Setting

The stage of the Theatre Royal, Drossmouth

Act 1

Wednesday morning, about ten fifteen

Act 2

Ten minutes later

Act 3

Twenty minutes later

Wedgewood writes...

The Guild Players performed this play by Philip King on 25th, 26th and 27th November. This is a play within a play (the second such offering from The Guild Players this year). It features the problems experienced by the Drossmouth Repertory Company and their egocentric Producer Harry Blacker (played by Alan Jobson) in rehearsing next Monday's offering. This is a truly awful piece only being produced because the nephew of one of the Theatre's Directors has written it.

The play is a tour de force for the actor playing Harry and Alan Jobson brought pace and style to the task, although perhaps some of the solo pieces to us in the audience (we were not supposed to be there you see) could have done with cropping. A nice tension was created between The Producer and his Stage Manager Jackson Harley well played by Michael Reece, and between the Producer and the rest of the cast with The Author (played by Nick Johnson) who turns up to help.

Ciaran Ward playing the 'silly ass' character Jerry Winterton warmed to his task as the evening went on, particularly in his developing relationship with aspiring but hopeless young actress Avis Clare played by Anne-Louise Davies. Sonia Beldom and David Constable as bickering husband and wife duo Norwood and Sandra injected pace into proceedings as did Paola Burgess in her portrayal of Daphne Wray the 'femme fatale' of the Company. Catherine Walker as the nice unassuming ASM Mary Manners got the biggest laugh of the evening. Stewart Shrank provided a suitably gruff portrayal of George the Stage Carpenter who literally brings about the downfall of Harry Blacker and Sally Martin gave us 'old trouper' Maud Barron whose shoulders must have wringing wet with the tears of others by the end of the evening. There were 'walk on' performances by Stephen Sewell as the doctor and Mike Sparks and Robert Roemer as the Ambulance men.

The setting, particularly the false proscenium, boxes and orchestra pit which had been created by the set design and construction team were very well done.

In all I have to say that on the night I visited, whilst it was a pleasant enough evening competently acted, I came away with strange feeling that there had been a dislocation between us in the audience and the players on the stage; that I had missed something somewhere.

'Wedgewood'