An amateur production of Ray Cooney's comedy in association with Samuel French Ltd
This was performed at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Woking on:
Wednesday 29th April 2009 Thursday 30th April 2009 Friday 1st May 2009 and Saturday 2nd May 2009
CAST (in order of appearance)
Mary Smith ~ Maria Holden Barbara Smith ~ Caroline Harding John Smith ~ Bob Wells Det. Sgt. Troughton ~ Mike Ashworth Stanley Gardner ~ Martin Gardner Reporter ~ Carl Granville Det. Sgt. Porterhouse ~ Adrian Laidlaw Bobby Franklyn ~ Tony Richardson
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director ~ Jim Allen and Wilf Hashimi Stage Manager ~ Karen Bray Assistant Stage Managers ~ Kerris Bolton and Allison Cooke Set Design ~ Jim Allen, Wilf Hashimi and Iain Campbell Costumes/Properties ~ The Company Lighting and sound ~ Peter Chidzey Front of House Manager ~ Joan Gardiner ByfleetPlayers’ Box Office ~ Joan Gardiner
Reviews
From Richard Walton, Chairman of Horsell Amateur Dramatic Society ("HADS"):
Just a note to say how much we enjoyed the show last night. Thanks to all the cast, it was extremely funny and the door hiccup was hilarious and beautifully handled - rightly applauded by the audience. We had the same situation a few years ago but unfortunately did not have Bob Wells to sort it out!! Well done again and all the best for the rest of the run. Best regards Richard Walton
From Suzannah Zerfahs:
I wanted to write sooner rather than later to express my utter enjoyment of Run For Your Wife.
It opened on a splendid set and throughout the play full use was made of the entire stage. Lighting and sound effects excellent. There were well polished performances from all the cast, some wonderful ad-libs and very good cover and team work for the one or two fluffed bits which had the audience even more on your side. Martin Gardner was superb, his range of voices and facial expressions very often stole the show. However, the most praise must surely go to Maria Holden. I know she came late to the part and had a great many lines to learn - she pulled it off wonderfully and any time in the future we need an actress who can fake hysterics I know she would be our girl!
I laughed from start to finish, it was fast paced, a very funny script, well performed and especially well directed. Well done to all the cast and crew for a magnificent effort, you deserved much bigger audiences for this well executed piece of work. Pats on the backs all round.
Suzannah Zerfahs
DICK WHITTINGTON
a pantomime by Jim Allen This pantomime was performed at Byfleet Village Hall from Wednesday 7th to Saturday 10th January 2009 with a matinee performance on the Saturday afternoon.
The programme contained the following notes on the origin of the story:
The Pantomime ‘Dick Whittington’ is one of the few homegrown stories, along with ‘The Babes In The Wood’. It is also a pantomime that presents a mixture of facts and fiction, although mainly fiction. The story is based on the real life Richard Whittington, who, unlike his pantomime character, was not poor, being the third son of Sir William Whittington of Gloucester. Richard Whittington was born somewhere around 1350, moving to London where he traded in costly textiles. Like the Dick Whittington of pantomime, he did marry Alice Fitzwarren, daughter of an Alderman, and become Alderman himself, before taking the title of Sheriff. Under the patronage of Richard II he became Lord Mayor in 1397, and later again in 1406 and 1419. As a wealthy merchant he made loans to both Henry IV and Henry VI, and large charitable donations, including the founding of the WhittingtonSchool in London. Sadly, it does not appear that he had a cat of any fame, and various theories have been put forward as to how a cat came to feature so heavily in his story. One theory is that coal vessels of the time were called ‘Cats’, and another that it derived from the French ‘achat’ meaning a purchase. However, on Highgate Hill today there stands a statue in honour of this faithful creature, on the site where, in legend, Dick Whittington heard the bells of London call him back