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|
| Cast |
| Corrie Bratter | Nicky Corfield |
| Telephone Man | George Robinson |
| Paul Bratter | Neal Flux |
| Mrs Banks | Maureen Hardwen |
| Victor Velasco | Brian George |
| Crew | |
| Stage Manager | Christine McConnell |
| Assistant Stage Managers | Shirley Jacobs |
| Set Design & Construction | Tony Otton, Bob Lacey |
| Properties | Pat Lacey |
| Lighting | Simon Parmentor, David Francis, Toby Moor |
| Sound | Bill Ayling |
We thank Courts, Dartford
for the loan of the furniture and the GPO for the loan of the
telephone equipment.
Review
Flair for perfection
Slick professional performances and stylish sets are emerging as the trademarks of Bexleyheath's Edward Alderton Theatre. After a pleasant start to the theatre's life with their first production, Oh What A Lovely War, members moved into top gear and initially seemed to set themselves an impossible standard.
Barefoot in the Park, which closed last Saturday, was the testing ground for all the theories and aspirations of the theatre group. So meticulous was the planning and detail that two of the five actors were imported from other theatres. Director Peter Morris demanded faultless performances, a perfect set, accurate lighting and good sound effects. To illustrate how much of a perfectionist's dream the play was, it took an hour and a half to record 40 seconds of sound effects.
So in the end did it pay
off ? It did, and my only worry now is that with the stakes running so
high there is a big fall in store for future mishaps.
The cast were presented with the unenviable task of stamping their own
personalities on a play which was made famous on film by Jane Fonda
and Robert Redford. They also needed to share some part of playwright
Neil Simon's comic genius to give the play the treatment it deserves.
It revolves around the first week in the life of a young, newly wed couple in their small rooftop apartment on East 48th Street, New York. Immediately the play invites laughter as people arrive at the apartment having climbed stairs which would test the physical resources of a mountaineer.
The newlywed Bratters move into their home after six days' honeymoon at an hotel and although still reeling from the dizzy heights of love, marital problems appear on the scene with the speed of an express train. Mrs Corrie Bratter (Nicolette Corfield) is a visionary extrovert, bubbling with happiness. She foresees all the potential of her new home and glosses over the minor problems of no furniture, no heating, no bath and a gaping hole in the skylight.
With tireless enthusiasm Ms Corfield projected all her emotions to the audience. In a second she switched from joy to indignant anger and kept everyone eagerly waiting to see what would happen next. She has a magnetic stage presence which helped her overcome one or two minor problems such as answering a telephone which failed to ring and ignoring the vase of flowers which toppled from its assigned spot on the set. In anger, she was as irrational and noisy as you could hope. Only lesser degrees of anger were cowed by her endearing smile and enthusiasm.
In complete contrast, Paul Bratter (Neal Flux) is sedate, conventional, aiming to become New York's answer to Perry Mason - in short, a stuffed shirt. Mr Flux had to overcome a gigantic hurdle which no-one could have foreseen when planning the play. It is set in freezing February but performing in sizzling July required award-winning hypnotic work. Nevertheless, wearing a heavy overcoat and ignoring the beads of sweat on his face, he shivered throughout the play. He acted as the perfect foil to his effervescent wife and did not allow himself to be submerged by her strong personality. He clung to his part as a boring man with no zest for life, who is preoccupied with his career. Mr Flux also has the ability to switch from one mood to another, and was hilarious as an uninhibited drunk swaying on the window ledge of his high home.
The two other principle characters in the play are Corrie's mother, Mrs Banks, and Victor Velasco, a penniless, rent-dodging gourmet. Maureen Hardwen as Mrs Banks was the epitome of a middle-aged hypochondriac; the fussy mother who lavishes expensive presents on her daughter. Her fishlike expression as she enters the scene after making the Himalayan ascent up the stairs kept the audience laughing.
Brian George as Velasco gave a polished performance, but the Continental romantic part of the character was never really unleashed. A small cameo part of a confused joking telephone man was well played by George Robinson, but one wonders if his repair work led to the eventual loss of sound on the phone.
Lastly, it was the impeccable set which helped to lift the entire performance into the realm of reality, rarely achieved by amateur groups. With a backdrop of the high New York buildings, and fashionable furniture and fittings, the Bratter apartment became a desirable home. The set was designed and constructed by Tony Otton and Bob Lacey. Praise also for the lighting work of Simon Parmentor and David Francis.
CT
Bexley Times I 15 July 1976
