UST BETWEEN OURSELVES by Alan Ayckbourn
Moulton Drama Group 2005 www.mdg.org.uk
Click here for pictures
THE CHALLENGE.
This play presents a number of big challenges both logistical and theatrical.
Firstly the logistics of getting a car onto your small stage [let alone into
the building], to say nothing of leaving enough room for playing space. In
addition despite the fact that there is much humour in this play it is not
fundamentally a comedy and must not be played as such. The undercurrents
of the plot are quite dark and the truth of this must come through. If the
characters are played truthfully then the humour will emerge.
SET - Peter Burkey, Joan Christie, Norman Christie, George Evans, Steve Gurr,
Rob Huband, Sue Huband, Janet Morris, Tony Morris, Lynn Slinger
First I must express my admiration for the tenacity required to get the car
in place. Having heard of the complicated process you went through and the
time and dedication it required to complete the task 1 am completely in awe.
The design of the stage was cleverly managed not only to give an impression
of the garage, with plenty of space for the action which takes place in there,
but also reserve a reasonable amount of playing area for the rest of the scenes.
By placing the back door well upstage with a functioning gate joining the house
to the garage a lovely square patio was created and the impression of stone
flagging on the floor had been very well done.
The fabric of the garage with its climbing ivy outside, its sticking door and
the painted impression of the up and over door was all splendid and the choice
of leaving one end and half of one side completely open allowed very good sight
lines. You had taken great care to make the structure sturdy enough to withstand
the comings and goings through the sticking door. The choices made for the
painting of the back door, the brickwork, the wooden gate and the inside wall
of the garage were excellent making a very believable environment for the action
of the play.
PROPS -
Sheenah Wiseman assisted by Sue Huband & Sarah
Flannery
In order to make the garage very cluttered a huge array of props was required.
The shelving placed against what would have been the end and side walls defined
those nicely without obscuring the view and one set of shelves even served
as a work bench for Dennis. The clutter which filled them seemed random but
actually, of course, had been carefully placed for use in the action. The
far wall had been dressed with deckchairs and odds and ends hanging and with
a wonderful pocketed arrangement which held all sorts of items. On top of
and surrounding the car was yet more stuff with patio chairs buried and hidden
so that the whole garage was just as described in the text. The string of
fairy lights and the spare bulbs along with the step ladders also worked
very well and the placing of the lights along the front wall made all the
action clearly visible.
In addition to the stuff in the garage there were tea things, shopping and
the wonderful pink birthday cake. Throughout, all the props were handled well
with just one exception. The use of the sander on the box was so badly managed.
It was clear that the sander was some distance from the surface of the box
and it looked ridiculous as Dennis kept examining his progress. Maybe you needed
a small vice to hold the box upright so that he worked behind it as I am aware
that, with your close proximity to the audience, you would not want to be showering
them with sawdust.
COSTUMES - Lynn Slinger
All the costumes had been chosen carefully to be right for the characters and
to show the changing seasons. The only item which did not fully work for me
was the blanket worn by Vera in the final scene. It was altogether too small
as her lower body was still visible and it could have been both funnier and
more poignant had she been completely enveloped.
LIGHTING & SOUND - Joan Christie assisted by Steve Birtwisle & Norman
Christie The lighting had been carefully designed for the seasonal changes
from scene to scene to show in the quality of the light. The placing of a light
above the back door added interest. The lighting in the garage was excellent
defining the space with great clarity.
The engine sounds were very well done as were the radio noises as Dennis attempted
a demonstration..
ACTING
DENNIS - Steve Gurr
Much of the story line pivots on the insensitivity of this character and this
player conveyed this aspect well especially in regards to the way he treated
his wife. However 1 was unconvinced by some of the other elements of the character
such as his laughter. Although it settled somewhat in the second half of the
play, in the first Act all his laughter struck me as forced and false. This
told me that this actor was not fully engaged with the role and I therefore
found it very hard to believe in him. Consequently, although there was some
good physical work for example the antics up the ladder and getting stuck in
the car with Pam, the characterisation was underdeveloped. Also some of the
activities he needed to be engaged in were unsatisfactorily handled. The repair
of the kettle which opens the play was unconvincing and as I have already mentioned
the episode with the sander and the box was very weak.
VERA - Sue Green
This player by conveying timidity and nervousness through her physical and
vocal work gave a most convincing portrayal of this unfortunate woman. Her
focus was excellent as was demonstrated particularly in the scene where she
set the table for the tea party. Her obsessive rearranging of the items was
very painful and amusing. The sequence could have done with being just a
tad shorter but throughout her involvement was excellent. The episode where
she lost her rag and threatened Marjorie with the sander was completely convincing
so that in the final scene her complete stillness coupled with her lack of
response or reaction was clearly the result of a breakdown. A very focused
and successful characterisation.
NEIL - Peter Burkey
This player both vocally and physically conveyed the rather retiring nature
of this character and his indigestion symptoms. His focus was very clear
so that all the exchanges with Dennis and his difficulties with his wife
were graphically conveyed. His earnest approach into the mayhem with the
flaming birthday cake made the moment very funny.
PAM - Chad Meadows
By the use of vocal and facial expressiveness this player very clearly conveyed
the feelings of this character. Her grumpiness about the car at the start
set the tone on which she built. The listing of all the negative things about
her life was very well done as was the sympathy she showed for Vera. Her
relationship with Neil was believable and the confrontation either side of
the step ladders was very effective. This was a very well considered and
presented characterisation.
MARJORIE - Gill Birtwisle
This character is responsible for Vera's unhappiness and although this player
delivered her dialogue expressively and showed some of the traits which so
infuriate Vera I felt that the characterisation was under-developed. The
demanding nature of the character and her total devotion to her son needed
to be much more strongly conveyed. Help was needed from the director to achieve
the right dynamic for this character.
DIRECTION - Sheila Heatherington
As I said earlier the company is to be congratulated on the staging provided
for this production. Obviously much thought had gone into the planning.
The production was generally pacy and held together well but my impression
was that too little discussion had gone on regarding plot and sub-plot, the
dramatic intentions of the playwright and the nature of the characters.
All groups work under time constraints but time spent in character development
is never wasted since the finished product is always better for it. Really
delving into what are the main themes of the play and how the characters impact
on that is all important. This is a very dark piece about a woman going out
of her mind. Much of the action is funny but you cannot play for laughs a situation
such as Vera's. What is needed therefore is complete truth in the characterisations
and as I have already said that was not the case with all of them. This was
a pity as I believe all the members of this cast were capable of getting it
right - they needed a stronger guiding hand though. |
