Review by Arts Alliance of Pine Rivers Inc
"Short and Sweet"
A weekend of One Act Plays
Directed by Various Directors
Act 1 Theatre Group, Strathpine.
I attended a most enjoyable Opening Night on Friday June 25th.
"The Lover"
The first play was “The Lover” by Harold Pinter, directed by John Sayles. This play was first performed in 1963 and 47 years makes a huge difference to its shock value. Back then, the thought of a husband calmly accepting the fact that his wife’s lover would be visiting their home that day and that he should stay away until 6pm, would have been quite confronting. Nowadays, this doesn’t faze an audience at all. However, as with all Pinter plays, all is not what it seems, and while Act 1 chooses not to be overly demonstrative in its production, the sexual tension between the protagonists, Richard (played with deep emotion and character by Mark Fell) and Sarah (played by Wendy Kemp) was palpable. I was particularly impressed with Kemp’s performance as she varied from a tramp to a woman whose feelings had been crushed.
John Sayles’ direction was simple but effective. This play has been done in the past both as a comedy and as a drama. Sayles elected to play it as a drama with just a hint of comedy. He also made his entrance as the milkman to the tune of “No Milk Today”. All in all, they did Pinter proud.
“What’s for Pudding”
This is a play by David Tristram who is famous for his Goon show type farces. This time, however, the play is a straight comedy, which has at the helm, first time director, Mark Fell, and, as a first effort, it is a credit to him.
He had some problems with blocking the play and there was some obvious masking. Overall, he handled his cast well and the audience really loved it. Jack (played by Mark Anthony) was a lively character who was obviously not, in his wife Mary’s good books. Mary (played by Candice Dittmann) was out for his blood from the moment the curtain opened. To add to his problems, a late night visit from friends (played by Kim Barrett-Coade and Errol Barnett) and the local dweeb Reagan Warner didn’t make his situation any better. Barrett-Coade gave her usual delightful performance, getting drunker and funnier as the night progressed. This bright cast handled the snappy dialogue with obvious relish. This play was a great contrast and a lot of fun.
“The Retreat”
The final play of the evening was written and directed by Pauline Davies. This young lady has learned much about theatre in the twenty odd years it has been since I first directed her. Her play “The Retreat” could be quite brilliant. It is very very funny. However, it is far too long. It really needs to have a dramaturge show her where to cut out the superfluous bits. I particularly found the scene with the obnoxious neighbours far too belaboured. Don’t get me wrong. The play is hilarious and the characters are well drawn. As a director, Davies moves her actors around well and made creative use of all of the stage and part of the auditorium. It’s hard to pick favourites in a cast of this caliber, but if I were forced to, I would select Jenny Lynch (as the prudish Kelly) and the over the top Cheryl Bartlett as the resort owner. When this play was firing, it had the audience in stitches.
This Season will only run until Saturday, 3rd July. It’s a fun night out. Don’t let it slip by you.
Ray Swenson
"Short and Sweet"
A weekend of One Act Plays
Directed by Various Directors
Act 1 Theatre Group, Strathpine.
I attended a most enjoyable Opening Night on Friday June 25th.
"The Lover"
The first play was “The Lover” by Harold Pinter, directed by John Sayles. This play was first performed in 1963 and 47 years makes a huge difference to its shock value. Back then, the thought of a husband calmly accepting the fact that his wife’s lover would be visiting their home that day and that he should stay away until 6pm, would have been quite confronting. Nowadays, this doesn’t faze an audience at all. However, as with all Pinter plays, all is not what it seems, and while Act 1 chooses not to be overly demonstrative in its production, the sexual tension between the protagonists, Richard (played with deep emotion and character by Mark Fell) and Sarah (played by Wendy Kemp) was palpable. I was particularly impressed with Kemp’s performance as she varied from a tramp to a woman whose feelings had been crushed.
John Sayles’ direction was simple but effective. This play has been done in the past both as a comedy and as a drama. Sayles elected to play it as a drama with just a hint of comedy. He also made his entrance as the milkman to the tune of “No Milk Today”. All in all, they did Pinter proud.
“What’s for Pudding”
This is a play by David Tristram who is famous for his Goon show type farces. This time, however, the play is a straight comedy, which has at the helm, first time director, Mark Fell, and, as a first effort, it is a credit to him.
He had some problems with blocking the play and there was some obvious masking. Overall, he handled his cast well and the audience really loved it. Jack (played by Mark Anthony) was a lively character who was obviously not, in his wife Mary’s good books. Mary (played by Candice Dittmann) was out for his blood from the moment the curtain opened. To add to his problems, a late night visit from friends (played by Kim Barrett-Coade and Errol Barnett) and the local dweeb Reagan Warner didn’t make his situation any better. Barrett-Coade gave her usual delightful performance, getting drunker and funnier as the night progressed. This bright cast handled the snappy dialogue with obvious relish. This play was a great contrast and a lot of fun.
“The Retreat”
The final play of the evening was written and directed by Pauline Davies. This young lady has learned much about theatre in the twenty odd years it has been since I first directed her. Her play “The Retreat” could be quite brilliant. It is very very funny. However, it is far too long. It really needs to have a dramaturge show her where to cut out the superfluous bits. I particularly found the scene with the obnoxious neighbours far too belaboured. Don’t get me wrong. The play is hilarious and the characters are well drawn. As a director, Davies moves her actors around well and made creative use of all of the stage and part of the auditorium. It’s hard to pick favourites in a cast of this caliber, but if I were forced to, I would select Jenny Lynch (as the prudish Kelly) and the over the top Cheryl Bartlett as the resort owner. When this play was firing, it had the audience in stitches.
This Season will only run until Saturday, 3rd July. It’s a fun night out. Don’t let it slip by you.
Ray Swenson
Past Productions 2010
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