Move over Mrs Markham

‘Move Over Mrs. Markham’ is an English romp, written by Ray Cooney and John Chapman in 1969. The farce, directed by Pat Barton, is showing each evening at 8.00 pm, at The Harbour Theatre in the Princess May Building, Cantonment Street, Fremantle until September 19^th

        To the strains of Noel Coward, the curtains open to reveal the London flat of publishers Philip (Sam Farriden) and Joanna Markham (Joanna Zukowski), the couple are preparing for a night out. Philip's business partner, philandering Henry Lodge (Graeme Speed), asks Philip if he can make use of the flat for an evening of hanky panky with a telephonist (Elizabeth Jansen) whom he has spoken to, but as yet not met.
        Meanwhile Henry’s hot-blooded wife, Linda (Ann Speicher) has persuaded Mrs Markham to loan the apartment to her, in order that she too can entertain her lover, Walter (Andy Markland).
        However, the Markham's interior designer, Alistair (Michael Dorman), despite being gay, has his eye on Sylvie (Kim Moore) the au pair and cannot wait until the owners leave for the evening.
         Just as the three couples converge on the flat, a frumpy and prudish, Miss Marples-like author, Olive Harriet Smythe (Jo Sterkenburg – very successfully standing in at the last minute) arrives with her latest book.
        How will they explain their ways out of the marital disloyalties?

In passing, it is thought that Olive Harriet Smythe was based on the true life character, Mrs Markham, the pseudonym of English children’s’ writer Elizabeth Penrose, who was the daughter of Cartwright, the inventor of the power loom.

An excellent set, divided to allow vision of the sitting room, before renovation and the trendy new bedroom. Good lighting, colourful programme and great costumes – some very sexy; the entrances and exits were slick, but the delivery of much of the extremely funny dialogue fell flat. The men in the play had their bits of fluff; unfortunately, there were plenty of ‘fluffs’ of another kind.

It is often said that if you get the walk right, the character will follow automatically. Successful farce seems to be played with half bent knees, here a couple of the actors were a little too stiff (NOT wooden) so they tended to drag even the more experienced down a little.

Although half way through the season, and sadly despite the efforts of a hard working cast and the many good points mentioned, the farce just does not quite get there. Perhaps after another couple of shows they will hit the mark.

Funny but could have been hilarious.