"Intimate Exchanges at DRPAC"
Thu, 17 Mar 2005, 12:59 pmWalter Plinge1 post in thread
"Intimate Exchanges at DRPAC"
Thu, 17 Mar 2005, 12:59 pmThe audience approved the Don Russell production of three of the 30 possible acts of this Alan Ayckbourn set of plays.
The acts performed were a “how it all began/A Gardener in Love” Events in a hotel Terrace” and “In a Graveyard”All five characters were performed by different actors unlike the original professional productions where two actors played all roles. The original Acorn production was late last year under the direction of Mari-Lyn Morgan with Malcolm Burden in the role of Lionel Hepplewick.
The Don Russell production this year ended on a very different note to the one performed at Acorn. Joe Isaiah brought a missing depth and darkness to his character of the obsessed Lionel Hepplewick drawing uncomfortable laughter from the audience in the last act. This was in wonderful theatrical contrast to the laughs received during the first two acts of unrelieved almost farcical humour. Geri Cooper was a delight and totally believable as the scatty "middle middle" class schoolteachers wife, Celia. Caught between her loyalty to the irascible and sarcastic Toby Teasdale ( Alan Hornby was a gem once more in this role) and her desire for escape and romance personified by Lionel Hepplewick. Both Sylvie( the maid played by Michelle Ozolins) and Miles Combes (Stephen Arrowsmith) provided the delightful foils for Celia's heartfelt and poignant self assessments and insights. This was a memorable and very competent pro am production, the set, acting and stage management proving most ably my contention that much of the WA amateur theatre is of a quality associated with professional productions elsewhere.
This review is also published on the new acorn website, http://www.acorntheatre.asn.au.
The acts performed were a “how it all began/A Gardener in Love” Events in a hotel Terrace” and “In a Graveyard”All five characters were performed by different actors unlike the original professional productions where two actors played all roles. The original Acorn production was late last year under the direction of Mari-Lyn Morgan with Malcolm Burden in the role of Lionel Hepplewick.
The Don Russell production this year ended on a very different note to the one performed at Acorn. Joe Isaiah brought a missing depth and darkness to his character of the obsessed Lionel Hepplewick drawing uncomfortable laughter from the audience in the last act. This was in wonderful theatrical contrast to the laughs received during the first two acts of unrelieved almost farcical humour. Geri Cooper was a delight and totally believable as the scatty "middle middle" class schoolteachers wife, Celia. Caught between her loyalty to the irascible and sarcastic Toby Teasdale ( Alan Hornby was a gem once more in this role) and her desire for escape and romance personified by Lionel Hepplewick. Both Sylvie( the maid played by Michelle Ozolins) and Miles Combes (Stephen Arrowsmith) provided the delightful foils for Celia's heartfelt and poignant self assessments and insights. This was a memorable and very competent pro am production, the set, acting and stage management proving most ably my contention that much of the WA amateur theatre is of a quality associated with professional productions elsewhere.
This review is also published on the new acorn website, http://www.acorntheatre.asn.au.