Duets
Thu, 17 Mar 2011, 08:51 amGordon the Optom1 post in thread
Duets
Thu, 17 Mar 2011, 08:51 am‘Duets’ is a set of short comedies that was first performed in 2009. Written by the Colchester born, television presenter and playwright, Peter Quilter. Quilter now lives in the Canary Isles, mentioned in one of the plays.
Directed by Tina Barker and Peter Kirkwood, this collection is being presented by the Harbour Theatre Company at the Port Cineaste Building, 70 Adelaide Street, Fremantle. The performances, which run until 26th March, start at 8.00 pm. There is one matinee on Sunday the 20th at 2.00 pm.
Blind Date Middle-aged Jonathon (Trevor Dhu) has invited his blind date, Wendy (Elizabeth Jansen), whom he found in a dating magazine, around to his flat for a drink. Both are a little shy and nervous, so how will things work out?
Sadly, we have a couple of capable actors fighting against a very thin, poor script. The dialogue dragged their pace down and despite the bold actors’ good interaction and Trevor’s highly professional, but deliberately funny, choreography this play sagged.
Secretarial Skills Janet (Paula Sayers) is preparing for the birthday party of her long-time boss, Barrie (Andy Markland). Gradually her feelings for Barrie come to the front, but he has other interests.
The script was a little better and the pace much improved. The actors delivered with more style than the writer deserved.
The Holiday Shelley (Sherrilee Walsh) and Bobby (Rory Innes) have been given a free holiday in Spain. With the cheap drinks, Shelley is soon sozzled and her true feelings for Bobby start to come to the front.
Much funnier play with plenty for the couple to get their teeth into. Well presented.
The Bride-to be Angela (Ann Speicher) in a hideous wedding dress, is about to marry for the third time. Despite climatic changes, she is in no hurry to walk down the aisle. Instead, she is perfectly happy having a drink with her brother, Toby (David McGarr) who has doubts about the whole affair.
Very funny, beautifully acted. Excellent.
Very smart, well-constructed scenery. The set changes were quick and smoothly carried out, as the many props and trimmings were changed to create the new locations. Tina Barker’s quality set painting for the backdrops added interest. Smooth lighting operation by David Champion, and the several tricky sound cues didn’t cause Jade Craig, the sound operator, any problems.
Over the years Harbour have set a very high standard, so this came through as one of their poorer shows. The writer has observed the situations well, but has written more in the genre of a lecture than a comedy play. In fact the word ‘home’ was mentioned at the interval, but we hung on and were rewarded by the more interesting, final two plays. A pleasant night out.
‘Duets’ is a set of short comedies that was first performed in 2009. Written by the Colchester born, television presenter and playwright, Peter Quilter. Quilter now lives in the Canary Isles, mentioned in one of the plays.
Directed by Tina Barker and Peter Kirkwood, this collection is being presented by the Harbour Theatre Company at the Port Cineaste Building, 70 Adelaide Street, Fremantle. The performances, which run until 26th March, start at 8.00 pm. There is one matinee on Sunday the 20th at 2.00 pm.
Blind Date Middle-aged Jonathon (Trevor Dhu) has invited his blind date, Wendy (Elizabeth Jansen), whom he found in a dating magazine, around to his flat for a drink. Both are a little shy and nervous, so how will things work out?
Sadly, we have a couple of capable actors fighting against a very thin, poor script. The dialogue dragged their pace down and despite the bold actors’ good interaction and Trevor’s highly professional, but deliberately funny, choreography this play sagged.
Secretarial Skills Janet (Paula Sayers) is preparing for the birthday party of her long-time boss, Barrie (Andy Markland). Gradually her feelings for Barrie come to the front, but he has other interests.
The script was a little better and the pace much improved. The actors delivered with more style than the writer deserved.
The Holiday Shelley (Sherrilee Walsh) and Bobby (Rory Innes) have been given a free holiday in Spain. With the cheap drinks, Shelley is soon sozzled and her true feelings for Bobby start to come to the front.
Much funnier play with plenty for the couple to get their teeth into. Well presented.
The Bride-to be Angela (Ann Speicher) in a hideous wedding dress, is about to marry for the third time. Despite climatic changes, she is in no hurry to walk down the aisle. Instead, she is perfectly happy having a drink with her brother, Toby (David McGarr) who has doubts about the whole affair.
Very funny, beautifully acted. Excellent.
Very smart, well-constructed scenery. The set changes were quick and smoothly carried out, as the many props and trimmings were changed to create the new locations. Tina Barker’s quality set painting for the backdrops added interest. Smooth lighting operation by David Champion, and the several tricky sound cues didn’t cause Jade Craig, the sound operator, any problems.
Over the years Harbour have set a very high standard, so this came through as one of their poorer shows. The writer has observed the situations well, but has written more in the genre of a lecture than a comedy play. In fact the word ‘home’ was mentioned at the interval, but we hung on and were rewarded by the more interesting, final two plays. A pleasant night out.