The Vicar of Dibley - The Apollo Players

The Apollo’s December production is, unlike most current shows, nothing to do with Christmas, but its subject matter is almost as familiar as the nativity story to those over a certain age, as the script is derived from various episodes of the hugely popular TV series of the same name, cleverly stitched together to form a coherent storyline taking us from the Vicar’s arrival in Dibley up to the wedding of Alice and Hugo.

With such a script, the show cannot help but amuse, but the generous amount of laughter evident on the first night was just as much due to the quality of the actors on stage. Sensibly, each character was re-created by its actor rather than trying to perform a carbon copy of the original TV cast.

Thus, we had a tall, dapper but characteristically pedantic Frank Pickle, played with understated skill by David Carr, sitting at the parish council table alongside no,no,no,no…yes – Mike Groves’ bumbling Jim, who excelled in the scene where he practised his wedding speech. The role of challenged cook and flower arranger Letitia Cropley was in the safe, experienced hands of Helen Clinton-Pacey, and equally professional was Simon Lynch playing Owen Newitt, the farmer obsessed with the bowel movements of his cows. The brief appearance of some, er, rather aged twelve year olds, played by Carole Crow, Dave Talbot, Maggie Cardew, Maureen Sullivan and Lucy Benton added to the fun.

Steve Reading as David Horton dominated the council meetings and the stage, which made his softening towards the end all the more emotional, while the intellectually challenged couple, Hugo and Alice were both superbly portrayed by Matt Osborne and Carol Simpson. Their onstage chemistry was hilarious, and the costume department is to be congratulated on the confection that was the wedding dress!

Each character had their own moment of hilarity but it was of course Geraldine, played by Hebe Gregory who held the whole show together, and the audience loved and laughed along with her from the moment she exploded on to the stage to the last poignant moment when David asks her to stay in the parish.

The dual set, with the parish hall on one side of the stage and the vicar’s home on the other were superbly designed and enabled slick scene changes, necessary in this episodic piece, moving the story along effectively.

All in all, if you have tickets for the rest of the run, you are in for a real treat – but beware, you may end up with sore sides from laughing. If you don’t have a ticket, the run is sold out, but it may be worth calling the theatre just in case of a cancellation. The show runs from Tuesday 11th to Saturday 15th December, curtain up 7.30pm.

"How many of you have managed to get tickets for the show then?"

The cast of The Vicar of Dibley - photo credit Paul Jennings

‘The Private Ear’ and ‘The Public Eye’ - Peter Shaffer

It was a pleasure to see the always enterprising Apollo Theatre Players tackle a rarely performed double bill by the late Peter Shaffer, ‘The Private Ear’ and ‘The Public Eye’.

These early plays – written in the early 1960s – were to a certain extent dated, with Shaffer rather self-consciously using terms like ‘groovy’ and ‘dig’ to demonstrate the extent to which he was down with the cats. However, the Shafferian theme of the conflict between reason and passion, though it wasn’t fully developed until his more mature plays, was already evident.

The first play, ‘The Private Ear’, is the slighter of the two, as the lonely and socially awkward Bob asks his swaggering, philistine friend Ted to help him out after he invites Doreen, whom he has met at a classical concert, to dinner at his flat. Mark Duffus gave a very good rendition of Bob’s awkwardness and his sadness as his attempts to share his passion for classical music with the largely unresponsive Doreen went over her head. Amy Burns made what she could out of the character of Doreen – think ‘Saturday Night and Sunday Morning’ out of ‘Billy Liar’ – but her rejection of Bob was believable and gave the play the pathos it needed. Martin Ward, playing against type as the flash and amoral Ted, gave a suitably louche performance; the contrast between his style and Bob’s – loud waistcoat vs beige slipover – was nicely brought out and Mark’s despair as (once again, we feel) Ted gets the girl was gentle and moving.

‘The Public Eye’ was an altogether meatier play. Charles, a buttoned-up accountant, suspects his wife, Belinda, of infidelity and employs a private detective to follow her. The text gave all the cast something to get their teeth into: Mark Duffus once again excelled as the detective, Julian, and Martin Ward was clearly more comfortable in the role of Charles, with his horrified disbelief that his wife could be acting so against the principles he has endeavoured to instil in her – which is, of course, the whole problem. Amy Burns gave the role of Belinda a lovely energy and focus, to contrast with Charles’ tight uprightness, and the contrast between all the characters was well brought out.