to become ‘Three Times Lord Mayor’. The pantomime adds another element to the story in the form of rats, and the arch villain of pantomime King (or sometimes Queen) Rat. In the tale Dick and his cat journey to Morocco, where ‘Tommy’, as the cat is traditionally known, rids the country of rats, earning Dick half the Sultan’s wealth as a reward. The addition of Rats to the story possibly harks back to the Black Death which Londoners recalled with fear. Rats were the cause of the great plagues and the triumph over ‘King Rat’ would have been a popular ending to the story. The first recorded pantomime of Dick Whittington was in 1814, with Joseph Grimaldi playing Dame Cecily Suet. However, the play dates back to around 1605. Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary dated 1668, ‘To Southwark Fair, very dirty, and there saw the puppet show of Whittington, which was pretty to see’. Reproduced by kind permission of www.its-behind-you.com The Home of Pantomime on the Internet
Cast & Crew
Town Crier ~ Maria Holden King Rat ~ Tony Richardson Alderman Fitzwarren ~ Alan Arlington Alice Fitzwarren ~ Louise Whybourn Sarah the Cook ~ Bob Wells Idle Jack ~ Nick Daborn Dick Whittington ~ Hannah Rogers Cuddles the Cat ~ Sophie Lewis Tinkle, the Fairy of the Bells ~ Karen Bray Captain Pratt ~ Wilf Hashimi Mate Nerd ~ Helen Imison Sultana of Morocco ~ Maria Holden Londoners and Sailors ~ Kerri Brown, Rhianna Driscoll, Julia Guy, Helen Imison, Louise Imison, Emma Lewis, Niamh Robinson, Katie Rogers, Callum Gulvin Guards ~ Simon Maple, Callum Gulvin Sultana’s Attendants ~ Kerri Brown, Julia Guy, Lara Lucano, Katie Rogers Fairies, Sailors, Rat and Harem Dancers ~ Imogen Alvares, Rhianna Driscoll, Julia Guy, Lauren Hurst, Olivia Leitch, Emma Lewis, Lara Lucano, Niamh Robinson, Katie Rogers, Katie Valentine Cat Duet ~ Charlotte Evans, Lara Lucano
Director ~ Debbie Souter Choreographer For the Susan Robinson School of Dancing ~ Susan Robinson
Stage Manager ~ Catherine Lewis Assistant Stage Managers ~ Adrian Laidlaw, Clare Robinson, Debbie Souter Set Design ~ The Company Costumes ~ Corinne Brown & Carolyn Rogers Properties ~ The Company Lighting design and operation ~ Peter Chidzey Music and Sound ~ Kate Ferris Front of House Manager ~ Trysh Harris Refreshments ~ Joan Gardiner Box Office ~ Phase TV and Video Programme ~ Joan Gardiner
Reviews
From Helen Holden:
Since 1814 the tale (or is that tail)? of Dick Whittington has been told and retold, it is a timeless classic and The ByfleetPlayers did it justice.
This production from start to end was full of laughs and very corny jokes. What can I say Mr A? We are not worthy!
Idle Jack managed to sing perfectly out of tune, a difficult job as I know he can actually sing quite well.
King Rat was played, in my opinion, by the consummate 'master' of baddies, he is just so good at being bad. Oh no he isn't......................... Oh Yes He Is!!!!! (Sorry couldn't resist.)
The roles were well cast, not least the panto fairy, she was great. One small thing, could the 'bosun' get a chance to sing more next time? She has a lovely voice, which was proved in previous performances, for example Granny Grabbit and her performance in 'Oh What A Lovely War.'
The dancers were, as usual, exquisite and very professional. A joy to watch as always.
Congratulations not only to those on stage but to everyone who worked very hard to put on a fantastic show. The applause was for you as well.
At the last outing I thought, they can't better this. I was wrong. Thank you for a true treat and I can't wait for the next production to come round.
Helen
From Dave and Heather Pryce:
Dear Wilf Just wanted to say how much Heather and I enjoyed this years panto'. It was a polished performance with a gag a minute which did not let up for 2 hours. I am reluctant to single out any individual as all the lead roles were so well performed, but will say we thought the ballet dancers were great and really enhanced the production. Costumes were colourful and eye catching. Sound and lightly also well done and enhanced the atmosphere. So again,congratulations to all.
