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Latest items? Unedited? Fringe Report Uncut
Confusions
Verdict: Pure joy
London - Canal Café - July 03
8-26 July 03 Tuesdays to Saturdays
Confusions (by Alan Ayckbourn) is four comedy playlets about crumbling relationships and the mess they leave behind. Each is about 20 minutes, each slightly linked to the one before, but standing alone.
If passion's indeed a tide, this is the scum-line. Possibly not ideal for Valentine's night (unless the relationship is particularly robust), but excellent for all other occasions. It's crackling, funny entertainment, sharply performed.
Mother Figure. A highly unusual household where mother Lucy treats children as children, and everyone else. Tonight's victims are neighbours Rosemary and Terry. Subtly disturbing. Cast (alpha order): Heather Coombs (Rosemary), Tim Hudson (Terry), Nichola Rees (Lucy (Mother Figure)).
Drinking Companions. Ageing travelling salesman Harry tries to pork pert scent rep Paula and mate Bernice in a Northern hotel watched by a waiter. It's prime Alan Partridge territory - skin-crawlingly embarrassing, superbly acted. Cast (alpha order): Heather Coombs (Bernice), Robert Purdy (Harry), Nichola Rees (Paula), Richard Sutton (Waiter).
Between Mouthfuls Two couples at adjoining restaurant tables realise an unwelcome common bond, assisted by an interactive waiter. Mrs Pearce wonders who Mr Pearce is shagging. Polly's not been frank to Harry. The waiter's a stickler for correct pronunciation. There's clever direction of the alternation between the two sets of conversations. A twist to the plot-line spices the ending. Cast (alpha order): Heather Coombs (Mrs Pearce), Tim Hudson (Mr Pearce), Abbé Muschallik (Polly), Robert Purdy (Martin), Richard Sutton (Waiter).
Gosforth's Fete Comedy highlight of the evening. Publican Gosforth's running the village gala, but there's bad personal news from stalwart Milly Carter over the public-address system. Pink-legged Cubmaster Stewart Stokes discovers alcohol, there's a fine Vicar, and Councillor Mrs Piece gets severely dishevelled. And that's before the rain. Gosforth's Fete starts as drama, develops into well-choreographed chaos as everything goes wrong and climaxes as full-blown farce. Pure joy. Cast (alpha order): Heather Coombs (Mrs Pearce), Tim Hudson (Gordon Gosforth), Robert Purdy (Vicar), Nichola Rees (Milly Carter), Richard Sutton (Stewart Stokes).
Confusions is a delight to watch, resulting from fine writing, excellent direction (Nichola Rees, Tim Hudson), very well designed sets (Nick Gordon), sound (Sam Wheat) and lighting (Jake Wiltshire and Sam Fluskey), and fine performances:
Heather Coombs an engaging Rosemary, part woman, part child; a wonderfully tarty Bernice, spraying deoderant behind her knees; and a fabulous Mrs Pearce - a character she develops well over the two plays, climaxing with the magnificently deranged fete speech. Tim Hudson presents a fine transformation with Terry, resisting childhood regression; an apt and exact Mr Pearce in the school of old-fashioned Northern mill-owner; a hilariously overblown Gordon Gosforth presiding over Armageddon.
Abbé Muschallik delivers a Polly of immense subtlely, a woman whose personal crisis she evokes by excellence in minimal gesture, and fine characterisation. Robert Purdy is wonderfully creepy as the awful Harry, a man with hidden anger and awful chat-up lines; an excellently nerdy Martin, internally focused; an ultimate Salad Days Vicar, who he delivers without cliché and with considerable suppressed humour.
Nichola Rees is quite terrifying as Mother Figure Lucy, both in the situation her character creates, and what it suggests of the character's state of mind - both powerfully evoked by Nichola Rees's performance; a credible Paula; a definitive mucking-in village spinster Milly Carter (though in this case with fully working parts), a fine piece of restrained comedy acting. Richard Sutton warms up as the Waiter in two sketches - fine pieces of demonic interference in the diners' lives, excellently evoked - before letting rip as Cubmaster Stewart Stokes in the finale piece. His entrance is magnificent - the legs! the shorts! - and so is his performance.
Overall Cast Credits (alpha order): Heather Coombs (Rosemary, Bernice, Mrs Pearce), Tim Hudson (Terry, Mr Pearce, Gordon Gosforth), Abbé Muschallik (Polly), Robert Purdy (Harry, Martin, Vicar), Nichola Rees (Lucy, Paula, Milly Carter), Richard Sutton (Waiter, Stewart Stokes).
Company Credits: Directors - Nichola Rees, Tim Hudson. Producer - Nichola Rees. Set Designer - Nick Gordon. Stage Manager - Kiran Maini. Sound Designer - Sam Wheat. Technical Managers, Lighting and Sound - Jake Wiltshire and Sam Fluskey. Writer - Alan Ayckbourn. Company - Funny Bones.
Acknowledgements Thanks to Susie Fairfax, Chantelle Henocq, Claire Marker, Kevin Swatton, Breast Cancer Care, Ellie Sleeman and Anne Marie Jubber, Unwin's Wine Merchants, Oddbins, Damon Smith, Dafydd Pritchard, The Bridge House Pub, Guildford School of Acting, The Mill Studio, Laura Tate and Mountview Theatre School.
END
John Park
reviewed Thursday 24 July 03 / Canal Café Theatre
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012
www.fringereport.com