The cast are to be congratulated on their grasp of two very different characters each and a very significant number of lines, and the production rarely faltered. The sets were excellently realised and cleverly constructed, with the use of a swinging wall to transform Bob’s ‘trendy’ bedsit into Charles’ grey and brown office, and the wardrobe department excelled in bringing out the individuals’ characters. Overall, an excellent production, and one on which the Apollo Players should be congratulated.

Contributed by Ginnie Orrey


Martin Ward, Amy Burns and Mark Duffus take their bows!

It Could Be Any One Of Us by Alan Ayckbourn

We’re all familiar with the elements of the classic ‘whodunit’ – a murder victim; several possible suspects each with their own motives for committing the crime, and at the centre, a detective who successfully eradicates all the red herrings and announces to the company in the denouement just who ‘did it’ and why. Add in some strange offstage noises and a thunder storm and – well, you get the idea.

Ayckbourn has taken this formula and shaken it up – quite a lot. For the whole of Act 1 there are at least two possible victims, and the murder itself does not happen until just before the interval. By then we are familiar with the characters and the setting, and the audience are then asked to choose their murderer, thus, it could be said, doing the detective’s work for him.

And the detective, would-be private investigator Norris Honeywell, portrayed  with verve by Nick Turvey, certainly needs some help – Poirot he ain’t! Even with the ‘help’ of the audience, his efforts to identify the culprit in Act 2 are.. well, interesting.

Norris is not the only failure in the house – far from it. He is living there on sufferance, only because of his partner Jocelyn, played by Nick’s real life wife Chris Turvey. Jocelyn is a failed writer who explains that her mother had artistic aspirations for all her three children, which has resulted in each of them trying – and failing – in different artistic disciplines. This has not stopped her having similar aspirations for her own daughter Amy (a beautifully sullen and angry Ellen Lamplough), who has responded by evading her dance and drama classes in favour of spending her time...eating.

The house is owned by Jocelyn’s elder brother Mortimer. Michael Arnell, in the role of Mortimer, owns not only the house but the stage, every time he walks on: he dominates his family, as well he might, since the estate has been left to him to bequeath ‘as he thinks fit’, and he announces therefore that on his death the whole family will be disinherited in favour of an ex-pupil of his who he hasn’t seen for twenty years. Cue classic whodunit motivational set up.

The final member of the household is Mortimer and Jocelyn’s younger brother Brinton, whose particular failure is painting – and growing up. John Abraham’s Brinton is a comic delight, from his tantrum over his studio’s leaking roof to his childish infatuation with Wendy, the ex-pupil heiress who he remembers watching during her lessons and who has been the sole subject of his art ever since, and his confused reactions to the present day Wendy.

For Wendy is no longer the nubile young girl Brinton remembers – she is now a middle aged dowdy housewife with three children and a pet shop, whose life’s ambition is to breed King Charles spaniels. Maria Wilkinson, as Wendy, almost steals the show with her perfect portrayal of sheer down at heel ordinariness against the other eccentric characters, and a highlight of the play is her nervously singing nursery rhymes while Norris investigates apparent noises in the house.

A mention needs to be made here of the superb set which captures the once wealthy and now fading fortunes of the Chalke family, the costumes which help us identify the characters, from Mortimer’s cravat and Jocelyn’s arty skirts to Amy’s tracksuit. The sound and lighting, often forgotten, are also timed perfectly and add hugely to the atmosphere, as does the incidental music which was specifically composed for the Dick & Lottie Theatre Company production of the show in 2017.

By the end of the play Norris thinks he knows the culprit – but whether he agrees with the audience, who are in charge of the choice of one of three possible endings – and indeed, who the murderer is (and the victim!) are all things you will have to see the play to find out – so come along for an entertaining evening!

It Could Be Any One Of Us is at the Apollo Theatre from Tuesday 4^th to Saturday 8^th September; tickets available at http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/it-could-be-any-one-of-us/ or on the door.

The cast of It Could Be Any One Of Us: left to right: John Abraham, Maria Wilkinson, Nick Turvey, Chris Turvey, Michael Arnell and Ellen Lamplough

Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime

Photo shows Chris Hicks, Simon Cardew, Martin Ward, Rose Kelsey and Ginnie Orrey in a scene from 'Lord Arthur Savile's Crime. Photo courtesy of Paul Jennings.

Audiences at the latest Apollo Players’ production are in for a visual treat: the set perfectly depicts a late Victorian upper class drawing room with all the accoutrements, and the costumes are not only suited to the period, down to the last detail, but tell us something about each character too.

