Home | News | This Season | Next Season | Bookings | Auditions | Members | Archive | History | Location | Links | Contact Us Coarse Acting 2
|
| Moby Dick by Michael Green Directed by Carol La Roche |
|
| v | |
| Cast | |
| Ishmael | Mike Poole |
| Mrs Hussey | Pam Sage |
| Starbuck | John Wilson |
| Queequeg | Chris La Roche |
| Elijah | Tony Donnelly |
| Captain Ahab | Ian Saxton |
| Various | Paul Lay, Jill Hughes, George Everett, Kirstie Herridge, Alex Trimm, Alison Armit, Jenny Devonshire, Diane Rowe, Geoff Sage, Andy Hawkes, Vicki Findlay, Derek Goulding, Stephanie Dungate, Rosemarie Ryan, Eleanor McEnery, Beryl Smith, Andy Wilkinson |
| Stalag 69 by Michael Green Directed by David Hampton |
|
| v | |
| Cast | |
| Wing Commander Crawford | Ian Saxton |
| Herr Less | Peter Gray |
| Heinrich | Paul Lay |
| Hannah Heartless | Pam Sage |
| Doris Dowdy | Gill Grubb |
| Gerry Attrick | Derek Goulding |
| Sean Butnotheard | Tony Donnelly |
| Penny Black | Jenny Devonshire |
| Marilyn Bardot | Stephanie Dungate |
| Tiny Tim | Fay Rose |
| Gordon Flash | Alex Trimm |
| Crew | |
| Set Designer | Steve Grubb |
| Set Construction | Steve Grubb |
| The Vagabond
Prince by Simon Brett (Music & lyrics by John Gould) Directed by Freda Phillips |
| v | |
| Cast | |
| Prince Tuborg | Mike Poole |
| Holstein | Chris La Roche |
| Hofmeister | David Hampton |
| Stella Artois | Gill Grubb |
| Gypsy Chief | Alex Trimm |
| Daughter of Chief | Kirsty Herridge |
| First Soldier | Derek Goulding |
| Second Soldier | Peter Gray |
| Abbot | Andrew Hawkes |
| Old Crone | Pam Sage |
| Gypsies etc | Joan Bird, Jill Hughes, John Wilson, Kirsty Herridge, Eric Hill, Pauline Clifton, Alan Heard, Alison Armit, Rosemarie Ryan |
| Gypsy Dancers | Kirsty Herridge, John Wilson |
| Crew | |
| Music | Andrew Hall, Bernard Tilley |
| Julius and
Cleopatra by Michael Green Directed by Derek Goulding |
| v | |
| Cast | |
| Cleopatra | Fay Rose |
| Angina | Beryl Smith |
| Enema | Maureen Hardwen |
| Vasectimo | George Everett |
| Aperient | Paul Lay |
| Soldier | Derek Goulding |
| 1st Citizen | Stephanie Dungate |
| 2nd Citizen | Jenny Devonshire |
| 3rd Citizen | Allison Henderson |
| Emphysima | Eleanor McEnery |
| Caesar | Tony Donnelly |
| 1st Slave | Diane Rowe |
| 2nd Slave | Rosemarie Williams |
| 3rd Slave | Vicki Findlay |
| 4th Slave | Alison Armit |
| Valium | Barry Hayward |
| Librium | Chris La Roche |
| Podium | Brian Warner |
| Sodium | David Hampton |
| For all four plays: | |
| Stage Manager | Janet Hampton |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Carol La Roche |
| Set Construction & Furniture | Alan Heard, Steve Grubb, Mark Charlwood |
| Properties | Christina Smith |
| Sound | Jerry McKeon, Alan Webster, Jean Sharp |
| Lighting | Tim Hewitt, Alan Webster, Allison Henderson, Brian Warner, Paul Andrews |
| Costumes | Freda Phillips |
Course Overture composed, arranged and performed by Mike Withstandley
Review
Controlled mayhem pokes fun at profession
Visitors to the Edward Alderton Theatre this week should be prepared to see some of the worst acting, singing, stage, direction and set design that has ever been inflicted upon audiences in either the professional or amateur theatre. Michael Green's Coarse Acting 2 encompasses three excruciatingly badly written plays - Moby Dick, Stalag 69 and a travesty of Shakespeare's Caesar and Cleopatra as well as a truly incompetent adaptation of The Vagabond King. The choreography, such as it is, leaves a great deal to be desired and both lighting and stage management are a disaster.
However, before I put you off completely, I should point out that Coarse Acting 2 is the second in a series of entertainments that allow all levels of theatrical personnel, from lighting operators to actors and actresses, the freedom to poke fun at their own profession. As a result just about anything that could go wrong manages to do so throughout what is, in fact, well controlled mayhem.
The Edward Alderton players have a marvellous time, but be warned that the humour is very basic. On the first night a large part of the audience obviously found the events on stage extremely funny whilst others sat in stoney silence with a look of complete disbelief on their faces. Indeed I got the impression that some were actually taking the events quite seriously.
Regular visitors to the venue are likely to enjoy the sight of their favourite players making complete fools of themselves and should particularly look out for Pam Sage playing a distraught director and Gill Grubb singing delightfully off-key in a duet with the impressive Mike Poole. This is a highly inventive production which is a credit to all concerned. Whilst it certainly will not have general appeal, most regular theatregoers will appreciate that an enormous amount of work must have gone into creating the apparent disasters which, in the real theatrical world, are the nightmares which so often become a reality.
Although Coarse Acting 2 continues until Saturday, ticket availability is very limited.
Roy Atterbury
Bexley Times | 29 November 1990
