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|
| Cast | |
| Bob | Alex Board |
| Jeff | Peter Griffin |
| Vera | Brenda Winn |
| Lois | Amanda Sedar |
| Nona | Stephanie Dungate |
| Bill | Mike Higginson |
| Arthur | Paul Lay |
| Crew | |
| Stage Manager | Jenny Devonshire |
| Assistant Stage Managers | Ivy Green, Janet Hampton |
| Set Construction | Paul Lay, Mick Wright, Clarke Findlay, Ross Holland, Vicky Findlay, Peter Gray |
| Paintings | Geoffrey Clifton-Green, Amanda Whittle |
| Drapes | Jean Sharp |
| Lighting & Sound | John Buckle, Alex Cooper |
Review
Domestic gay-ety
Gay couples have become part of the fabric of popular soap opera, so it is unlikely Jimmie Chinn's gentle domestic tale Straight and Narrow is going to frighten the horses. Presented this week at the Edward Alderton Theatre, it is an old-fashioned tale of a happy relationship threatened by internal doubts and the interference of a sharp-tongued mother-in-law. The difference is the central characters are gay.
In fact in every other aspect apart from their sexual taste, Bob and Jeff are a husband and wife with a nice little home and a nice little business designing and fitting kitchens. But their relationship begins to founder while on holiday when Jeff's attentions stray from home. On their return, the domestic crisis is fuelled by Bob's ever-present family, led by a mother unaware of her son's sexual status.
Straight and Narrow has become a popular choice for amateur groups and the EAT team acquits itself very well with its production. Most notably, Roz Betts' very firm direction gives this show more dramatic depth than I have seen in any version outside the West End. Alex Board and Peter Griffin make a convincing couple, down to matching goatee beards that are probably the gay equivalent of straight couples' unisex Aran sweaters. They relate well both in dialogue and physically - a dimension which can prove a handicap in this show.
Alex's Bob is an old-fashioned fusspot, perhaps played just a bit too camp and needing more variety of tone in his direct appeals to the audience. He contrasts sharply with Peter Griffin's masculine Jeff, a 'bloke' in every respect other than who he chooses to share his life with. They both uncover their characters' insecurities with a deft touch to make the drama work within the broader comedy of the show.
Extra fuel is provided by Brenda Winn's excellent performance as Vera, bursting onto the scene in a haze of air freshener and proceeding to bad mouth her family and feign her own vulnerability as a mother and widow. It is a performance packed with energy and detail that helps bind the entire evening together. Around her the peripheral characters have their work cut out to make much of an impact but Amanda Sedar as the chain-smoking pregnant Lois and Paul Lay as the lugubrious and unlikely lothario son-in-law Arthur provide some inspired comic moments. In truth Stephanie Dungate as the betrayed Nona and Mike Higginson as Lois' over-fertile spouse Bill have little to work with in the script, but their performances contribute to the overall spirit of the production.
A bright, well-lit set and some good costume colour choices make this a technically proficient entertainment too.
Darryl McCarthy
Kentish Times | 29 January 1997
