Salad Days - Striling Players

SALAD DAYS started its life in June 1954 at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. It was scheduled to run just three weeks. But Fate - and a London Management - intervened. On August 5th. 1954 it opened with the same production at the Vaudeville Theatre, London, and stayed there for five and a half years, becoming (for then) the longest running musical in the history of the British Theatre with over 2400 performances.

I had never heard of it but ended up seeing it last night with a large group booking. It is a non descript vaudeville musical with a large number of scene changes that would have made sense if the programme had explained the musical's origins.

The set was a back cloth and front cloth painted as a vaudeville cloth and used with good timing for scene changes, however we still had to wait for music or lights for the show to continue so continuity was jerky.

Doing a musical in black tabs is not a good idea as musicals are meant to be bright, colourful events. It would have been better to use pivoting flats with an indoor and an outdoor setting painted on them as legs.

The lead female was excellent, I supsect WAAPA trained as we were presented with a fun character, always smiling, projecting well and moving freely with dance numbers. Unfortunately some of the other cast members were well below her standard and appeared to lack practice.

The lighting was very dark in some corners which was where actors were blocked, so a refocus or reblocking to suit limited resources would overcome the dark corners.

Stirling Players use a multipurpose hall so do not have the benefit of a raked seating arrangement but the seating needs to be moved closer together as too much leg room for the front rows puts the last few rows too far from the stage. Perhaps a measuring stick can be created for optimum spacing. If you have a lot of senior audience, make one or two rows slighty roomier and let them know about them at booking time.

A good effort but not a great show.

Don

Fair enough comments. (it was a preview after all though was it not?)

Perhaps having the director as the lighting operator may have detracted from their ability to concentrate on the acting as such and also not not being a lighting trained/aware person (maybe?) they did not see the deficiencies of the light setup.

Topic for discussion - What makes a great show?

I must disgaree with the majority of comments made by the original reviewer. To judge a theatrical performance by the amount of leg room in the theatre and the colour of the tabs is the same as judging a football game by the comfort of the seats and the colour of the grass.

I had the pleasure of seeing Salad Days last night, two shows into the run. It is one of the most interesting musicals I have seen, the mix of genres within the show giving it a lively atmosphere rarely seen on stage these days.

The beginning of the show was strong, the gentle, soothing tones of the overture giving way to an upbeat, fun musical number that was delightful parody of the pomposity of academic life. Over the following scenes, the main characters were introduced to the audience through several fast, well paced songs that allowed the audience to get to know the major characters in the story.

The ensemble numbers were staged well, given the limitations of the theatre space which the actors had to cope with. The only area for improvement would be the choreography, which was unimaginative in some places. However, this was more than made up for by the musical ability of the cast, particularly the vocal talents of the female lead (the one comment with which I am in full agreement with the original reviewer).

Outstanding performances of the night were definitely the female and male leads who both worked hard to achieve the correct characterisation. They were closely followed by the sexy young man who played the role of Nigel and the young lady who played Fiona. Further favourites included the gentleman who played the effeminate dress shop proprietor and the girl who played his dense assistant, the young lady playing the terrible (on purpose) nightclub singer and the young boy playing the mute clown Troppo. Mention must also be made of the young girl who played the schoolgirl in the first act, she had numerous characters throughout the show which were all a joy to watch (particularly for the male audience members).

Overall, the show was a joy to watch from start to finish. It is a credit to the actors and the director that they have attempted a difficult show and have created a great night out.

I have been a frequent visitor to the Stirling Theatre - both in its original position and now in Morris place - and the one thing that holds true for every production is that they set out to entertain their audience and they succeed!
I agree with the first and second 'reviewers' about the comments on the venue - but REALLY !! Get a grip and realise what you are watching - this a is a group of dedicated, talented people doing what they enjoy and hoping that their enjoyment will overlfow into a receptive audience and send them away smiling. Well, Stirling Players - you achieved your goal!
We, as audience, enter a theatre and from the moment of overture - though in this production the initial introduction was via live piano music in the foyer (a master stroke - and such a talented pianist too!) - as I was saying - we owe it to the company to suspend our reality and allow ourselves to be transported to a park, a university, even to outer space! and not to say - what a shame about the black curtains!!!
But I digress - and I really did what to compliment Jan and her cast and crew on the sheer entertainment value of Salad Days.
I took my mother along - her idea and I'm not sure I would have gone otherwise - and we both thoroughly enjoyed the performance. We were entertained - particularly by the execllent voice of the lead female (wow! what a future that young lady has!) and also by Chris Henderson - who never ceases to amaze me at his versatility - this man really knows how to have fun on stage!; Colleen Hopkins - apparently a late addition to the cast - who with the aid of a variety of wigs 'became' a multitude of delightful, animated characters; Karen Staflind (sorry about the spelling) - love that lady's voice and charactertisations; and my personal favourite, Owen Phillips - every inch the character (or should I say characters) a delightfully convincing portrayal - his quizzical looks when he (his character) misses the point are a total joy - Well done all of you.
I went to be entertained, and I was!!
Shelley

