Archives - July 2007
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Archives - July 2007 |
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Produced by Mary Frost
THE PLAY
A comedy set in the present day. Several mismatched people meet up on a caravan site. Sue is an author seeking peace and quiet. Neville and Mary holiday there at the same time every year; this time, Mary's sister Liz is with them having left her husband. Tony and girlfriend Jenny are taking a break with Tony's kids, much against Jenny's better judgement.
Boring, know-it-all Neville insists on instilling camaraderie by having a group barbecue. Mary spends the time telling everyone Liz's problems, until Liz storms off. Meanwhile Jenny is sulking, convinced Tony is having a fling with Sue. When Liz doesn't return, everyone goes to search for her and - eventually, late at night - she returns with Tony. Both of them are drenched, Tony have mistaken her late-night swim for a suicide attempt. Drying off in Sue's caravan leads to a full-blown argument with Jenny, who assumes that Tony is sleeping with first Sue, then Liz.
By the time Tony and Jenny have patched up their relationship, Neville has finally reached the end of his tether with Mary and rebelled. Liz has become fixated on Tony, but been fended off. The play ends with Neville ignoring Mary while enjoying flying a kite. Sue looks on, having realised this is the plot for her novel.
FROM THE GROUP
In
fact, the group performed this play in July not August as might be suggested
from the title. The play had already been decided but not cast when I took it
on: I didn't mind too much however because I thought it was a really good play
with witty dialogue. We were soon cast and off and running. The setting was a
rather second rate caravan site and required a little ingenuity by the set
construction crew to achieve this. The end result they came up with was
marvelous with an awning and sides of caravan and the overall effect was
extremely realistic.
Nothing much actually happens during the course of the play: it is more an
observation of people and their inter-action with each other. Each has their own
foibles and hangups and is well defined by the author. In fact most of us had
met people like the characters appearing on the stage. Again Dave Holden
excelled as the boring but well meaning Neville, the sort of person many of us
have been saddled with and unable to get away from. After being a long term
supporter, then patron and finally full member, Annabel Baker made her acting
debut as Neville's repressed wife and took to the stage like a duck to water.
Many laughs ensued particularly at the ill fated barbecue held on the campsite
which ended with Neville being pelted with sausages by his irate wife. A word
also must be mentioned in praise of the two cast members who had to be drenched
from head to toe after a swim in the sea. Fortunately the weather was warm
during our perfomances!!
Mary - Producer
(Click To View)
PREVIEWS & REVIEWS
Preview from the Worthing Herald, 5th July 2007
Review from the Worthing Herald, 26th July 2007
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