Many congratulations to all the cast and crew, and to Director Ann Roberts, for pulling off a most energetic, amusing and perplexing show. With a six-month delay behind us (due to a succession of unrelated problems impeding progress), we finally brought the play to the stage in April 2023. After some anxious moments right up to the last rehearsal, the actors pulled out all the stops and delivered a most entertaining piece of drama, again to largely full houses. What’s more we were thrilled to have in the audience on the Friday the much-renowned author and friend of Ann Roberts, Simon Williams, who met the actors and crew afterwards for a “photo-opp” and was highly complimentary on the standard of acting and production. Further more, he even sent us an email afterwards with fulsome praise for the evening he and his granddaughter had enjoyed!
Beneath is a review from the first night by Joe Haynes, as submitted for the May edition of Wargrave News:
“Wargrave Theatre Workshop’s production of Simon Williams’ comedy was skilfully directed by Ann Roberts and well-acted by her experienced cast. We were given an evening of great fun and sexual intrigue.
Sheila Williams’ set design took us gently into the sitting room of Yew Tree House, a retirement home for ageing actors, administered by the efficient Mrs Kidd, played by Linda Daman, whose main preoccupation appeared to be collecting fines for the ‘swear box’! The occasion is the birthday of Margot Buchanan, beautifully played by an attractive and stylish Grace Tye, with a powerful stage presence which drives the action forward. She is complemented by Freda Deacon, a retired actress, played by Lydia Massey with a wonderful Scots accent. Freda has amazing psychic skills, which enable her to talk to the deceased, whom only she and, later, the audience can see. Freda is obsessed with completing her ‘Full Monty’ jigsaw and determined to find the missing ‘appendage’ of one of the male strippers.
They are joined by a young actress, Sadie Croft, played with assurance, by Patricia Frost, who is rehearsing for Romeo and Juliet. Sadie has come to see Margot for advice as she and her ex -husband, Sir Leo Buchanan were renowned for their performances in the title roles. Margot asks Sadie to deliver the most sexually overt lines in the Shakespeare play. Clearly, Margot’s affair, marriage and divorce from Sir Leo, some 30 years earlier is still smouldering.
They are unexpectedly joined by Lady Judy Buchanan, played by a beautifully dressed Jo Cole, who says she has come to wish Margot a happy birthday, but Margot suspects she is really looking for her errant husband, Sir Leo.
When Margot ushers everyone away to the bar, Sir Leo then makes a surprise appearance and tells Margot he is ‘on the run’ having struck a journalist . We discover he is also hiding from his wife and the young actress, Sadie, with whom he is having an affair.
Clive Dow plays the suave, handsome, and conceited Sir Leo, and the sparks and sexual chemistry quickly ignite between him and Margot.
The presence of his current and ex-wives, his young mistress, and Freda Deacon with whom, whilst at RADA, he also had an affair, proves too much for Sir Leo and he suffers a fatal heart attack.
The chaotic scene is punctuated by the appearance of an aging Superman kissagram, desperately played by Lloyd Scrivener, determined to plant a wet kiss on Margot.
Following his heart attack Leo appears almost immediately, stylishly dressed in white dinner-jacket and matching trousers and watches aghast as his ‘corpse’ is removed from the scene. He is ‘seen’ only by psychic Freda and the audience. Desperate to sort things out between his women and the vengeful reporter, the ghostly Sir Leo endeavours to control events, and observes that the ladies, united by grief are managing very well without him and his ‘Mr Woodpecker’.
During an attempt to save Sadie and Judy from the press, Margot dies in a fire but her ghost, dressed in white is visible to Freda, Sir Leo and the audience.
The final scene between Sir Leo and Margot is filled with the sexual desire they still have for each other, which will now be for eternity. Knowing Sir Leo, it is questionable whether they are in the same place, or he will be taken by the ‘Spanish looking gentleman in red tights!’.
An excellent evening’s entertainment, a first night, which deserved a full house.”
Below you can view is a comprehensive selection of photographs from the production, including some recording the author’s visit of to Woodclyffe Hall. Many thanks to David Williams, Peter Knowles, and Joy Haynes for use of their photographs.