Lord Arthur Savile, portrayed engagingly by Chris Hicks, is not blessed with brains, but is devoted to his lovely fiancée Sybil Merton, played by Rose Kelsey with great comic timing. When her disapproving mother, a wonderfully dour Ginnie Orrey, hires a chiromancer – no, I didn’t know what it was either, but it turns out he is a kind of palm-reading fortune teller – to ensure Arthur is a suitable husband, the latter’s world is turned upside down by the private information that he is doomed to commit a murder.

Heroically – at least in his own eyes – determining to get the evil deed out of the way before his wedding the following Thursday, Arthur consults his loyal butler Baines, played with a traditional stiff upper lip by Martin Ward, and together they plot to kill one of Arthur’s own long list of relatives. The question is who? And how?

Should it be elderly Aunt Clem, with her habit of borrowing money from her nephew to fund her gambling, and her hypochondria, or the haughty and at times disapproving Lady Windermere? These ladies, played to perfection by consummate actresses Carole Crow and Kathryn Ward respectively, are at times on the verge of stealing the show with their sweeping entrances and amusing asides.

Then there is the Dean of Paddington, Arthur’s uncle, played with suitable eccentricity by Mark Duffus.

The plot is further complicated by the well-meaning help offered by Herr Winkelkopf, portrayed by Simon Cardew with aplomb. And a bomb.

The cast is completed by Helen Reading’s submissive maid, Nellie, and John Sole’s solemn chiromancer himself, Mr Podgers, who turns out to be not all he seems...

This black comedy, based on an Oscar Wilde short story, with all of Wilde’s characteristic wit, will keep you guessing and laughing right to the end.

Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime is staged at The Apollo Theatre every evening until Saturday 7^th July. Tickets available via the Apollo website or from the Box Office.

‘Entertaining Angels’ – The Apollo Players

From the moment this play began we knew we were in for something a little different: with the curtain still closed, a kindly gentleman dressed in white carried a basket of flowers around the auditorium, offering blooms to various members of the audience. The ethereal air was heightened as he stepped up onstage as the curtains opened and promptly vanished into a greenhouse stage right.

A complete change of atmosphere brought the main character, Grace, onstage, in the middle of a telephone conversation which served to establish the humour of the situation and introduce the other characters who variously interrupted Grace’s conversation until she gave up in despair.

We quickly learned that Grace was newly widowed and felt her home had been invaded by her sister Ruth, over from missionary duties in Uganda to support her; daughter Jo, clearly concerned for her, and new incumbent of the parish of which Grace’s husband Bardolph had been vicar – and new resident to be of the vicarage. No wonder Grace feels beset!

Di Evans excelled in the central role and made the most of the witty script, from enumerating the number of cups of tea she has poured and tons of shortcrust pastry she has made as the traditional vicar’s wife, to her acerbic comment at the end when reminded of the Children of Israel’s forty years’ wandering in the desert: ‘That’s because the men were in charge’.

Di was ably supported by Amy Burns as her psychotherapist daughter, happy to take on the problems and issues of the world but unable to objectively assess her own relationship failures. She counselled new vicar Sarah, played beautifully by Sue Edwards, haunted by her own secrets and troubles from the past.

Helen Clinton Pacey as Ruth was by turns hilarious and deeply moving, as the buried secret of her relationship with Grace’s husband thirty years before surfaced. The scenes where the sisters were forced to address, not just the infidelity but the fact that neither Ruth nor Bardolph had told Grace  of this, were heart-rending, and we completely understood both viewpoints.

Bardolph, or Bardy, himself, played with perfect understatement by Danny Carmichael, proved to be the kindly gentleman we had met at the start, and he appeared frequently through the show to talk to Grace as she struggled to come to terms with his loss. Some of the most poignant scenes, including Grace remembering times with Bardy, took place down by a stream at the bottom of the garden.

The separation of these settings, and indeed the setting and lighting in general, was an integral part of the success of this play, and as much praise should go to those who designed and built the set and managed the amazingly subtle lighting effects – I loved the dappled lighting representing the stream – as to those on stage.

The tone of the play shifted from laugh out loud comedy to subtle reflection and thought-provoking drama as the storyline progressed, but it never lost its pace nor its ability to find humour in the darkest of situations. The core of its message is voiced by Grace when she notes that people are never destroyed by truth – it’s lies that are so dangerous and hurtful. Yet the play ends on a positive note: months later, new vicar Sarah is happily pregnant and Grace and her family are off to meet the son Ruth has kept hidden for so long. Redemption, and healing, are seen to be possible, and Grace is finally able to let Bardy go in peace.

