Dad's  Army

by Jimmy Perry
and
David Croft

Directed by

Tony Brownings

Are You Being Served?

by Jeremy Lloyd
and
David Croft

Directed by

Peter Thompson

January 3 - 7  2006

There is something wonderfully British about the situation of the 1940s Home Guard and the situation of the 1970s department store that cries out to be celebrated in great British situation comedy.  Messrs Croft, Perry and Lloyd are masters of the art - and Messrs Brownings and Thompson know a good thing when they see it. 

 Wick Theatre Company loves to do Shakespeare, loves to do serious drama and adult comedy - but it also loves jokesand pussies and stupid boys.  We hope you do too! 

Cast

Barrie Jerram 

It is the dated Are You Being Served? that disappointed, having as it did a very weak script that received and extremely pedestrian production. With few exceptions the acting failed to give life to the familiar characters and they remained two dimensional caricatures.  Their antics, which involved preparations for a staff holiday to Spain and the promotion of German goods in the store, drew amused smiles rather than hearty laughter. 

it was in  the second half that the evening took off with the much loved Dad's Army and the arrival of the Walmington-on-Sea Home Guard.  here the acting was much stronger with the cast catching the flavour of familiar character rather than blindly impersonating the originals.  They were helped by having a much stronger and funnier storyline.  Also the production as much tighter and moved at a much slicker pace than the first offering. John Griffiths made a fine Captain Mainwaring, although he could have given him a bit more blustering pomposity.  Particularly pleasing as his bringing out of the more human side of the man in his exchanges with Judith Berrill's Mrs. Grey.  Their scene bore more than a passing nod to Brief Encounters.  Bob Ryder captured well the feyness and the mannerisms of Sergeant Wilson whilst David Creedon delighted the audience with his lustful Private Frazer.  Two delightful cameos form Ray Hopper are worthy of mention.  His excellent portrayal of Mr. Grainger in the first play was well matched by his later playing of Private Godfrey.

Along with, I suspect, the rest of the audience I wanted more when the play ended and I left the theatre feeling that the company would have been better off if they had not ventured into Grace Brother's store and just stuck to the Walmington church hall, preferably in an extended version.

Andy Trotman

The Barn Theatre was transported back to the Seventies last week as two of Britain's most popular sitcoms were brought to life.  

First up was Mr. Humphries and his fellow shop-workers.  The company had obviously worked hard to recreate a believable shop environment as the sets were impressive for such a small operation.  This part of the evening focused on the Grace Brothers staff gearing up for their summer holiday in Spain.  the physical gags and double entendres never failed to raise a smile.  Just as Mr. Humphries is the star of the television series, so he was here.  Ian White played a very camp and effeminate salesman perfectly.  However, at times the action seemed a little forced and the scenes failed to flow as well as the audience could have hoped for, resulting in smiles rather than outright laughter.

Luckily for the audience, the second half was almost flawless and gave us the famous Dad's Army episode where the Home Guard troop are instructed to guard a group of German U-boat officers.  John Griffiths., as Captain Mainwaring, led the cast well, proving to be adequately stern and deadpan, but it was Bob Ryder, playing Sergeant Wilson, who stole this section.  John Le Mesurier had a very distinct voice and character in this show and Ryder did justice throughout.  

A great double-bill which was saved by the second half. 

Words and Music

Gordon Bull

You have to be an ardent fan of these two BBC comedies to appreciate the stage versions properly.  Personally I have mostly enjoyed Dad's Army, but rarely watched the Grace Bothers store, which depends  for its humour entirely on double entendre in both word and deed and which, in excess, generally bores me.  

