Reviews for Simply Theatre - October 2005

Simply Theatre - A Review

Having never been treated to an opening performance of one of PVADS productions of one-act plays before, it was with some excitement I took my seat at the table on Thursday evening. I shall, out of sheer devilment, begin at the end.

The third of the plays was entitled 'Black Comedy' and was a piece set with one striking difference - all lighting in the play was reversed. That is, when the players believed they were acting in the light, the stage was pitch black and when the players were in darkness, the stage was brightly lit. The reason for this is the underpin of the entire play - there is a blown fuse affecting the apartment in which the action is set and the players must wait for the maintenance man from London Electricity Board to appear and fix the problem.

It is within this midnight (yet fully lit) world that the characters come to life. There is the deceitful sculptor (effortlessly portrayed by Darren Little); the dim debutante (Kate Powell); the stuffy ex-Army papa (Paul Hornbogen); the wonderfully distinct (not so) ex girlfriend (marvellously modelled by Serena McGuinness); the fanciful friend and neighbour (Nick Mitchell-Briggs); the foreign and highly educated electricity repairman (Steve Clements); the underused Art Expert (John Lavis); and the teetotaller preacher's daughter (Simone Lay). The darkness of their world seems to tap into the darkness within them all - Simone's character soon finding the joy of gin after a mishap, Nick's finding his inner devil after being 'spurned' by the main character and realising Darren had stolen his furniture, and Serena gleefully meddling in all the business of others whilst giving Darren some long overdue payback.

I could not find fault with a single member of this cast - all were fantastic, and every one was exceedingly well acted and directed.

In contrast, and retrospect, the first offering seems by far the less well prepared piece. It would be unfair of me to pick a just reason for this; but suffice it to say that underneath the first-night nerves and at times awkward script, the cast was brim-full of talent and eagerness - two attributes that stand the cast and the Society as a whole in extremely good stead for the future.

As a pair of older gentlemen were overheard saying, it was "delightfully silly" stuff - a tapestry coming to life and one of thee 15th Century maidens shopping in M&S for thermal underwear and acquiring a MacDonalds on the way back all whilst correcting an historical wrong. I would have to agree with them.

The second performance was, unfortunately, billed as a thriller. I say unfortunately because, despite what I am certain was not it's original purpose, the play was one of the funniest things I have seen on stage in a long time.

Part of this was due to the premise - in a dark rural village on Halloween, the villagers call the "recently dead" back to their homes and loved ones (presumably for a cup of tea and a gossip).

However, in this particular cottage, the previous occupant (Nettie Fishlock - magnificently performed by Simone Lay) hhas darker motives than simple sisterly affection for her dead brother. Her affection runs deeper and her wish to carry on an illicit and incestuous relationship with her deceased brother, Mark, brings disaster on a pair of holidaying city-folk.

Mark (played with all the silence and solidity of an original Boris Karlov by John Lavis) finds the allure of Joanna (played by Kay Davies who, however, did not seem to find the role particularly challenging) an anodyne to that of his aging and embittered sister all too much. In the flash point of the scene, Joanna is killed and her grieving author husband (Andy Vowles) makes the decision to have her body buried in the village graveyard so he, too, can partake in "The Wakening" (I am unsure of that exact term as in the play the event is called The Awakening, The Wakening) instead of letting her rest in pieces after being cremated back in the city. The addition of the "local weirdo", played by Nettie Powell, made the cast and story complete.

Hearty congratulations must be sent to all the cast and production crew involved in all three plays, and thanks for providing an evening full of belly-aching laughs and amusements to fit all palates.

Review by Dominic Murray

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PVADS Simply Theatre.

Three contrasting one act plays provided a challenge for Pewsey's Amateur Dramatic Society with contrasts in both style and subject matter.

"Time and Rosemary" was played with the delicate femininity required, bringing to life an historical tapestry and displaying the talents of the emerging Youth Theatre. Under Nettie Powell's expert guidance a maturity, from this young cast, was revealed beyond their years.

"The Walking Dead" was an unpleasant little piece, timed to the approach of All Souls Night. A pervading air of malevolence hung over each disaster that beset the ill-fated couple in search of a peaceful weekend, played by Kay Davis and Andy Vowles. The appearance of the local weird woman expertly played by Simone Lay, plus the quirky Sybil (Nettie Powell) added to the crescendo as the play reached its evil climax, with the appearance of a grey and ethereal John Lavis as the Walking Dead. Martin Clifton's experience was evident in this spine chiller.

Finally, "Black Comedy" by Peter Shaffer demanded concentration for the cast throughout. The play set in a London flat in the 1960's, started in complete darkness, setting the scene for a major electricity failure. The actors fumbled and felt their way convincingly, adopting the blank stares of sightlessness. Lifelike character portrayals, good casting and expert timing together with quality performances put this play in a class of its own.

Laughter was spontaneous as Darren Little created impossible situations for himself and Simone Lay gave a classical portrayal of a spinster who takes a liking to the gin bottle. Nick Mitchell Briggs as the effeminate neighbour, Kate Powell, convincingly immature, Paul Hornbogen, a crusty colonel - they are all worthy of the highest praise.

PVADS goes from strength to strength, they deserve the support and encouragement of the local community.

Pantomime 2006 "1001 Arabian Nights", will be staged on Friday and Saturday January 13/14 & 20/21. PVADS on tour will be coming your way soon.

Review by Pam Carder.

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Each night we left out comment sheets for our audiences,
and here is what they had to say (more to follow)

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