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| Cast | |
| F S McDade | Chris Manning-Perry |
| Narrator | Maureen Hardwen |
| Dr Arthur Quigley | Tony Donnelly |
| Charles Bentwood Brazil | Paul Lay |
| Thelma McDade | Eleanor McEnery |
| Reader | Roz Betts |
| Father Mannion | Tony Donnelly |
| Trusty | Paul Lay |
| Malvina | Eleanor McEnery |
| Mrs Ripper | Roz Betts |
| Double Davis | Alec Tullis |
| Crew | |
| Stage Manager | Jenny Devonshire |
| Assistant Stage Manager | Carol La Roche |
| Set Design & Construction | Paul Lay, Peter Gray, Alfred Gray |
| Lighting | Bernard Tilley, John Buckle |
| Sound | Bernard Tilley |
Review
A pensive study with a touch of surrealism
A big hit at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1977, John Byrne's Writer's Cramp has received some well-earned plaudits as well as a few highbrow comments about its meaning and the stories behind the writer's original concept for the play. Audiences at the Edward Alderton Theatre this week, however, are likely to be unfazed by a work that is simplistic in its construction, appealing, very funny, and perfect for the intimacy of fringe theatre. Not surprisingly, it works very well in the small auditorium of the EAT.
The action follows the short life of a fictional poet, writer, painter and part-time philosopher called Francis McDade from the beginning of his artistic evolution at college, through a limited period of success, to his final demise as a penniless, forgotten man. It all sounds very morbid but its reality lies somewhere between the surreal comedy of The Goon Show, a satire of a quickfire comic sitcom, and a pensive semi-autobiographical study of the playwright who, in addition to being a writer, is also an artist.
McDade is a quiet, introverted man who is constantly broke, lacks any real artistic skills and is even a failure in his marriage. Chris Manning-Perry perfectly captures the nature of the character and mirrors the sense of childlike unworldliness and inner belief that pervades his every action. Maureen Hardwen, Tony Donnelly, Paul Lay, Eleanor McEnery, Roz Betts and Peter Gray all generate excellent characterizations and, once the Scottish dialects become intelligible, some of the sequences are truly hilarious. There is, however, an underlying poignancy in the storyline that gives the play a powerful second dimension - something that director Peter Gray uses to good effect in this excellent production.
Roy Atterbury
Kentish Times | 29 March 2002
