Ann St.Clair-Stannard - Exclusive Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Reviews

“KILLING TIME”

It must be a very tall order to act in a play which has only two characters in it. There is no respite. You are on stage consistently for about two hours.  A lot of the dialogue is in short exchange of sentences.  This, I know from experience, is an extremely difficult feat.  It is much easier to learn long declamatory dialogue such as you find in the works of Shaw or Shakespeare.

 “Killing Time” by Richard Stockwell is one of those convoluted thrillers which keep you on the edge of your theatre seat, following every twist and turn of the plot. There is no dead body.  But there’s much discussion about how to bring about a murder.
Huw Higginson plays one of the characters, Rick - an ex-jailbird who is returning with relish to his wicked ways in the underworld. This is a truly magnificent performance.  From the first moment he appears one feels a creeping sense of menace that builds up throughout the play.  He is a big, well-built man and gives the impression of possessing suppressed violence waiting for an outlet.

The time is the present and Jane, played by Hannah Waterman, has been tricked into giving a lift home in her car to a fellow customer at the local supermarket.  She appears to be trusting enough but, of course, all is not as it seems: otherwise there would be no plot!  Hannah exudes a certain frailty which contrasts well with her acting partner’s lurking brutality.

“Two handers”, as these kind of plays are generally called, do help the finances of the theatre; and great credit is due to the two actors that they did not allow “Killing Time” to flag at any point.  The play deserves good audiences. We’ve come to expect a high standard from Ian Dickens who both produced and directed this thriller.  Its success depended upon astute direction as well as total co-operation between the two players and the Director in order that the complicated plot could unfold at exactly the right pace.  A veritable brain teaser!!

Ann St.Clair-Stannard - Exclusive Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Reviews

“MURDER WITH LOVE”

 The thriller, whether represented by a book, a play or a film, is an almost forgotten genre. For more years than I can remember Edgar Wallace together with Agatha Christie had an enormous following with their whodunnit stories.  They were virtually puzzles, which held to a certain formula.  You were presented with a group of characters, one of whom soon gets murdered.  The rest of the story possesses clues about the identity of the murderer; ideally it turns out to be the least suspected person.  There is usually a Police Inspector or perhaps a Private Detective who emerges as the hero of the hour.
Francis Durbridge, who died in 1998, was very good at constructing complicated plots – plots which keep you on the edge of your theatre seat. This time his thriller “Murder With Love” has two stage sets wherein the whole action takes place.

Larry Campbell (Marcus Hutton) tells his brother, Roy (Edward Thorpe) that he has just returned from America where he has sold Roy’s invention for $200,000 but had to register the sale under his own name for legal purposes.  To make things more complicated Larry’s glamorous wife, Clare (Jacqueline Roberts), is desperately in love with a successful barrister in the person of David Ryder. Neil Stacy, gives an impressive and commanding performance as Ryder who becomes the prime suspect in the murder of Larry.

Leslie Grantham gives a seasoned portrayal of the Police Inspector, Cleaver, infusing his appearance with quiet menace. Altogether this play put me in mind of the golden age of television drama when Francis Durbridge was providing murder mysteries pretty frequently.  The riddle of a who-dunnit taxes the most agile of brains; but I suppose “every dog has his day” and we cannot expect a regular diet of this kind of theatre.  It’s rather like the formality of Greek drama giving way to more realistic plays in ancient times. All the same I would say that “Murder With Love” has stood the test of time.

I found it most diverting, especially when an extremely loud shot unexpectedly rang out while we were glued to the action on stage visibly causing almost everybody to jump out of their seats!

Ann St.Clair-Stannard - Exclusive Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Reviews

The backdrop of Broadway and Hollywood is cleverly indicated; while the love interest (Jolson had four wives) was provided by the very talented Donna Steele.  Playing five completely different women, including Mae West, was a tour de force   I had to pinch myself to believe that all these girls were portrayed by the same one person.  Donna's sinuous movements while playing Mae West were a joy to watch; while her sweetness and common sense as Al's last wife, Erle, were totally credible.

Some of the songs had their origins made plain.  Jolson's mother died in childbirth: hence the most famous of them all, "My Mammy", was written as a tribute to her as well as to his eight-year-old self coming home from school and seeing her die a moment or two later.