The cast for the latter [Are You Being Served?] was well chosen, with surprisingly close take-offs of the original characters.  In particular, Maggie Pierce as Mrs. Slocombe could almost have been stolen from the TV.  I can't help wondering whether it is better to ape the original mannerism and voices, or whether to bring one's own ideas to the show.  I think it  must be a very difficult line to tread, especially since the timing of all the interjections is very much down to the individual.  Mr. Marsh was a little too enthusiastic with his duster and could learn that it is not necessary to be quite so heavy handed with it when dealing with sexual allusion, when a hint of a suggestion is all that is necessary.  After all the show is not in any way meant to be totally suggestive;  it's just a light-hearted rude romp.  It was not the fault of the actors i suspect, but the material, which inclined me to nod off, it's so banal.  However, it clearly reached its target audience in general.  It was a well-devised show and everybody had plenty to do.

Dad's Army is a completely different cup of tea.  The utter exaggerated stupidity of the characters is what makes it work and the cast of the Wick Theatre Company caught its humour from the moment when  they marched through the auditorium.  A nice touch!  The barn might well have been the venue for this strange company of Home Guard.  here one felt the characters were more themselves, but again with the difficult task of emulating Mainwaring, Wilson, Jones, Pike, etc.  I felt the boss could have been more haughty, and Wlson could have projected his voice more, but he caught the mannerism of the gentle ladies' man admirably.  It was refreshing to be able to use the ladies of the Theatre Company in such a manner although they were necessarily under-employed.  The main characters came across well, without over doing it.  David Creedon worked hard to produce the rasping voice of the idiotic Frazer, and ay Hopper as the incontinent Godfrey was quite a double [with Mr. Grainger]

I would have liked this crazy gang to have had a little more opportunity to show off the characteristics of characters such as Hodges, Sponge, Verger, Pike and Walker, for example, who barely got a look-in.  However, they made a very good showing.

Bedroom Farce

by Alan Ayckbourn

April 5 - 8 2006

Directed by

Katie Brownings

Picture courtesy of Brighton Argus
back - John Garland, Diane Robinson, Ian White
centre - Kevin Isaac, Judith Berrill, Zoë Edden
front - Sheelagh Baker, David Creedon

Barrie Jerram

Ayckbourn has a gift for writing dialogue which is naturalistic and for depicting situation and characters which are familiar to us all.  The play crackles with wit and humour and yet there is the author's trademark theme of pain beneath the surface of relationships.  It fell to Sheelagh Baker, as Trevor's mother, to utter words of wisdom to her daughter-in-law.   "When sex rears its ugly head, just close your eyes before you see the rest of it."

Katie Brownings' direction extracted the best from the script and created great comic moments.  She was fortunate in having a cast of such quality that their performances appeared effortless.  Sheelagh Baker and David Creedon led the way with two portrayals that were delightfully underplayed that resulted in much humour.  As Nick, confined to his bed having put his back out, Ian White demonstrated great talent for comic mime.  John Garland played the hapless Trevor deadpanned, to humorous effect, as he naively blundered through other people's lives.  The comic talents of the husbands were well matched by their wives, Diane Robinson, Judith Berrill and the consistently excellent Zoë Edden.

In trying to find something about the production to criticise I have to admit failure.  It was a consummate production.

Sam Woodman

Following his debut Barn performance as the camp Mr. Humpries and a fearsome U-Boat captain in Wick's Christmas Are You Being served? / Dad's Army double bill, Ian White again excelled, this time as bed-ridden Nick.  His battle against a bad back never failed to amuse, and Diane Robinson gave a sterling performance as unsympathetic wife Jan.  Home-maker Kate and Malcolm were played delightfully by Judith Berrill and Kevin Isaac, while John Garland and Zoë Edden amuse and frustrated in equal measure as Trevor and Susannah, the couple plagued by marriage problems.

Director Kate Brownings' talented cast ensured the audience at Southwick's packed Barn theatre did not go home disappointed.

Words and Music

Gordon Bull

Nick [Ian White] playing the back-smitten husband was effective enough to remind me of similar battles, that I really felt for him.  His spouse Jane [Diane Robinson] took her place beside, under and over him equally effectively.  The mature couple Ernest [David Creedon] and Delia [Sheelagh Baker] were the stabilising couple whose relationship had become so perfectly moulded after many years in danger of becoming stale.  A warning to us all and again a convincing performance.  Their son Trevor [John Garland] and irritating wife Susannah [Zoe Edden] clearly had little to offer each other and not only was their marriage somewhat rocky with the consequence that looking at old flames was likely to finish off.  So they turn up separately at the party given by Malcolm and Kate sufficiently apart for some hanky panky in the bedroom while flying about between bedroom and bedroom.  In various states of modest undress.