I must admit I was rather looking forward to seeing this show. Salad Days is a show that I knew by reputation only, and it is rare in the Perth Community Theatre scene to attend a musical that is new, if not to most of the audience, at least to me.
I was warned not to expect a great piece of theatre, but to expect a lot of fun, and it was with this frame of mind that we made the trek.

I must thank the four people preceding me in this thread, as it means that I do not have to write the review that I was dreading writing, but I can use other peopleÂ’s comments as a springboard.

I must disagree with Don about the set. I thought the limited possibilities of the space were well utilised. The use of black tabs to limit the setting, and the use of props and furniture instead worked well in my opinion. It was good to see full use of both the front curtain and the vaudeville cloth to facilitate quick scene changes.
However, I thought that the scene changes could still have been a lot swifter and smoother.
Don seems to know a bit more about lighting than I do, I wasnÂ’t aware of dark spots on the stage, but I will definitely bow to him on that one. What frustrated me most about the lighting was the use of slow fades to end scenes that really should have been quick blackouts. Off the top of my head I canÂ’t remember which ones, but there were a couple of moments where the actors had finished a scene, often on a joke or a punchline, and then had to wait while the lights came down, which somewhat lessened the impact of the scene.

Musically, the show wasnÂ’t too bad. Some of the singers were very good but on the whole the ensemble were a little bit shaky.
I was led to believe that the show was originally written to be performed to the accompaniment of a solo piano. If this is the case, I think it would have been a far wiser move to use an actual piano, or at least make whatever keyboard you were using SOUND like a piano. This also limited the overall effect of the show.

Now comes the hard bit, performancesÂ…
(I didnÂ’t pick up a programme, so I apologise to everyone in the cast for not being able to name you by name)

I must admit it is nice to see Priscilla Busher in a lead role. I have seen her (and occasionally performed alongside her) in a number of shows. Here is a performer with genuine presence on stage, a beautiful voice, and a smile that canÂ’t help lighting the stage and the audience. She danced well and acted the role to perfection. Well done, Priscilla!

The male lead had quite a good voice and was a joy to listen to, but he seems very stiff on stage. This detracted a lot from his good voice, as he almost seemed uncomfortable at times. If he could learn to relax and loosen up a bit, he would have been a lot better and a lot more convincing.

The two mothers were a joy to watch (I know one of them was Karen Staflund). Every time these two ladies were on stage in whichever character they were playing at the time, they were convincing and animated, and their duet was one of the highlights of the show.

The young lad playing Troppo seemed to have a lot of unrealised potential. The role of mute or clown is very difficult in any show where he exists. As he is limited to having no lines but lots to say, his physicality is crucial. Every movement needs to be carefully choreographed with subtlety and nuance. TroppoÂ’s performance, while cute, did not come up to the level required. From occasional glimpses I got the definite impression that he was more than capable of such a performance, and he could have actually competed with Ms Busher as being the star of the show, if he had been guided with a much more definite hand.

Special mention must also go to the actors playing Nigel and Fiona, Uncle Zed, and Asphinxia.
And especially that lovely girl in the chorus with great stage presence, she lit up the stage every time she appeared, and it seems a shame she didnÂ’t get more opportunity in the show.

This show had a lot of potential, but it never seemed to reach it. It needed to be a lot tighter, the slapstick a lot more precise. In fact that seems to be the major problem with the show, it lackedÂ… think of a wordÂ… Snap? Bite? Crispness?