Most people, I think, associate Jolson with being a minstrel, performing with his face blacked up   Nowadays such a thing is considered to be not politically correct, although I think that it showed great respect for this form of entertainment.

The story of "Jolson" is not without its ups and downs. When the motion picture industry employed Al to make films his technique was hilariously inappropriate and he had to temper his hugely histrionic ebullience to the much quieter pace of the medium.  Nevertheless, Jolson's powerful magnetism never diminished. Throughout his long career he continued to mesmerise audiences wherever he went.

 "TONS OF MONEY"

Last week we enjoyed a quasi-comedy by Alan Ayckbourn, "Life & Beth".  This week we've been treated to his re-working of the 1922 farce by Will Evans & Archibald Thomas, "Tons of Money" - the latter play set in the traditional drawing room complete with French windows opening onto the garden.

The farcical tradition of a plot based on mistaken identity which brings about hilarious situations is strictly adhered to.  We have false beards, elaborate body movements, doors bursting open and a wild chase through the set. The scenario of a well-to-do country house is represented by a set designed by Simon Bouillon.  He gives us the time honoured elegant interior that playgoers of the period grew to expect. The various characters portrayed are typical of a West End play of that time.  There's a butler (Christopher Timothy), a maid (Finty Williams), a maiden aunt (Janet Henfrey), a "bright young thing" (Lysette Anthony) and a variety of leading actors who include Caroline Langrishe, Mark Curry and Eric Richard.

Taken in its context "Tons of Money" works quite well as a farce.  No matter what period it is based in farce is always funny if it is done well.  Doing it "well", however, can be extremely difficult. The players need to give a very slightly exaggerated portrayal of their parts.  Their timing must be spot on.  Those who claim that such a play is "dated" are completely wrong.  They're wrong because a good farce is timeless.

As the butler Christopher Timothy has two demeanours - solemn and totally submissive before his masters yet cocky and irreverent behind their backs.  Caroline Langrishe as the mistress of the house is extremely funny especially in the episode when she mimes to her husband the many ways he can do away with himself!  There is an elaborate plan to pretend he is dead so that an inheritance can be claimed.  With deft expertise she contorts her body to depict hanging, poisoning and drowning - all in total silence so as not to alert the servants.

Janet Henfrey, who portrays the maiden aunt, Miss Mullet, is a lugubrious presence, only perking up when there is a suspicion that a corpse may be floating in the river!

"A SONG AT TWILIGHT"

This bittersweet drama, "A Song at Twilight", by Noel Coward although set in the 1960s has strong resonances from his earlier works.  The wit is there but the pervading atmosphere is one of melancholy.

 Peter Egan as the irascible author, Sir Hugo Latymer, lives in his private suite at the Hotel Beau Rivage in Lausanne - Ouchy. His German wife Hilda, played by Kerry Peers, is valiantly coping with a loveless marriage and has settled for being her husband's tower of strength - typing his scripts, coping with his agent and nursing him through chronic illness.  Kerry Peers cleverly lends a Teutonic style to the part.  There is a practicality that gives her a certain satisfaction in her role of being the humiliated wife of long standing.

Having established this scenario Coward stirs a raising agent into the mixture. Enter Carlotta Gray in the person of Belinda Lang. She is an erstwhile mistress of Hugo's. Unimaginably svelte, exuding elegance from every pore, she has a compelling presence right from the moment she languidly strolls across the stage peeling off her long kid gloves.  When she speaks she speaks with a high corn-crake drawl.  Her face has a habit of contorting itself into astonishing expressions.  Belinda Lang is in complete control and, I suspect, enjoying every minute of playing this part. Her performance is powerfully riveting - almost impossible to imagine her in any other role.  Except, of course, that I had seen her play Sybil in Coward's "Blithe Spirit" where she was the antithesis of Carlotta. Such a versatile actress is a joy to watch.

Peter Egan's Hugo is consistently choleric with his anger ranging from mild irritability to towering rage. It must be an exhausting part to play. He is vain, pompous, aggressive and quite incapable of forming good, human friendships. The balance of his relationship with Carlotta changes from Sir Hugo being in the ascendance to Carlotta holding the trump card.

