AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: What The Butler Saw - Guide Bridge Theatre, Ashton-u-Lyne, Manchester.

The rather misleadingly titled, 'What The Butler Saw', is the latest production at Guide Bridge Theatre on the outskirts of Ashton. This two-act farce by Joe Orton seems a little dated now, as indeed, many of the classic British farces do... the genre seems to have fallen by the wayside sadly. Perhaps due to an upsurge of PC-ness and wokeness, which is a pity, since these seemingly whimsical bijoux-de-theatre often have darker and more satirical undercurrents too, as indeed, this one does. 

'What The Butler Saw' [the title may refer more to the upper class / lower class view of life, but is almost certainly taken from the saucy seaside postcard idea of a butler spying through the keyhole as he watches his mistress undress] is a brilliantly written satire, but needs to be delivered at a pace in order for it to truly "work". The caustic and indeed damning (even illegal) insinuations delivered throughout are shocking enough in our present day, but when they were first performed in the mid / late 1960s, they were scandalous beyond our contemporary comprehension. 

Director John Cocks-Evans obviously understood all of this and created a playground for his cast of six to work from, each creating their own inimitable characterisations of these larger-than-life, mono-dimensional characters, who, in the age-old tradition of farce, have no compunctions about stripping down to their underwear at the slightest provocation! What this evening's opening night lacked however, was pace. The cast needed an audience in order to judge the timing of their lines and where the laughter is likely to come, and so it needs a little time to bed-in first before they will truly get the play up to speed. But I am confident that these talented actors and actresses are more than capable of doing just that.

Given a nicely thought-out composite set of a private consulting room [wayward door refusing to close notwithstanding!], the cast ran in and out of these multiple entrances with ease. Lighting and sound worked nicely throughout, and the costuming was generally very good, evoking the late '60s nicely. Bellboy Beckett's costume was lacking a shirt this evening though, making his first entrance rather slovenly as his midriff and underwear were already showing. I might also suggest a longer wig for Geraldine to start with, and a much shorter, more brutal cut of the second wig, this would make a more marked difference and be more comedic. 

Heading the six strong cast was a very personable and sympathetic Dr. Prentice (Liam Mulvey). The journey his character takes was excellently measured and he has a wealth of lovely facial expressions at his disposal. Faye McLaughlin gave a solid and humorous portrayal of the catalyst for all the misunderstandings and cover-ups as Geraldine Barclay. Four more equally strong performances came from Sheryl Cunliffe as the doctor's long-suffering, nymphomaniac and alcoholic wife; Sam Borowiak as a blackmailing sex-addict turned well-meaning accomplice Nicholas Beckett; Matthew Hutchinson as the senior doctor Rance, who basically is by far the most insane person in the play (elaboration would mean plot spoiling, so, enough said!); and Tom McKenna as a pliable and confused, and also very young, Sergeant Match.

An enjoyable and entertaining trip down memory lane to a style of theatre that is fast losing currency in our ever-changing society. With a little more pace, (and the picking up of cues), this would be a most delightful farce and hopefully by the time you read this review, that is exactly what it will have become!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 16.10.23