While there were parts of the show that were good, on the whole I actually found it painful to watch, and I am sorry to say that if I hadnÂ’t known one of the cast members I would have actually left during interval.

Of all the reviewers preceding me, my summing up would be closer to DonÂ’s, but harsher. A Good effort, but ultimately not good enough.

Paul Treasure

PS This is MY opinion of the show on the night that I saw it. For all I know, I may have been unlucky enough to go on the worst night of the run (and we all know there always is one REALLY BAD night in any run). If you are deciding whether or not to see this show on the strength of the reviews, I would like to point out that my review now gives the show two positive and two negative reviews. ThatÂ’s fifty-fifty. Go and see the show, judge for yourself, write your own review and post it here.

PPS The seating really is very close together. IÂ’m not a small chap, and neither is the friend I went with. I was practically sitting in his lap half the night, as I thought it was less impolite to encroach on his personal space than the person on my other side, and we both had to crouch way down in our seats so the people behind us could see. The physical discomfort we felt during the show could also have impacted on our judgement.

Can I just 'review the revews'. If we attend a performance and intend to write a review , can we please pick up a program and then refer to people by name rather than ' the young lad' or 'the pretty girl' or 'the woman with the thick ankles in the chorus'. It doesn't seem equitable when reviewers have some personal or professional assocaition with cetain players and they get to be named- whilst the others described variously. Just a thought; we are often concerned about the professionalism on stage- lets try to extend it to the reviews too.

Liam,

That might be fair enough IF the programs (in the main) were *worth* the getting.

I have no idea about the quality of the Stirling Players 'Salad Days' program, but (FAR) too often, programs for shows contain NOTHING but an ad for the next show, some (usually) badly written (read BORING) biogs of the cast, and some drivel about joining the club/who's on the committee. And the occasional advert/acknowledgement.

My question is: "WHO CARES?" If we are doing programs for our own edification, to see our names and pictures in print, then fair enough -- what passes is fine. If we actually want these documents to represent SOMETHING OF WORTH about the production for posterity, and to enhance the enjoyment for the audience member, then I think we are CONTINUALLY failing.

My personal view is that the program have SOMETHING to SAY about the play/show, beyond "It was a nice experience to be involved" -- depending on the show, some sort of potted history of the period the play is set in, a description of how the play was originally received when premiered and how that perception of it has evolved, some glimpses into the thought process that went on behind the dramatic choices of the director and the cast, etc.

Each show has a wealth of information behind it that can not only inform the audience member of the play/shows worth or place in the great tradition we call performance, but also fill out and expand that persons ENJOYMENT of the experience FAR beyond the mere "3 hours traffic" they just experienced.

For these reasons, I generally refuse programs when offered because I know 99 times out of 100 they contain nothing of real interest to me. And I can play a part in saving a tree or two. When I sneak a glimpse, occasionally, my viewpoint is (sadly) vindicated.

There... soap box vacated... who's next? :o)

Warmly,
Jason Seperic

I would just like thank the cast for an uplifting performance to brighten a very cold night.

The lead Role played by Priscilla was Jane and was excellent she has a voice that is simply brilliant and her acting skills were faultless.
The Lead Role Played by Julian was Tim and was also very good I noticed that he has alot to say but tended to mumble some lines which took some of the comedy away, although I am sure they were funny just some of the audience couldn't hear them.
Owen the young man who played Nigel and Fosdyke did a supurb job and I enjoyed his performance immensly he added humour and expession to the play.
The role of Fiona played by Sarah was performed really well.
Troppo the Mute/Clown was a comical little role which I believe Jason played especially well. It would have been good to allow him to add that little bit more (Although I believe it would be very difficult to express yourself without any lines throughout the play).
The Tramp played by Ian was a good role and I can't really say much about him as he wasnt on the stage for very long but he left a lasting impression and he also could have done much more with his role.
The Role of Rowena played by Louise was a very funny role and she had some funny scenes and was a real joy to watch.
Chris did a marvelous job and I couldn't keep track of all the roles he played but each was brilliant.
Corinne played just as many roles as Chris and did just as good a job and I really enjoyed her as Asphynxia I spoke to members of the cast to find out if she really could sing and they assured me she could.
Karen and Colleen the mother's of Tim and Jane put in a great performance and sung a wonderful duet, I also really enjoyed The Beauty Parlour scene- Well Done.
I would like to mension everybody in the cast but I cant really add much more to this review so I would once again like to commend the cast.