The lighting [Mike Medway] was well controlled to highlight which particular bedroom was in focus and the stage presentation of all the rooms worked effectively so that one felt quite at home with the characters who gave us a good insight into the perils of just living the married life and the marital stresses and extra-marital attractions which we all know present potential challenges.

A full house on the night loved it and laughter was never short.  Amazingly enough, this highly enjoyable play, despite the title, did not produce a plethora of plunging pants or female flesh, innuendo nor even suggestive dialogue. Situation comedy at its best.  Which goes to show something!  It's a welcome change not to have modern day life flung at one full in the face to appreciate it.

Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell

by Keith Waterhouse

June 28 - July  1 2006

Directed by

Pat Lynne

Keith Waterhouse knew Jeff well and had the brilliant idea of weaving a play from the material in The Spectator columns.  He also conjured up a nostalgic picture of the boozy, bohemian Soho that's now gone, featuring some of the highly colourful characters who Bernard rubbed shoulders with ['usually in the gutter' as he once put it].  Since it first appeared in 1989, the play has proved remarkably popular.  Peter O'Toole, who also knew Bernard well, was in the first production and reprised the rôle to enormous acclaim in 1999, soon after Jeff's long-inevitable demise.  Long before then, the fiction had taken over from the fact.  One night when he was sitting sozzled in the stalls bar of the Apollo Theatre during a performance of the play, Jeff was confronted by the House Manager, who tried to eject him.  "But I'm Jeffrey Bernard", he pleaded.  "You can't be", came the reply, "he's up there on stage"! 

Barrie Jerram

The play is virtually a monologue, fleshed out with an assortment of characters that appear ghost-like on stage to enact the incidents he is recalling.  Amongst the many hilarious incidents related, one that tickled the audience most described cat racing, a past time invented by desperate gamblers when horse racing was abandoned during a long winter spell. The central character is a wonderful rôle for an actor but it is also a tough challenge.  Happily in this production by the Wick Theatre Company they were blessed by the talent and skill of Bob Ryder, whose portrayal of Bernard was  masterful.  Not only did he extract the full humour from this comic-tragic figure - the tragedy being self-inflicted - but he also brought out the man's vulnerability, notably when reflecting on the deaths of so many friends and companions.

Ryder was given wonderful support from the quartet of actors that play the assorted wives, mistresses, drunks and tarts etc. that Bernard's imagination has peopled the stage with.  It would be an injustice not to give credit to their individual contributions.  from a wide range of characters played by Kate Brownings, the foul-mouthed owner of the drinking club, a blousy sexpot and a wheezing old lady stand out in the memory.  Her performance was sheer comic delight.  Lyn Ferne's talent brought variety to her assortment of rôles, many of them as Bernard's wives and lovers - invariably ending up with the words "Jeffrey, you make me sick".  David Bickers skillfully provided many comic cameos including the jockey, Lester Piggott.  Completing the quartet and no less accomplished than the others was David Peaty.  Amongst his fine contributions I was particularly amused by his impersonation of the actor, Dennis Shaw.  Together with this 'dream team' of actors and director must be included those responsible for an outstanding set.

It was hard to fault this slick production with its superb direction by Patricia Lynne, but if pushed the only quibble would be that Ryder looked too healthy for the dissolute old rake!  In trying to find something a bout the production to criticise I have to admit failure.  It was a consummate production.

Sam Woodman

Author Keith Waterhouse's play is currently enjoying revival at London's Garrick Theatre and, last week, the Coach and Horses was recreated at the Barn Theatre, Southwick.