I think Noel Coward ran out of steam towards the end of "A Song of Twilight" and must have been faced with the dilemma of how to bring the play to a satisfactory close without losing momentum.  He was not entirely successful in achieving this; and the last half -an-hour brought on the faintest traces of ennui.  

Having said that, however, I found this production to be hugely enjoyable. I would certainly go and see it again if only to savour some of the lines such as Carlotta's quip: "I am used to being served steaks in the USA where they always look like bedroom slippers".

"BLONDE BOMBSHELLS OF 1943"

Alan Plater's musical, "Blonde Bombshells of 1943", would seem to possess enough ingredients to satisfy a discerning audience.  A large dollop of nostalgia always goes down well.  We are transported to England in wartime 1943 when groups of North Country lasses are attempting to assemble an all-girl swing band.

A notice has been placed in the local paper asking for female musicians to add to the four stalwarts already recruited, replacing those members of the band who've gone off with American servicemen.  The next essential ingredient is competent acting coupled with the ability to play a musical instrument.

New recruits appear in the form of a 14-year-old schoolgirl and a jolly little nun with her banjo.  One more person is needed who eventually arrives in the form of a young man called Patrick (Matthew Ganley) eager to avoid being called up as well as giving vent to his ferocious drumming in a red satin evening dress.  Into this disparate group comes Miranda (Rosie Jenkins).

She's a luscious upper-class ATS who plays trombone con brio.  She dazzles the others with tales of her romantic exploits that are many.  She innocently remarks that she has been mistaken in the past for a "high class tart"!  Rosie Jenkins gives us a delightful vignette here - something to savour.

Act I serves as an in-depth preparation for Act II in which the group are performing on the same night in Hull travelling in an army lorry leaving them no time for last minute rehearsal.

True to the adage that "it'll be all right on the night" they rise magnificently to the occasion and we are treated to splendid renderings of wartime ditties such as "Don't sit under the apple tree with anyone else but me", "When I grow too old to dream", "Home Town", "Where or When" and "Wish Me Luck".  In fact, this Act is a complete concert in itself.

Praise must go to he production team for managing to find so many good actors able to double as fine musicians.

Those of you old enough to remember the American  band leader, Glen Miller, will have bitter sweet recall of how, during all this time, he lost his life in an aeroplane that just disappeared, never to be heard of again.

It is truly amazing how a blonde wig and a glamorous dress plus sprarkly shoes can transform the most ordinary looking person into a dazzling performer - given, of course the presence of talent.

Let me urge you to go along to the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre and get your toes a'tapping along with the "Blonde Bombshells of 1943".  In fact, I urge you to become a regular punter at this valiant and richly enjoyable place of entertainment.  It's a huge privilege for us to have such a jewel in our midst.  Theatregoing certainly deserves to become a regular part of our lives.

Ann St.Clair-Stannard - Exclusive Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Reviews

“PACK OF LIES”

Hugh Whitemore’s “Pack of Lies” contains these missing qualities.  It is set in 1961 in suburban Ruislip and concerns a very ordinary little family leading decent contented lives.  Bob and Barbara and daughter Julie are approached one day by a member of MI5 who asks to let him use their house as a stake out to watch the movements of a couple who live opposite.

As a result Bob (Simon Shepherd) and his wife Barbara (Jenny Seagrove) are willing to agree at first to having a policewoman residing in their house for a few days. Stewart, the MI5 representative, is portrayed by Daniel Hill.  He gives a magnificent performance especially so as he stepped in to play the part at extremely short notice - Roy Marsden was indisposed.  It is a very important part – the lynchpin around which the rest of the play revolves. His quietly dominant presence makes it almost impossible to take one’s eye off him!

Bob and Barbara have formed a close attachment to a so-called Canadian couple, the Krogers, who live opposite.  It transpires that they are the suspected spies sought by MI5.

 “Pack of Lies” is really about the misery suffered especially by Barbara who she is forced to betray her friends.  Jenny Seagrove tears our hearts out with the agony of having to go through something that is completely alien to her sweet, trusting nature.  She is genuinely fond of Helen Kroger who is played with great reality by Judy Garland’s daughter, Lorna Luft.  The Krogers, I am sure, felt they could unashamedly lead a normal life with normal friendships while at the same time transmitting vital secrets with equipment stored under their kitchen floor

Director Christopher Morahan has achieved a smooth running production which cleverly emphasises the sombre undercurrents.  Julie Godfrey’s set faithfully represents the interior of the sort of villa, built in the 30s which formed ribbons of development throughout England.