Brilliant Actors, Brilliant Show.

That aint gonna sway me. I still prefer the Sam Peckinpah version!

Good on you Liam, how true . Review the play. Read the progam so you can at least give the actors a name. We are not professionals when all is said and done and I believe every actor that gives their time to any production, give to the best of their ability and is a champion in their own right.

Poor Jason, my comiserations to you, get some pleasure in your life instead of picking on programs. Every donation for a program helps the club to provide a better program next time and takes YOUR MIND OFF YOURSELF.

Ah Ronnie,

My, my, taking personal offence at constructive criticism... showing *yourself* to be a little 'self involved,' no?

Your attitude personifies a very "average" attitude towards audiences. Remember, the punters are the ones who keep all our clubs alive... why not give them an added value experience by engaging them on more than just one singular level, for one single evening?

Seriously, though, don't you think there might be some instant PR and other long term benefit in taking some effort with a program? After all, a program filled with interesting, well researched and useful information which reminds an audience member of a great night out is more likely to be kept, is it not? Thus, a warm perpetual bond of goodwill (and a permanent advertisment for the club) is created for that person.

And no, I do not accept your argument (such as it is) that a better program will follow if we accept (and pay for) the lame ones that are currently on offer.

Regards,
Jason

The reviews in this thread that preceded my attendance of the Stirling Players’ production of ‘Salad Days’ left me with mixed expectations. My knowledge of the Julian Slade/Dorothy Reynolds show was quite limited, so I was excited to encounter something new and different, though unsure as to whether the presentation of the material would be satisfactory. Thankfully, I found a production that, while not flawless, boasted an infectious sense of fun and an energetic, pleasantly talented cast that made the evening definitely worthwhile.

Priscilla Busher, in the leading role of Jane, injected the one-dimensional character with a liveliness that, coupled with her superb soprano vocals, prevented the descent into tedium that may have occurred were the character entrusted to less able hands. Julian V. Costanzo, who played opposite Priscilla as Tim, sported a nice voice but suffered from a tendency to rush his dialogue, and would have fared better if he applied deeper commitment to his articulation.

Owen Phillips was a comic delight in the role of Nigel (and the much smaller Fosdyke), as was Sarah Vagliviello as Fiona. Both deservedly accumulated their fair share of laughs. Troppo (Jason Farley) had middling success in what is an admittedly difficult role, though there was a lot more he could have given the character.

Karin Staflund and Colleen Hopkins, as Lady Raeburn (Jane’s mother) and Tim’s mother respectively, shone in their duet “We Don’t Understand Our Children”, and also in the numerous other characters they portrayed. The Beauty Parlour scene involving Lady Raeburn was one of the highlights of the show.

Honorable mentions must also be made of Corinne Hewitt, whose shining moment came in the role of Asphynxia, the less-than-talented nightclub singer – her rendition of “Sand in My Eyes” was absolutely horrible, and I loved every minute of it; Louise Dodge (Rowena) who secured some fine laughs in a minor role; Cary Hudson (P.C Boot) and of course the versatile Chris Henderson, whose many roles ranged from space traveller to effeminate dress shop manager, and everything in between.

Overall, several scenes worked better than others, with the best being those that took place in The Beauty Parlour, The Foreign Office, The InspectorÂ’s Office and The Dress Shop. However, the scenes in the Park seemed to move very slowly, and required a little more energy for them to live up to the previously mentioned examples.

There was also a small problem with the lighting, as I think has been previously mentioned, in that there was some troublesome ‘dark corners’ that could have been blocked around, and sometimes the choreography seemed a little cluttered.

On the whole, I highly recommend this show for its sense of fun and the energy and versatility of the cast alone. It is not a brilliant piece of theatre, but itÂ’s a solid effort and worthy of applause.

Remaining performances – July 22, 23 and 24 at 8pm
Bookings – Morris Newsagency, Morris Place, Innaloo, 9440 1040
Ticket prices - $16 (Full) $12 (Concession) $10 (Members)

P.S. The programme was very well done, by the way.

Tyler Jones wrote:

(Among other things):

> P.S. The programme was very well done, by the way.

Tyler,

I'm glad to hear it! :o)

Nice review too, by the way.

Regards,
Jason