After crawling out from under a bar table, Jeff finds himself alone and settles down to drink and smoke his way through the night, casting his memory back over his life.  Jeff is visited by countless friends, colleagues, wives, nurses, tipsters, judges and jockeys, who help tell his tale.  Bob Ryder shone in the title rôle, ably supported by Lyn Fernee, David Bickers, Kate Brownings and David Peaty, who played the numerous figures from Jeff's life.  The show was performed in the round, rather than on stage, involving the audience more and bringing them closer to the action, as if they were sat at the table with Jeff himself.

Thought provoking, interesting, entertaining, funny, sad, wry, poignant ... directed by Patricia Lyne, the show was all of the above and nobody left the theatre disappointed.  Wick's Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell was an accomplished production.  Everyone involved can feel rightly proud. 

Words and Music

Gordon Bull

Jeffrey Barnard was a bibulous journalist whose greatest claim to fame was having his shabby life immortalised by playwright Kenneth Waterhouse, otherwise he would undoubtedly, like the rest of us, have passed obliquely into history.  If Look Back in Anger is your cup of tea, you would have found this 'play' worthy of a quick dip of a teabag.  

Bernard, faultlessly verbalised throughout [almost a monologue] by Bob Ryder, wakes up sloshed at 5am in a pub, having accidentally been locked all night in the lavatory.  His ability to crawl from the floor to the bar brings him to soliloquize in his wretched life, so utterly boring, mundane and universal.  At no time did I feel the uncertainty consistent with one 'under the influence of incahol', a difficult act to maintain as he pursued his catalogue of events, with the odd character effectively popping up to prop up the pretence.  Ryder is consummate actor, and certainly he managed to consume a fair degree of liquid to keep his vocal chords well-oiled between a farrago of fags.

An occasional titter here and there from the audience paid heed to the humour.  The big laughs, with one exception, depended as is common these days, on the particular vehemence or otherwise, with which each Anglo-Saxon vulgarity is expressed whether it be f***, sh** or p**s [I'm not allowed to spell them out].  This is how it was and this is how it ended.  Literally!  Must I spell it out?

And, oh! Yes!  the best moment and the biggest all-round laugh was attributed to the banal couple at the bar, suitably dressed, whose complete act comprised trite and clichéd remarks.  It stole the show! Funny, that!

Multiplex

by Christopher William Hill

September 7 - 9 2006

Directed by

Mark Best

MB wrote "During my time directing for Young Wick, I have been astonished by the talent and dedication the group have shown in every production - and this year is no different.  They really have been a delight to direct and teach.  As well as performing on stage, the group have put tremendous enthusiasm into all aspects of the production, publicity, props, costumes, sound and lighting.  The year's show really has been a group effort.  With at least three members busily working back stage and the rest of the cast giving it their all, this really is an ensemble piece!

Multiplex is a play that looks at the magical job of the humble usher.  As we follow Dillon, one of the senior ushers, we explore the individual quirks of the characters and their status in their work life.  Their hopes, dreams, fears and aspirations are all united through their love of film.

As you sit back with your popcorn and ... 'Ask yourself one question: what's your favourite film, punk?'"

Barrie Jerram

Film making being the passion of the head usher, King, well played by Tom Harris.  His place at the top of the hierarchy is challenged by the arrival of a serious film buff by the name of Mouse, a nicely underplayed performance by Hugo Harwood.  The cast managed to extract plenty of laughs in a complex production that involved screen projections and intricate lighting with many of the laughs coming from Danny Bayford and Miles Bland as a couple of self appointed henchmen to King.  a highlight of the show was when Cass, love-struck for King, tells the audience how she plans to kiss him.  This involved a hilarious thought process that lead through courtship, marriage, kids, abandonment, child support agency and an appearance on Tricia!  Equally impressive was the monologue from Rhys Webb as Fish, a diminutive character who desperately wanted to be noticed.

