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Doctor in the House

Sun, 1 Mar 2009, 11:28 am
Gordon the Optom2 posts in thread

‘Doctor in the House’ written by Richard Gordon, has been adapted for the stage by Ted Willis. It is showing at the Melville Theatre, Stock Road. The shows are at 8.00pm each evening until the 14th March.

                Shy and naive Simon Sparrow (Thomas Walding) is an enthusiastic, first year medical student who has found lodgings in a rundown flat with two other medics. Tony Grimsdyke (Martin Lindsay) is studying for the fun and a ‘degree in tavern and women’ would be more appropriate. His rugby playing friend, John Evans (Lewis Johnson) is slightly more enthusiastic about the course. Vera (Laila Gampfer) a beautiful Sicilian shares Tony’s room, and has her sights set on a permanent relationship. Nurse Riggie Winslow (Molly Sheehan) visits regularly, mainly in search of food, but like all the other nurses, she must make sure that she is not caught in the male students’ rooms by the matriarchal Matron(Judy Pinnock).
                Bromley (Dave Pragnell) is a hospital porter who will do any task required for the students – at a price. Their self-opinionated, bullying professor, Sir Lancelot Spratt (Stuart Riches) has little time for the matron, and so when Simon falls for Janet (Christine Dixon) the trouble really starts.

 

From the opening curtain a smile came onto the audience’s faces and there it remained for the whole of this play. It is 55 years old and yet could be any student flat today. The cast were wonderful, everyone captured their characters delightfully. Thanks to Jeff Hansen’s quality direction, the pace was brisk and the actions natural. If you are old enough to remember the Dirk Bogarde film, then this production will bring back warm memories. Because the action takes place solely in the student flat, the funniest line in the film was missed –  this was when Simon said to a well-endowed teenager, as he placed his stethoscope on her chest, ‘Big breaths’, the reply ‘Yeth, and I am only sithteen’.

With the operation scene in Act Two and the brush off in Act Three, the laughs flowed freely. Quality delivery of the lines. Great fun.

Thread (2 posts)

Gordon the OptomSun, 1 Mar 2009, 11:28 am

‘Doctor in the House’ written by Richard Gordon, has been adapted for the stage by Ted Willis. It is showing at the Melville Theatre, Stock Road. The shows are at 8.00pm each evening until the 14th March.

                Shy and naive Simon Sparrow (Thomas Walding) is an enthusiastic, first year medical student who has found lodgings in a rundown flat with two other medics. Tony Grimsdyke (Martin Lindsay) is studying for the fun and a ‘degree in tavern and women’ would be more appropriate. His rugby playing friend, John Evans (Lewis Johnson) is slightly more enthusiastic about the course. Vera (Laila Gampfer) a beautiful Sicilian shares Tony’s room, and has her sights set on a permanent relationship. Nurse Riggie Winslow (Molly Sheehan) visits regularly, mainly in search of food, but like all the other nurses, she must make sure that she is not caught in the male students’ rooms by the matriarchal Matron(Judy Pinnock).
                Bromley (Dave Pragnell) is a hospital porter who will do any task required for the students – at a price. Their self-opinionated, bullying professor, Sir Lancelot Spratt (Stuart Riches) has little time for the matron, and so when Simon falls for Janet (Christine Dixon) the trouble really starts.

 

From the opening curtain a smile came onto the audience’s faces and there it remained for the whole of this play. It is 55 years old and yet could be any student flat today. The cast were wonderful, everyone captured their characters delightfully. Thanks to Jeff Hansen’s quality direction, the pace was brisk and the actions natural. If you are old enough to remember the Dirk Bogarde film, then this production will bring back warm memories. Because the action takes place solely in the student flat, the funniest line in the film was missed –  this was when Simon said to a well-endowed teenager, as he placed his stethoscope on her chest, ‘Big breaths’, the reply ‘Yeth, and I am only sithteen’.

With the operation scene in Act Two and the brush off in Act Three, the laughs flowed freely. Quality delivery of the lines. Great fun.

stingerSun, 15 Mar 2009, 11:48 am

Last Night Pranks

Overcoming an unseasonal bout of the 'flu, I made a last-minute dash to the Roy Edinger for the final night of 'DITH'. I believe I scored the very last seat in the house (well done, Melville Theatre!) I was impressed to see that some other members of the audience came in costume as doctors and nurses. This is what gives popular shows 'cult' status - whether it makes them brilliant theatre is another question (which I will not here attempt to answer). 'Last nights' usually mean 2 things - first, the cast is over-familiar with their parts and secondly, they are starting to lose energy. If these symptoms were present, they were barely perceptible, although I did think some good jokes were rushed and the pace did flag a bit from time to time. Nevertheless, it was a fun night and a fitting finale. There were some pranks both on and offstage, but I didn't notice these until told about them afterwards. If ever there was a show that you could get away with such naughtiness, this was it. Well done, all. Ssstinger>>>
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