The performances were uniformly good with special mention of Corinne Sawers’ playing of the daughter, Julie.  She embodies the qualities of a typical teenager, switching from eager cooperation to extreme stroppiness.

"LLOYD GEORGE KNEW MY FATHER"

I like it when I go to the theatre and take my seat and the curtain is up displaying the set where all the drama is shortly to take place, in this case "Lloyd George Knew My Father" by William Douglas Home.  When I went it was a truly awesome experience.  We were transported to a room of stately proportions in an historic house which, as it turned out, was being encroached upon by bulldozers intent upon inflicting a hideous contemporary motorway.  This room is a triumph of set designing.   I could easily imagine that people would be dwarfed by the huge 17thC window and the vast fireplace. An aristocratic modus vivendi is faithfully represented by shabby upholstery, priceless Chinese blue and white porcelain, well worn Persian rugs and many photos in silver frames.  The only thing missing, it seemed to me. would be Labrador dogs snoozing in front of a roaring log fire!  Designer Paul Farnsworth had done a magnificent job.  It really looked as if people had been living there for generations.

Enter Lady Boothroyd, every inch the doyenne of a stately home, played by Helen Ryan. She wastes no time in letting her assembled family know that she plans to take her life in protest at the current situation.  She announces that, come the following Monday, she intends to die.  Moreover, she has even ordered her coffin from the local carpenter and has persuaded her 80-year-old Butler, Robertson (David Wright) to dig her a grave in the garden.  Her husband, played by Edward Fox, then makes a stunning entrance without uttering a word.  Fox's performance is one to treasure.  William Douglas Home has fashioned a familiar character - one entrenched in old age and partly living in the past.  His deafness isolates him from what is going on. He spends a great deal of time feeling deeply confused, with hilarious consequences.

He got a well-earned laugh with nearly every line. When, for instance, his daughter-in-law appears dressed for Church in a large hat festooned with blooms, he remarks: "The Church flowers are not going to get a look in!"  His big moment comes at the end when he appears in the full ceremonial rig of a General in the Guards and draws his sword in valiant salute before thrusting it back in its scabbard with one easy flourish.

The supporting family consisting of son Hubert (Andrew Wincott), his wife Maud (Lucinda Curtis) and their daughter Sally (Charity Reindorp) and her fiancé Simon (Dudley Hinton) give very convincing performances.

Mention must also be made of John Heffernan's portrayal of the local Vicar.  At his first entrance he exuded a sort of sheepish embarrassment at being asked to officiate at Lady Boothroyd's somewhat premature funeral.  He possesses  a magnetic quality on stage that will serve him well in his acting career.

We in England like our pantomimes always to be utterly predictable.  We'd feel very hard done by, too, if there were no throwing around of custard pies, community singing, magical appearances and disappearances of a genie, or all the glory of lavish costumes and scenery - to say nothing of richly tuneful music.
 
The delight of the pantomime "Aladdin" is that Paul Hendy, writer and producer, never attempts to change this well loved formula.  He transports us to the land of fairy tales without there being any reminders of the stressful trappings of modern life.  He has a well-tried cast who have attained a great following among the local regulars.  Royce Mills as Widow Twankey gives us the quintessential panto Dame.  He has a generous benevolence in his performance, which children in particular remember from year to year.  His outrageous costumes, designed by Helga Wood, include one showing him dressed fetchingly as a teapot!  When asked if he were a medium he replied "No! I'm extra large!" 
 
Nigel Havers plays the Machiavellian Abanazar with aspirations of becoming a Shakespearian actor.  It is a big performance, painted with broad-brush strokes and showing how versatile he is.  His grandiose acting is very droll. I must make mention of Hilary O'Neil who portrays a Genie possessing many varied accents.  As a rule the panto Genie is not supposed to be funny. Hers is hilarious.
 
The enthusiastic chorus which included small children (the babes) was drilled to perfection.  This version of "Aladdin" comes together very well, without containing any smutty jokes or lewd references - a perfect antidote to worrying times.

Ann St.Clair-Stannard - Exclusive Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Reviews