Archive for August 2021

Dead Man Quotes

Directed by Daniel Shepherd

This was a wonderful piece and Daniel Shepherd is to be congratulated on its creation. He had a huge advantage, of course, in playing the main role of Terry.  It has to be said, however, that playwrights don’t always make the greatest actors, so well done on both fronts.

The prospect of cleaning up a seemingly abandoned council flat is not the most savoury job.  Many of us have seen glimpses of this real-life situation on television and turned away in horror.

Foremost in the minds of our band of “habitat containment and removal managers” was the observance of tradition.  The two more experienced ‘operatives” wanted to ensure that the newest recruit to the team, Pike, (Roland Eve) should understand the importance of Tradition.  He needed to know how things were properly done.

The discovery of the light switch changed the mood of the whole piece.  There, in the middle of the room, it appeared there was a corpse, decently covered, having to remove it was not part of their traditional role.  The Police were to be called and the team’s first thought was to return to the depot. But before they could leave, they decided that it would be respectful to say “a few words.”  

The discovery of two photographs on the sideboard, some questionable magazines along with some unpaid bills gave them, they thought, a suitable profile of the dead person.  The resulting dialogue, inventing a character for the deceased, created moments of really great black humour.  Poor Pike (Roland Eve) was clearly bemused and wondered what he had walked into in every sense of the phrase.  Roland portrayed a lovely, uncertain, and hesitant character.  His face was very descriptive and his voice well projected.

The character created by Jerry (Sid Dolbear) gave us so many occasions on which to smile and laugh. His facial expressions alone were a joy to behold, but he sometimes under projected.  His character, however, was entirely believable.  Have we met him before in Dad’s Army, I wondered?

Barry Whitglow’s (Murray Stephen) entry was an explosion of light, colour, and volume, it provided a hilarious contrast to the melodramatic, momentary sobriety of the other three characters. Sadly, he had been over-enthusiastic on his entry and momentarily lost his lines which broke the pace a bit.

Despite this, it was a funny, sad and very successful production and I hope that Daniel will continue to write for the stage.  

Review by “Polly”

Two Sisters

Directed by Moyra Brookes

It was a delight to be back at the Nomad theatre again. Despite very strict Covid rules being adhered to, there was a buzz of excitement around the theatre at the joy of being back again.  It is a fabulous facility and The Nomads make full use of it.

This was a brave choice of play.  A two-hander sustained for an hour without a break is a tough undertaking but Nikky Kirkup (Anya) and Vykki Mash (Sonia) took it in their stride. They created the Chekhovian atmosphere with a possible hint of Genet, with minimum fuss and complete success.

Anya’s opening moments set the scene and her scream on seeing the coffin in her sparsely furnished room was convincing beyond words! It gave her the opportunity to reveal her relationship with vodka within minutes.

We also quickly learned that she had a limp and her rather tired, once-glamorous dress underlined the fact that she had fallen on difficult times. The entrance of her sister Sonia dressed as housemaid established in our minds a firm, friendly relationship between the two.

The initial dialogue was a little stiff and the picking up of cues could have been a little more slick, giving pace to the opening moments. The scene soon settled down, however, and we became engaged in the story. We got to know the characters.

It appeared that a coffin had also appeared in Sonia’s room. The two women freshly arrived from a seance which, it seems, both were in the habit of attending.  The growing hysteria in Anya had earlier revealed her fear of death and her belief that the coffin was an omen.

The coffin was the focus of their early dialogue and finally led, with the help of much vodka, to the revelation of the terrible secrets that each had kept from the other. One was a serial murderer and the other a procurer.  When the reason for the appearance of the coffin was discovered, one couldn’t help wondering whether the relationship would ever be the same!

Nikky created a very credible character in Anya and showed total confidence using the acting area.  She was fluent, her voice well projected and she had a good range and believable facial expressions.  She did wonderfully well is sustaining a considerable limp. 

Though we saw her very close relationship with vodka, she showed almost superhuman ability not to show that she must have been getting a little more tipsy as the play went on.  Playing “drunk” is notoriously difficult, but I think we needed just a little attempt here.  Surely, it was the vodka that led her to reveal her terrible secret.

Vikki too created a character (Sonia) in which we could believe and this became more convincing as the play progressed. There were a few moments when the voice dropped a bit too far and there was a little over gesturing which didn’t always seem to arise for the lines of the situation. This was, however, also a successful and well-sustained characterization. As time went on, the ensemble playing between the two became more and more impressive.

The set was minimal and reflected the situation in which the two women found themselves.  The lighting was suitably dingey and supported the atmosphere of a situation of “reduced circumstances.” 

I liked the choice of music, but it was a bit too loud at some points and I would have liked to have heard the difference when the door opened and closed. A tiny, nit-picking comment, I know, but little details like this matter.

All in all, this was a very enjoyable performance. We were drawn into the emotional awfulness of the revelations the women made to one another.  The touches of black humour were always a welcome diversion. They were well pointed and enhanced our enjoyment of the play. And what a relief when we discovered the real reason why the coffins were there! More smile and a little wry laughter.

The director is to be congratulated on a very interesting and brave choice of piece. It was very effectively executed and was clearly enjoyed by all the audience.  What a tragedy there were so few of us.

Review by “Polly”