Welcome to 1977 in all its glory. The curtains open and we are transported into a sitting room straight out of the '70s, brown and orange form the main colour theme, from the brown walls to the lovely leather couch and orange cushions. Pride of place is the mahogany entertainment cabinet with the pull-down drinks shelf and hideous glass ornamental clowns that were popular in the day.
In waltzes Beverley (Kathryn Chambers) one of our hosts of the evening in her fuchsia pink long evening dress with matching hair. She’s finishing the last minute preparations for the evening and is clearly trying to set the mood, a drink in one hand, music playing, spraying a last bit of furniture polish about to assume an air of cleanliness around the room. Beverley encapsulates the aura of someone that’s brash but thinks they have a bit of class, a “hostess with the mostess”. She wants to give an air of sophistication where there really isn’t any, sashaying around the room and full of love for herself and singing along to "Love To Love You Baby".
In enters her workaholic estate agent husband Lawrence (Franklyn Jacks) who it appears never seems to switch off even though they are about to be hosting a small get-together with some of the neighbours. Lawrence appears to be disinterested in the evening's events as he’s still making work calls as he gets in from work. His character switching from someone who will stop at nothing to retrieve some keys from a client to sickeningly charming to another client he is trying to impress. He seems quite oblivious and almost docile to the demands of his wife to collect more drinks as he has to go back out in connection to work. Lawrence clearly wants to appear more middle class and cultured than he is and there are moments of conflict as his wife clearly doesn’t have the appreciation for the more cultured things he likes such as art and olives for nibbles.
The first guests to arrive are Angela (Cate Leight) the new neighbour on the street, and she clearly looks up to Beverly and her sophisticated ways, and is impressed by the height of fashion interior of the time and that her and Laurence have a real leather sofa. Susan, a nurse, appears a bit dipsy and her tactless remarks are delivered with maximum impact, very funny to the audience but quite derogatory to her husband. Her mundane topics of conversation and eagerness to show how much she admires her hostess’s sophistication is really quite amusing, as well as her dress sense.
Tony (Steven Arnold) was really very good in his role as Angela’s husband. A man of few words, you get the feeling he isn’t one for conversation and perhaps it’s because his wife is such a talker but there is another layer to his personality. There is a hostility and unease in his mannerisms at first as he looks uncomfortable and out of his depth but his expressions when his wife makes tactless remarks are hilarious and his silent actions as he fends off the unwanted advances of an extremely flirtatious Beverly are firm and delivered to the audience with much amusement. As the play progresses you see his personality emerge and although he still has little to say his interaction with Susan as she gets progressively drunk is hilarious.
Finally Susan, (Judith Martindale), mother of Abigail, (who we never see), enters the scene, and she is a very effective contrast to the other characters in the street. One of the original neighbours and is obviously much more middle class. Her dress and mannerisms are more refined and although she remains seated during much of the play her facial expressions and actions are comic as she is subtly defiant to the barrage of alcohol and nibbles that are pressed upon her. She appears nervous and strained in their company as she obviously doesn’t really fit in with them and is on tenterhooks because of the party going on back at her house.
The play is very clever in the way it looks at the characters and how different personalities interact, I felt as though I had met Susan before. It focusses on prejudice and snobberies of the time. The theatre itself is small and intimate so as the audience you actually felt like you were in the sitting room with them. An enjoyable evening out.
Reviewer - Catherine Gall
on - 16.2.24
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