plot - if you are paying attention you will be able to see how the action will unfold and you just know it is not going to end well! The idea of the family Christmas from hell has become something of a stereotype, but Ayckbourn's observation of character is incisive, and he gives the situation enough of a twist to avoid the stereotype. He shows us the fragility and the strength of family relationships and he does it with immense humour - from the dancing reindeer and erratic alarm clock, to Bernard's painfully funny and farcical puppet show.

The cast performances are excellent - the timing and delivery under the direction of Hugh Keegan, are spot on. The puppet show is a tour de force as Patty confuses the pig puppets and causes chaos with her bump in the confined space, and Harvey gives a running commentary of sarcasm on Bernard's excruciatingly tedious show.

This is a great seasonal show - a perfect antidote to the tinsel and twee-ness of Christmas adverts and perfect preparation for the cut and thrust of the season of Christmas shopping!

Season's Greetings plays until 18th November.

Denise Sparrowhawk                                                                      *photo credit: Jim Mohan

Hi-De-Hi! - People's Theatre - Review

Hi-de-Hi!

Photographs by Paula Smart

People's Theatre
3rd Oct 2017

It's 1956 and holiday camps are the place to go for a fun filled family holiday. We are at Maplins, Crimpton-on-Sea, all set to be entertained by the team of Yellowcoats - under the watchful eye of Gladys Pugh.
The evening's entertainment starts even before we reach the auditorium, as smiling Yellowcoats greet us in the foyer bar and welcome us to Maplins, handing out "Guess the Baby" competition sheets and encouraging us to join in the games and activities later. On the tables there are invitations to  ballroom dancing demonstrations with Yvonne and Barry. It is all very nicely done and sets the mood for the play that is to come.

The stage is set on two levels - at the back, raised up, is Mr Fairbrother's office, business-like with its desk and telephones, while at the front we have holiday camp itself, complete with striped beach hut style entrances leading off stage to "staff only" areas. This area is transformed from staff room to Hawaiian Ballroom with a roll of a tea-trolley or Peggy's cleaning cart. And of course in one corner we have Gladys's office, complete with microphone for the P A system and the glockenspiel. As we settle into our seats the music starts and the Yellowcoats enter. Gladys takes her seat, picks up the sticks, hits those three notes and says "Hello campers, Hi-de-Hi!" our half hearted Ho-de-Ho! is chastised in lilting welsh, "Oh, come on now, you can do better than that! Let's try again..."
This is it, the holiday has begun.

The play is a joy to watch, recreating on stage the characters so expertly drawn for television by Jimmy Perry and David Croft. Rye Mattick is perfect as the simpering and smouldering Gladys Pugh, trying to attract the attention of Jeff Fairbrother, and the haughtiness as she bosses the other Yellowcoats - her body language and facial expressions are classic and will have you laughing out loud! Sean Burnside is equally perfect as the gauche and self conscious Jeffrey Fairbrother, like a fish out of water trying to cope with the demands of both his job as Entertainments Manager and as the object of Gladys's affections. His halting, stuttering delivery is quite brilliant. These two are the stars of the show, aided and abetted by the rest of the cast.

The Yellowcoats sparkle and smile, Barry and Yvonne (Gordon and Val Russell) snipe and carp their way gracefully across the dance floor, Fred Quilly (Andrew De'ath) and Mr Partridge (Mike Smith) grumble and argue, while Ted and Spike (Jack Thompson and Paul Gaitsell) keep us entertained with bad jokes and terrible contests, and Peggy (Alison Carr) cleans the chalets and dreams of becoming a Yellowcoat.



It's funny, warm, lighthearted comedy in a production that is true to the original in every sense - the only thing missing is the Olympic sized swimming pool.

It runs until Sat 7th October and is perfect light entertainment.

Denise Sparrowhawk