I love the Bournemouth Little Theatre. It's one of those old-school, quintessential English theatres and as such I always find it has the effect of rousing a certain pre-show excitement which can so often be lost in the larger theatres before the curtain goes up. Because of this, if you then fill such a wonderful theatre with a packed house of willing theatre-goers and then mix in an Alan Bennett favourite you have all the critical starting ingredients for an evening of fun, farce and frivolity ... and true to form, that was exactly what Bournemouth Little Theatre Club and the cast of 'Habeas Corpus' provided!
For those of you who remember your Latin studies will know that the term 'Habeas Corpus' translates literally to mean "you shall have the body" and as such this play certainly lives up to its name with many different bodies being fondled, undressed, exposed and clutched throughout the evening, such is the storyline!
The play, if you’re not aware, is set among the sex-mad middle classes of Hove, and revolves around the Wicksteed family and their individual battles with lust and love, farcically interspersed with a smattering of trouser-dropping, breast-fondling and skirt-lifting. Because the play was written by Alan Bennett who is known for his poetic prose, however, this play isn’t perhaps what you would expect from a standard Whitehall farce. Indeed, throughout the play there is no shortage of poetry, word-play and well-crafted monologues which enhance the predictable storyline making it much more than just the standard series of compromising situations, (the best of which – I might add – was featuring Chris Huggill as a breast-enhancement inspector!) While undeniably funny, taken as a package it is a rather strange affair, but I have to say that because of the clear directorial vision, some fantastic casting, and a deep-rooted commitment from the entire cast, it succeeds in what it sets out to achieve and a great night was had by all.
The staging was very simple – literally two chairs – meaning the cast had to work doubly hard to dress the stage with themselves, as it were, and to maintain the audiences attention and thus the play’s atmosphere, but they did this with ease. It is fair to say that without exception, each performer held their character solidly and consistently throughout, never letting their facade slip – not an easy feat with such strong characterisations and such a fast-paced script.
The cast was led exceptionally well by Jeremy Austin as Dr Arthur Wicksteed, who – for me – was sublime. His comic timing and deadpan delivery meant that both his one liners and his soliloquies sailed across the audience with ease, bringing a laugh every time. Indeed, I found myself being glad of his presence on stage, enjoying his characterisation which contained glimpses of a ‘Stephen Fry’ or ‘John Cleese-esque’ delivery; a role perfectly played. Alongside him was Lotte Fletcher Jonk who carried off the role of Arthur’s unfulfilled wife with zeal, being the perfect complement to the understatedness of Doctor Wicksteed. Although commanding from the outset, I was especially impressed with her transformation during the ‘breast-fondling’ scene, which was excellently played and hilariously funny but without being over the top. Congratulations must go to whoever cast these two opposite each other – a complementary pairing!
The main element of comic glue which held this performance together for me was Angela Whyatt as Mrs Swabb. The role is seemingly akin to a Shakespearian Chorus, narrating the piece and being part of it at the same time, often in verse. Her caricatured ‘working class’ portrayal, along with some classic one liners (“Nought escapes me in a month of Sundays, for I know when they change their undies”) made her a joy to watch and with her role being one which was on and off stage so quickly but also so frequently, this was not an easy role to do well and still keep up the pace of the piece. Great work!
Praise must go also to Bethany Harris who played Felicity Rumpers, the ‘not-quite-so-innnocent’ object of everyone’s desire. I felt she had the perfect combination of flirtatiousness and disgust at the men surrounding her – and indeed there were a number of men surrounding her! Rory Moncaster played the role of the disgusting, spotty doctor’s son well, and although I felt this role was a little too overplayed, with the characterisation leaning too much towards the Hunchback of Notre Dame than the emasculated, boyish wimp I expected, he maintained the character he had been given consistently and acted well none-the-less. Similarly, I found Denise King as Constance Wicksteed a little too pathetic and wretched when in her ‘flat-chested’ role. I think I was hoping to feel a little more sympathy toward her and to understand more why the Vicar pursued her so, but once she was transformed by her ‘accessories’ into the bucksome beauty, I think she came into her own more and was more watchable and amusing.
The other supporting cast members were equally strong, each playing their character with consistency and confidence – the randy vicar (Alan Dester), the protective mother (Eileen Rawlings), and the suicidal patient (Mike Bicknell), whose cameos I particularly enjoyed! And while almost all the men in this play drop their trousers at some point, credit has to go to Noel Davenport (Percy Shorter) and Chris Huggill (Mr Shanks) whose comic timing, slick delivery and apparent ease with being semi-naked on stage made their respective scenes hilarious!
Overall, the cast acted with confidence and gusto and certainly there were no weak performances on stage tonight. Andrew Whyatt, who directed the play, did a fantastic job at making use of the many entrances and exits available, keeping the action and dialogue moving at all times, as well as having clearly directed the cast well to ensure that no comic moments were missed through lines (or laughter) overlapping the next delivery. I also really liked the musical additions to the play, and indeed the sound as a whole was very good. The music genuinely added to the play whilst being perfectly balanced and timed to ensure none of those awkward ‘sound moments’ where dialogue is lost, or the phone keeps ringing once it’s been picked up.
In closing, I think that it was the combination of Bennett’s multi-faceted approach to an otherwise standard ‘farce’ (using prose, as he is wont to do), the direction from Andrew Whyatt and quality of the leading performers, meaning that I was able to enjoy not only the top layer of fun and frolicking which has you chuckling away, but also the bottom layer of sentimental monologues interspersed throughout the play, which leave the audience with a sense of needing to enjoy and live life to the full, and to value love above lust...
Overall, I can say this was a fun evening out and definitely one to try to see if there are any tickets left! The show looked sold out tonight, but if you’re quick you may still get tickets for later in the week.
Chris Vessey
