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drinks Monday 4 August 08
Bedroom Farce
Verdict: Comedy of couples
Bedroom Farce is set in three different bedrooms over a single night in the bedrooms of Ernest and Delia, Nick and Jan and Malcolm and Kate.
Ernest is concerned about a potential damp patch on the ceiling, while Delia can’t make her mind up which dress to wear for their anniversary celebrations. Poor Nick’s laid up gloomily in bed with a bad back, while Jan is preparing to go to Malcolm and Kate’s housewarming party. Malcolm and Kate are more interested in playfully hiding each other’s shoes than getting ready for the onslaught of their guests. Everybody seems set for a pleasant evening until Trevor and Susannah - the couple from hell - turn up and create havoc.
Ernest (Harry Meacher) and Delia (Annabel Leventon) capture the polite British familiarity between long-married couples with flair and finnesse. At the end of their evening, they meticulously fold back the counterpane and settle down for a ‘fearfully good treat’ of pilchards on toast and an impromptu reading of Tom Brown’s School Days.
Annabel Leventon is brilliantly restrained as the slightly uptight, crumb-obsessed Delia and really comes into her own in the second half of the play, when she is confronted by her dishevelled daughter-in-law, Susannah, looking for some middle-of-the-night advice on how to rekindle her violently-failing marriage. Harry Meacher steals the show with his incredibly accurate portrayal of Ernest, whose generally easy-going nature is turned on its head when he is banished to the spare room with a hot water bottle.
Andy Clarkson’s evocation of Northern warmth gives depth to the bed-bound Nick, and all the moody irritable tones are well-placed. His more physical attempts to retrieve a dropped book and unruly duvet are very funny. Amy Hill brings a grounded, no-nonsense quality to Jan, unwilling nursemaid and party-goer.
Ava Burton is believably daft and endearingly sweet as Kate, who wants Malcolm to promise to let her know when he is bored with her in the bedroom. Ben Farrow is likeable and suitably pompous as DIY-obsessed Malcolm.
Ben Watson drives the play with a child-like enthusiasm that at times is over the top, but his comic timing is perfect, and more than makes up for it. He is the self-centred party-pooper, Trevor, who thinks the world revolves around him no matter what time of night it is. Lynsey Hardwick is equally energetic as Susannah, the unhinged unsatisfied, insecure, weepy, hellish spouse.
Alexander Holt’s direction is well-judged and thorough. He keeps the farcical element at bay for the first half, grounding the comedy of the piece in reality. This makes the second half’s intricacies even funnier. Alan Ayckbourn’s play was first performed in 1975, and it does have a slightly dated feel, but Alexander Holt manages to keep it up-to-date with a pleasing and varied sound-track.
Beck Rainford’s design of three contrasting bedrooms is spot on. From the reserved, practical yet pretty, floral greens of Delia & Ernest’s right down to the tell-tale bedside box of Lemsip in Jan & Nick’s, there is a visual representation of the couples’ characters and states of relationship from the outset. This is well complemented by Joseph Cape’s varying lighting sets, and he captures the frazzled four-o’clock-in-the-morning feeling with subtle, effective, changes.
Cast Credits: (alpha order): Kate - Ava Burton. Nick - Andy Clarkson. Malcolm – Ben Farrow. Susannah – Lynsey Hardwick. Jan – Amy Hill. Delia – Annabel Leverton. Ernest – Harry Meacher. Trevor – Ben Watson.
Company Credits: Writer – Alan Ayckbourn. Director – Alexander Holt. Producer – Katie Plews. Designer – Beck Rainford. Lighting Designer - Joseph Capes. Costume Designer – Stewart Charlesworth. Stage Manager – Amy Jones. Marketing – Lewis Jenkins. Production Associate & Publicity Design – Susie Harriet. Production Photographer – Paul Musso. Construction Supervisor – Stuart Thorne. Construction Assistant – Segne Beckmann. Construction Assistant – Michael Charbenell. Design Assistant – Becky Forkmall. Design Assistant – Alex Cattell. Lighting Assistant – Robert Pearce. Lighting Assistant – Amy White. Lighting Assistant – Jamie Willson. Company – Tenth Planet Productions. Theatre Crew: Theatre Manager – Sean Prior. Technical Manager – Racky Plews. Audio Consultant – Jon Raper. Thanks: Ruth Arnaud at Casarotto Ramsay, Dreams Bed Superstores Plc for the beds, Susan Jones of Mr Jones, Muswell Hill for the fabric, cushions and wallpaper, Chris at at Riley’s Emporium in Stroud Green, Jim Reynard, Ali Craig.
END
(c) Hannah Dee 2006
reviewed Tuesday 28 February 06 / Upstairs At The Gatehouse
Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2008
