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Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society's production of A
Christmas Carol
|
| Cast | |
| Phoebe Reece | Amanda Whittle |
| Felicity Barrington | Jean Sharp |
| Mercedes Benn | Roz Betts |
| Thelma Greenwood | Sue Higginson |
| Gordon Pugh | David Hampton |
| Crew | |
| Set Design | Ross Holland |
| Set Construction | Ross Holland, Andy Briggs, Vicky Findlay, Sarah Betts, Brian Hudson, Milton Conn-Goodman, Paul Lay, Nicole Antras |
| Properties | Edith Pilsner, Vicky Findlay |
| Lighting | Adrian Cloonmore |
| Sound | Joyce Fox, Gillian Noakes |
| Costumes | Lucy Cavendish, Jenny Devonshire |
| Backstage | Allison Henderson, Christine McKeon, Vicky Findlay, Tony Donnelly |
| Special Effects | Amanda Sedar, David Hampton, Jean Sharp, Sue Higginson, Roz Betts |
| Catering | Ross Holland |
Review
The brilliantly clumsy Christmas Carol
Tinsel glittering in the foyer, the melody of a familiar carol and the aroma of mulled wine: yes, this was midsummer's night at the Edward Alderton Theatre, Bexleyheath. Gone was the familiar drama team, instead the venue has been taken over this week by the redoubtable ladies of the Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townswomen's Guild Dramatic Society, offering their own production of A Christmas Carol.
For those familiar with this group's previous productions, rest assured they are operating at their traditional level of competence. For the uninitiated it is best to understand that what these women lack in stage skills, they more than make up for in clumsiness, bitter rivalry and a total lack of artistic vision. Last Saturday director Phoebe Reece was on the point of recruiting her cast from the audience when her trio of actresses were delayed. But Thelma, Felicity and Mercedes conquered a traffic jam in Pratts Bottom to save the day, albeit with Mercedes battling on in a neck brace after an untimely incident involving half a dozen shopping trolleys.
Supported by backstage wizard Gordon Pugh, the society demonstrates its versatility and ingenuity in telling the tale of Scrooge and the Christmastime haunting that transforms him from a miser into a bountiful and jolly old fellow. The Victorian period is warmly evoked with music from Bing Crosby and Judy Garland and well thought-out props such as an electric toaster and drop-leaf kitchen table with built-in antique squeak. So convincing is the Farndale display, I was perturbed to learn subsequently that indeed this had been the work of the Alderton team all along.
Thus praise must by-pass the fragrant Mrs Reece in favour of Ross Holland whose direction of this McGillivray and Zerlin Jnr comedy showed wonderful restraint: he clearly understood how the awful performance must be presented with a degree of honesty and endeavour on the part of the actors, allowing for unforced laughs and a welcome element of irony.
Sue Higginson is mesmeric as Thelma, her mood of resentment and barely contained fury giving her an almost psychotic air. Roz Bets' soldiering on as the pain-wracked Mercedes is all the more wonderful for never being overplayed and likewise Dave Hampton as Gordon has a great sense of the ridiculous, not least when portraying a bearded Mrs Cratchit, without any playing to the gallery. Amanda Whittle gushes à la Lynda Snell as the self-glorying Phoebe and Jean Sharp adds a contrasting touch of panic as Felicity, never better than when playing the top half of a curtain-clad ghost of Christmas yet to come.
The Farndale plays are a technical minefield with lighting and sound plots that must look erratic but which are in fact pinpoint precise. In this production I didn't spot a genuine wrong cue amid the mayhem, for which the team deserves great credit.A Christmas Carol is at the Edward Alderton Theatre until this Saturday.
Darryl McCarthy
Kentish Times | 26 June 1997