Sheena Campbell

The world of the silver screen was brought to life in Young Wick Theatre Company's latest production Multiplex.  Written by Christopher William Hill, the play revolved around the lives of a group of young ushers obsessed with films.  As the story was played out, reality and fantasy became increasingly merged, with the ushers making their own films under the direction of King, played by Tom Harris.  King is the ultimate film buff, but his leadership was challenged when Mouse arrived and the pecking order between the different types of usher, 'plankton, dudes and buffs' began to disintegrate.

A strong comedy element was provided by Spike and Elton, played by Danny Bayford, 18, and Miles Bland, 13.  They were King's 'heavies' and the interaction between the two provided some of the biggest laughs of the evening.  Tom Pearson, 17, also stood out as Dillon, who acted as the narrator of the play.  He stood in the wings, observing the actions of his co-workers with a dry, cynical humour.  As well as being funny, this play managed to address difficulty which many young people have trying to fit in.  Throughout the play, there were references to famous films, Citizen Kane and the original  Star Wars trilogy, which real-life film buffs will have enjoyed.

There were no props on stage, apart from a projector that showed clips of famous films.  this starkness could have been a problem for the young cast, but, instead led to a feeling of intimacy between actors and audience which was enhanced by the setting of the Barn Theatre.  Directed by Mark Best, this play gave a humorous, entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable insight into the mind of a teenager.  Everyone involved should feel proud.

Words and Music

Gordon Bull

I have no doubt about the acting ability of this young group, which was very high.  Why not?  The whole tone of the play was couched in some of the more extreme situations to be found in many an inner-city playground or 'low-life' deprived area.  I was warned beforehand that there would be 'language'.  So what?  That's life!  But I never really discovered the thrust of this play.  I thought the reference to Tracy Emin, when Spike [Danny Bayford] produced his own piece of detritus [s***] for his teacher to assess, was probably the central theme.  There was indeed scarcely five minutes when 'crap' [my substitution; for some reason this is approved when the original is not] was not in some character's mouth.

Well!  Playground, pub and site language now invades, if it does not pervade, society.  There was a time when one apologised to a lady for using it, just like removing one's hat when entering a room.  But times change!  This became more than a point as the youngsters were caught up in this play within a play, where the films they watch are the life they live and vice-versa. There was some telling camera work and much credit must go to the convincing way the 'signing'  was carried out by the deaf girl and her worker, but also to the whole cast in the opening dance scene. 

Sound effects were always effective and appropriate, as was the lighting.  Lead parts Dillon [Tom Pearson] and King [Tom Harris] were particularly strong and well cast.  Most of the main characters were well-coached in delivery, which could well be emulated by all, but I confess that it's a massive task to juggle the sloppy utterances of the back-street kids with the articulation and projection necessary to satisfy the audience as to its content.  The 12-yaer-old who accompanied me said it had the right feel!

I can't say I enjoyed the play, but there was plenty of humour displayed and all credit to the players.  As 'King' said - "It's the end of the world for God's sake: there's nothing there!"  leaving his young protégé perplexed.  Was it worth the trouble? God knows! 

Blithe Spirit

by Noel Coward

September 13 - 16 2006

Directed by

Bob Ryder

Sam Woodman

A dinner party with a difference provided the setting for Wick Theatre company's latest production, Blithe Spirit, at Southwick's Barn Theatre.  Noel Coward's comedy centres around some ghostly goings-on after Charles Condomine, played by Tony Brownings, invites psychic Madame Arcati [Barbara Thomas] to a dinner party.  Charles, although sceptical about the medium's powers, needs background information for his latest novel, about the 'tricks of the trade'.  The plan backfires, however, and, after a séance, Charles and second wife Ruth [Kati Szeless] find themselves sharing their home with Elvira - Charles' late  first wife [played by Judith Berrill] who has returned from the grave.