Well done to all involved in this production, from the actors and backstage folk to the front of house volunteers – the audience had a real treat of a show!

 The amazing setting for the show

Helen Clinton Pacey, Danny Carmichael, Di Evans, Amy Burns and Sue Edwards taking a 

well-deserved curtain call!

Entertaining Angels - an actor's tale...

Being in a play is always exciting, but being in a play with an new author to the theatre and having a new director to the players adds an extra challenge and excitement. When I first read Entertaining Angels by Richard Everett. I loved the characterization and interaction of them all, each part has funny lines, emotional scenes and equal amount of time to spend telling their stories. I went to the audition with a hope that I may be considered and Julie Stonestreet, our director, gave me the part over the others that read. and I was ready for the challenge of bring Jo to life. 

Jo is the daughter of Grace and Rev Bardolph Thomas, the play takes place in the garden of the vicarage where Jo is making herself useful to her mother at this sad time. Jo is a psychotherapist and is always there with a helping hand to everyone. but as the play goes on Jo struggles somewhat to know who to help first. I have really enjoyed playing Jo. She is caring and understanding, and uses her anger for life to ensure everyone else is happy. 

I have loved having Danny Carmichael and Di Evans as parents, they are two amazing actors that I have (In the past) and this play learnt so much from. Helen Clinton Pacey plays my Dear Batty Aunt Ruth. She as always has been fun to work along side. and i have seen different side or her acting ability in this production. The final member of our cast is Sue Edwards, who plays the new vicar Sarah. I have directed Sue in the past, but this is the first time I have acted along side her in a production and I have loved it and look forward to working with her again very soon. 

Julie has been a great director, she has had some great ideas and has really pulled the characters out of the script, getting the best of the emotion and characters across to the audience. I hope that Julie has enjoyed this as much as I have and I look forward to working with her again in the future. I hope that you will come and watch the production, and enjoy it as much as I have.

Don’t Dress for Dinner – The Apollo Players

The play is billed as a ‘side-splitting comedy’ and the audience which packed the Apollo on Saturday evening would not disagree with that – there was continual giggling punctuated with bursts of loud hilarity and at a couple of points, spontaneous applause during the performance.

If audience approval is not enough to convince you to come and see this traditional farce, I would cite the clever script which twists and turns so that at times even the audience can start to lose track of who is pretending to be whom, and for what purpose – let alone the poor characters. ‘I’ve never been so many people, having so many affairs with so many different men in one night,’ laments Suzette, played beautifully by Rose Kelsey. ‘It’s nice being so popular....’

The basic premise is that Bernard (Steve Taverner) intends to take advantage of his wife Jacqueline’s absence over a weekend to host a little soiree of his own – the first problem is that she finds out he has hired a caterer, forcing him to ‘admit’ he has invited his best mate Robert over – which strangely provokes Jacqueline to cancel her visit to her mother – but why?

The second problem is that two women, called respectively Suzanne and Suzette, arrive – and are confused with each other by the hapless Robert, played with aplomb by Pete Harris: his “explanation” of what has gone wrong towards the end of the show is one of the highlights and is a testament to his ability to master a long and involved speech.

Suzanne, played by Nessa Law, initially strikes one as the archetypal bimbo, but she too has more to her than at first appears, especially her reaction at being pressed into service to cook the dinner.

Steve Taverner’s Bernard is suitably perplexed and frustrated as events spiral out of his control; he handles several slapstick comic moments and has to change shirts so often he runs out! Chris Turvey’s Jacqueline is a lovely foil for her stage husband, at once the suspicious wife and the schemer with secrets of her own.

The plot climaxes with the arrival of George, the husband of someone – but no one quite seems to know who. John Abraham, as George, exudes the appropriate level of aggression. ‘Is she finished?’ he asks, referring to his wife. ‘I think we’re all finished!’ exclaims Robert.

If you fancy a good laugh and an entertaining evening, ‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’ plays each evening from Tuesday 6^th to Saturday 10^th February inclusive, curtain up at 7.30pm.

Tickets are available from http://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/dont-dress-for-dinner/ - but get them quickly – they are selling out fast! 

The cast of 'Don't Dress for Dinner - suitably attired....