Review:
WITH Christmas less than three weeks away there could hardly have been a more appropriate choice for the Club’s December production, even if it did serve to remind us that the old sentiment of Christmas being ‘the season of good will to all men’ is rarely in accordance with reality.
This play shows Alan Ayckbourn shining the spotlight on that time of year when cracks in relationships often become chasms, and he does it with humour and pathos in equal measures to ensure that we laugh even while seeing what lies beneath, as a family Christmas in the Bunker household turns into a nightmare.
The first thing that struck me about this production was the excellent set, cleverly designed to incorporate the separate living areas yet never seeming overcrowded, and a special mention must be made too of the rather fine puppet theatre that was so important a part of the plot.
Whilst Andrew Whyatt’s super production was well cast throughout, there were two people who, for me, really stood out. Lotte Fletcher-Jonk is one of those performers who really gets under the skin of her characters and makes them absolutely believable, and as Belinda, wife of electronic whizz-kid Neville (Don Cherrett), she was a joy. Tim Farrer has that same quality and his portrayal of Clive, a writer invited along by Belinda’s sister, Rachel (Tess Hutton) was highly detailed in every way.
Don Gent was wonderfully irascible as Neville’s uncle, Harvey, although he might have been wiser not to attempt a northern accent as it tended to come and go somewhat. Cathy Murray was delightfully loud as Neville’s sister, Phyllis, and I loved Chaz Davenport’s warm, moving characterisation of her husband, Bernard. There were well considered performances too from Emma Moran (Pattie) and Alan Dester (Eddie).
Linda Kirkman |
poster