Tony Brownings excelled as Charles , sandwiched between his current and former wives, never quite sure which way to turn, with Kati Szeless and Judith Berrill both perfect foils for Coward's witty writing.  They were supported ably by Nikki Dunsford, who was a delight as dinner party guest Mrs. Bradman, and by John Garland as her doctor husband.  Making her first appearance at the Barn, Natalie Colgate [*] was entertaining as maid Edith.  The star of the show, however, was Barbara Thomas, whose wonderful portrayal of the eccentric Madame Arcati was entertaining from beginning to end.  Every cast member performed well under Bob Ryder's direction and the cunning twist at the play's end was executed perfectly.  Another resounding success for Wick

[*]  Not actually Natalie's first appearance but a very welcome return after several years away! 

Barrie Jerram

The local revival of the work of Noel Coward continued with the Wick Theatre Company's production of Blithe Spirit.  The play, claimed by Coward to have been written in just a few days, has become an enduring classic.  The story centres on Charles, a writer in need of background to his latest book, who invites a local medium to conduct a séance at his home that he shares with his second wife, Ruth.  He is cynical in his motive - he hopes to pick up the appropriate jargon.  Charles, however, gets more than he bargained for when the ghost of his first wife, Elvira, is conjured up and is only visible to him.  Elvira has ulterior motives and causes all sorts of mayhem and confusion.  The character was deliciously realised by Judith Berill - vivacious and wickedly mischievous.  

The part of Madame Arcati, the medium, is a plum rôle that requires a controlled degree of eccentricity and scattiness.  On this occasion the control was lacking and the performance way over the top.  Concentration on physical comedy proved to be the detriment of the humour in the lines.  Too often the voice dropped and lines were thrown away.  Perhaps firmer direction was needed here.  It was felt that the female members of the cast, rather than the men, were the stronger performance.  Nikki Dunsford, as Mrs. Bradman, gave a portrayal that captured the period exceedingly well.  Tony Brownings and John  Garland, both fine actors who have produced high quality work in the past, did not fully achieve the lightness and style required for their rôles.

Words and Music

Gordon Bull

The Lady in the Van

by Alan Bennett

December 6 - 9 2006

Directed by

Tony & Katie Brownings

Sam Woodman

A kind heart, and curiosity, had led writer Alan Bennett to grant the eccentric Miss Shepherd an off-road parking space for her van, which doubled up as her home, on his driveway.  He turned the true story of what really happened from that day, in the mid 1970s, until  Miss Shepherd's death in 1989, into the successful comedy The Lady in the Van.  Wick Theatre's production of the play was both laugh-out-loud funny and poignant, with a large cast performing wonderfully under Tony and Kate Brownings' direction.

Alan, half horrified and half fascinated by Miss Shepherd and her mysterious past, portrays himself as two characters in the play.  The first, played by David Peaty, deals with the everyday frustrations of life with Miss Shepherd over more than 15 years.  The other, played, by Bob Ryder, looks on in a more detached and amused way, with an eye to writing up the story.  Both proved hilarious foils for one another while observing Miss Shepherd and her often bizarre behaviour, including hoarding plastic bags of rubbish and writing to the Pope.  Patricia Lyne excelled as the titular 'lay', who clearly enjoyed an action-packed and unusual life before her van found its final parking space i the author's driveway.  

Miss Shepherd and the two Alans were ably supported by a large cast of characters, including Judith Berrill as a social worker charged with finding the perfect walking stick, and Rufus [John Garland] and Pauline [Diane Robinson] as laid-back neighbours.

Wick Theatre Company's final production of 2006 was hilarious and touching, particularly at the end where regular visitor to the van, Underwood [Derek Fraser], filled in many of the gaps.

Barrie Jerram

Miss Shepherd, a lady with a past shrouded in mystery, and her decrepit van came to reside in the front garden of playwright, Alan Bennett, for just a short while and stayed for 15 years.  This warm and witty play, written with the craft that one expects from Bennett, is full of brilliant one-liners.  Being of an autobiographical nature, he uses  the clever device of having two Bennetts on stage narrating the tale - one having to deal with the cantankerous, smelly, delusioned old woman whilst the other looks on, sensing a story.  Both were brought wondrously to life by Bob Ryder and David Peaty, each capturing well the voice and mannerisms of Bennett.