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Review One
of the series of 10 - The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Towns Womens Guild
Dramatic Society’s production of A Christmas Carol is probably one of the
longest play titles which immediately tells you that you’re in for an hilarious
night out! Well the Players most certainly did the Guild justice!
The
hall was decorated in festive style, the MD and technical crew donned
their Christmas
hats and seasonal music played. Keith Miller accompanied on the piano –
a
couple of set pieces, some sing-along pieces and Felicity’s tap
routine. And we
played Charades for a prize from Santa, won by Aidan Tigwell, who
also had the honour of taking part with his wonderful script in several
unusual places – great fun and the audience loved it!
The
scene was set with half open curtains – a Dickensian street on a painted easy
running gauze and the large story book displayed on the stand ‘A Christmas
Carol’. The multi-location set, subtly
painted with a striped wallpaper at the rear and two panned windows was a
simple interior giving a full open stage to work within using just a table and
chair, stand up bed for which Thelma as Scrooge could not reach until she was
given a stander – so funny, the addition of the walk-on and stuck-in front
door, a cut out fire grate where a hand appeared all most effective and created
and constructed by Trevor Lewing.
The
technical side was first clsss – how to do things wrong when they’re right!!
Peter and Lucy Hogg together did a grand job with effects both sound and
lighting.
The
play was written by British writers David McGillivray & the late Walter Zerlin
Jnr. Charlotte Eastes directed her six
adaptable actors and together with the technical hitches linking the Guild’s theatrical
group, their personal hang ups, mishaps and beautifully threaded Christmas
story we all love of Scrooge, this was true entertainment.
Making
it even more amusing gum chewing Stage Manager Gordon is drawn into playing
roles including Mrs Cratchit and the wonderful section of him getting his head
stuck in Ebenezer’s front door knocker! How Tom Miller kept up his straight
face I don’t know, and he adapted himself as Jacob Marley in chains, the bottom
half of The Ghost of Christmas Present as well as Past and Mr Fezziwig. Mrs
Reece started the proceedings with announcements of apology to all the good
folks of the area – the cast being late - with great hand mike moments, off
being on and ons being off, being interrupted by emergency services plus the
vicar, plus narrating the story with the incorrect pages, then changing roles to
become Tiny Tim on a really short crutch, Fred’s wife, a gentleman, Mrs Dilber
and The Darth Vader lookalike Ghost of Christmas yet to come! Amazing. Wendy
Hatch gave a sterling, stiff upper lip performance one might expect from Mrs
Reece. Thelma has a high opinion of her acting skills and of course took the
leading role of Ebenezer, beautifully played with great grumpy scrooge
humbug facial expressions, who as we all know melts in the end after his
encounters with the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. Good comic timing too. Mercedes on her
crutch. arm sling and black eye carried on regardless with juggling crockery,
taking knocks and falls as Bob Cratchit, Belle sadly rejected by scrooge as a
young man, plus a boy – great character from Alice Tigwell. Felicity was Vicki
Veness, opened as a carrot nosed snowman, was the top half of Christmas
Present, Fred, Little Fan and old Joe and we loved her tap routine. Planted at the end of our row was the foreign
exchange student in a national costume
and with not a word in English entered the spirit of the evening enjoying the
footlights. Wardrobe was excellent by Sandi Mouzer from evening frocks, to
Dickensian bonnets, night shirts, night caps, morning coats, top hats and
together with props from Jenny Turner a perfect picture.
A
thankyou to those not performing but working hard behind the scenes, F of H,
Bar and Publicity. What a good start to the forthcoming Christmas season. A
precis of this review will appear shortly on the NODA website. Thank you for
your splendid offering.
Anne
Lawson
NODA
SE
Regional
Representative
District
3
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