Home | News | This Season | Next Season | Bookings | Auditions | Members | Archive | History | Location | Links | Contact Us Habeas Corpus
|
| Cast |
| Arthur Wicksteed | John Midlane |
| Muriel Wicksteed | Penny Holland |
| Dennis Wicksteed | Jonathan Salway |
| Constance Wicksteed | Eve Sutch |
| Mrs Swabb | David Hampton |
| Canon Throbbing | Meredith Saxon |
| Lady Rumpers | Maureen Hardwen |
| Felicity Rumpers | Stephanie Dungate |
| Mr Shanks | Steve Marshall |
| Sir Percy Shorter | Colin Townsley |
| Mr Purdue | Dave Clark |
| Crew | |
| Stage Manager | Edna Phillips |
| Assistant Stage Managers | Martin Shaw, Audrey Rhodes, Sarah Roberts |
| Costumes and Properties | Chris Milkins |
| Lighting | Neal Flux, Gary Lacey |
| Sound | Keith Dungate, Bill Ayling |
Review
Hilarious play about human weakness
Disregarding its use as a court term, habeas corpus literally translated means 'you must have the body' — and Habeas Corpus at the Edward Alderton Theatre in Brampton Road, Bexleyheath, was all about the body.
The cast gave Alan Bennett's play a lively treatment. The characters were portrayed colourfully by an enthusiastic cast. The main problem in presenting this play was the rather jerky storyline. The direction of Paul Jennings did much to overcome this problem and the humour contained in the script soon had everyone laughing.
The play revolved around the Wicksteed family and concerned the weaknesses that are possessed by the members of the family and their acquaintances. Dr Wicksteed, played with just the right amount of understatement by John Midland, is the local practitioner who has a weakness for the young ladies among his patients.
Penny Holland gave a good performance as the doctor's wife, Muriel, who has a liking for Sir Percy Shorter, a leading light in the medical profession. Sir Percy suffers from a lack of height, and Colin Townsley gave the gusty character a full treatment of frustration as his attempts to expose Dr Wicksteed's misdeeds are thwarted at the last moment.
Constance Wicksteed, the doctor's sister, played well by Eve Sutch, has the problem of an absence of a bust which she tries to remedy by writing off to a magazine for a pair of the most amazing 'falsies'. Dennis Wicksteed, portrayed in an excitable manner by Jonathan Salway, is the doctor's son who suffers from all the problems of puberty plus an incurable dose of hypochondria.
Felicity Rumpers, given a certain amount of seductiveness by Stephanie Dungate, has her eyes on Dennis for her own devious gains. Felicity's protective mother, played with utter snobbishness by Maureen Hardwen, manages to take control of the chaotic situation that has developed by the time she comes on to the scene, but only for a short time.
Steve Marshall was very amusing as the sales representative who makes some catastrophic mistakes when he comes to the Wicksteed's home to ensure that Constance is satisfied with her new appendages. Meredith Saxon was delightful playing a cannon with an over-sized sexual appetite who wants to marry Constance.
David Hampton played Mrs Swabb, the cleaning lady whose nosey nature enables her to lead the audience through the fast moving plot by talking aside to the audience.
The play was liberally sprinkled with couplets and verse. The biggest laughs of the evening were reserved for Dave Clark, who played a man trying hard to attract attention by threatening to commit suicide. Unfortunately the other characters were all so involved with their own problems that he was repeatedly ignored as he thought of new ways of killing himself.
Bexley Times | 23 October 1980