Dave
From John & Hilary Woodhouse:
We thoroughly enjoyed the panto last night - well done to all concerned! ...do please keep us informed of future productions.
From the Mayor of Woking:
Dear Marlene Gill and I would like to thank you very much for inviting us, on behalf of the ByfleetPlayers to last night’s performance of ‘Dick Whittington’. It was a really splendid show and we both thoroughly enjoyed the evening. We would be most grateful if you would pass on our sincere congratulations and thanks to Wilf, as Chairman, and Jim, as script writer, and also to the rest of the cast. Everyone had obviously put in a lot of effort to make it run so smoothly. Last, but not least, thank you also for the splendid refreshments during the interval. I like to think that I am a connoisseur of fruit cake – and my piece was superb. I hope the Saturday performances were equally successful. Regards and best wishes for 2009. (Signed) Peter Ankers, Mayor of Woking
From E Gloria Smith NODA Representative – District 12:
The opening scene for ‘Dick Whittington’ was attractively set and the chorus, who I imagine were probably members of the Susan Robinson School of Dancing, made a good start to the pantomime. There was the usual dearth of male chorus, which seems to be an inevitable problem these days in almost every society.
Tony Richardson worked hard in the role of King Rat, but didn’t come across as evil enough and his dialogue was a little rushed from time to time. His costume didn’t help to make him a figure of malice as, apart from the tail, it could have belonged to a completely benign character, but his make-up was very good.
As Alderman Fitzwarren, Alan Arlington gave a sound performance with good diction, and playing his daughter Alice, Louise Whybourn also delivered her lines clearly. Her costume wasn’t very attractive either as it looked rather like a night-dress and dressing gown.
The Dame is a difficult part and Bob Wells, playing Sarah the Cook, managed to pull it off despite some of his lines being thrown away sotto voce. He did however come up with some quick and amusing ad-libbing in a couple of spots, and his rather less traditional costumes were fun. I enjoyed his rendition of ‘Stand by your Man’ which was very entertaining.
There didn’t appear to be a particular character with dialogue designed to work the audience. Probably Idle Jack was the most likely, but Nick Daborn needed more direction to deliver the comedy and get the audience to participate.
Hannah Rogers looked great as Dick Whittington and her costume was excellent. She played the part confidently although when the action is not on her she still needs to react and keep in character. ‘I’d Do Anything’ was very good.
Cuddles the Cat was fetching, and Sophie Lewis was secure in the feline role but sometimes her movements were a little frenetic rather than slinky. Her make-up too was very good.
Two of the best performances were from Wilf Hashimi and Helen Imison who worked really well together. Wilf had presence and good timing as Captain Pratt, and Helen gave a super performance as Mate Nerd. She never once slipped out of character and it wasn’t an easy one to maintain. The strutting, hand movements, mannerisms and accent were perfect.
Karen Bray grew into the part of Tinkle the Fairy as the pantomime progressed, but her costume was rather dull for a fairy, and as The Sultan Maria Holden wore nothing on her head to start with, which was inappropriate, although she was more suitably attired in the finale.
The dancing throughout was first class, there was more included than in previous pantomime, and it really lifted the visual side of the production. The ballet section was delightful and the ‘Cats’ number was brilliant.
Act two had a great opening with the Sailors Hornpipe and there were props and some scenery to dress the set which made it much more convincing.
Your selection of musical numbers was good and they were competently performed by the cast.
A number of the lighting cues were either late or early, as was each appearance of Big Ben.
In fairness to the cast, they had very little help to back their efforts on stage, particularly in the first act because of the absence of visually attractive cloths/scenery, and of course colourful, suitable pantomime costumes.
Summing up, I am all too aware that putting on any entertainment costs money and I appreciate that you were probably trying to stage ‘Dick Whittington’ on a shoe-string, but I’m afraid it showed. You have some enthusiastic and committed members in The Players and it was a pity that they had so little to work with.
This however did not stop the rather small audience from entering into the spirit of the pantomime and they appeared to enjoy themselves.
Thank you for inviting me to see the pantomime and for your kind hospitality on the evening. I shall look forward to your next production in the Spring.
