Gaslight
Sat, 11 Oct 2008, 07:49 amGordon the Optom15 posts in thread
Gaslight
Sat, 11 Oct 2008, 07:49 am‘Gaslight’ is a thriller, written 70 years ago by Patrick Hamilton. The latest production from the Old Mill Theatre in South Perth, it is showing until 25th October.
The location is the front room of a reasonably well-to-do house in London in the 1880s. The owner, Jack Manningham (Robert Whyte), is a bullying, philandering husband whom seems to get great pleasure from taunting his loving, delicate wife Bella (Mia Martin). Bella’s mother died in a madhouse ‘with little brain left’ and poor Bella is certain that she is destined for the same fate.
There are two servants, the elderly dedicated Elizabeth (Rosemary Longhurst) and young flighty, yet slightly mysterious, Nancy (Dannielle Ashton).
One evening when the master of the house is out visiting friends, Detective Rough arrives and asks to see the Mrs Manningham. Although retired, when the caring Detective Rough has a bee in his bonnet, he won’t rest until the problem has been cleared up.
Although there is one murder in the story, this is really more of a psychological thriller. The script captures the chauvinistic era well, and has the audience wondering if what is obvious is in fact true.
The curtains opened slowly (how rarely one sees a simple act like this used to effect) to gradually reveal the dimly lit room – and the smell of fresh paint, the set being finished only hours before. The décor was probably the best I have seen for a community production in many a year (Hywel Williams and Tim Prosser), so it was little wonder that there was a round of applause before even a word was spoken. The props and soft furnishing (Julie Cecchi and Tina Wilton) made the room truly lived-in! It was obvious that a great deal of thought had gone into the costumes (Jenny Prosser) which were correct for the period. The crux of the play depended upon the gas lighting, and the John Spurling’s ambience was authentic.
Director, Sally Barendse, had already shown the strength of her production team and now with a superb cast, each and everyone outstanding, the show just took off. I am sure that this talented cast, will not mind me giving a special mention of Mia as the downtrodden, demented mistress of the house.
A fairly simple story but riveting. Quality and magnificent.
It's A Gas!"
Sun, 12 Oct 2008, 08:59 pmYou are a gentleman Gordon and quite right in your appraisal of the magnificent work of our "behind the scene" people and Mia. And my grateful thanks for the footnote mention!
But then, woe, woe, thrice times woe! In all this talk of “Gaslight,” I’ve become acutely aware, that alas and alack, the poor detective always gets the rough end of the stick – he’s never mentioned. Sigh, I know my place, at my age the leading roles will never come my way, but I can take it!
On a serious note, I thought that some may be interested in a little of the film history, in that there were two “Gaslight” films – the first made in 1940, was much closer to the play, concentrating on the abusive and manipulative marriage, not to mention that they cast a biggish bloke as the detective - a rougher and older (hmm, that all rings a bell!), Frank Pettingell, rather than a handsome matinee idol, such as Joseph Cotton, (who appeared in the 1944 remake).
The early film stared Diana Wynyard, Anton Walbrook and Frank Pettingel, while the remake stared Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer and Joseph Cotton, plus of course Angela Lansbury.
What’s fascinating, is that MGM reportedly tried to suppress release of the 1940 film in the United States, firstly by changing the name of the earlier film to "Angel Street" and later, when that didn’t work, trying to have the negative destroyed, so it would not compete with their more publicized (and far more expensive)1944 remake.
All Good Things
Greg
PS: My congratulations to Kerri as well, thank God, we seem to be honouring people who work with children in fields other than bloody football!
PPS: I feel my supreme sacrifice to the world of theatre today, rates a mention - for the first time in over thirty years, I didn't watch the whole Bathurst 1000! Yes, I left for the Old Mill, when there was still about 20 minutes of racing to go! However I must confess that I then spent time in the Green room listening to the results on my mobile. Hmm, does that make me a matinee idol, or just idle at the matinee? Please, no applause, tears of gratitude will do!