Another Review

This time, something unsolicited sent by a member of the audience to our box office address:

I say, a really ‘top drawer’ performance by all. Truly superb, five stars.

Review

Here's a review which was broadcast on Brooklands FM recently:

Last week at the Rhoda McGaw theatre in Woking, the Ottershaw Players took to the stage in what was really an excellent production of Oscar Wilde's "Lord Arthur Savile's Crime". Lord Arthur, who was beautifully played by Mark Holton, spends the duration of the play desperately trying to commit murder in order to fulfil a prediction. The comedy was fast and furious as one unlikely scene moved seamlessly into the next, with each new character bringing in more and more opportunities for laughter. So much so, in fact, that if I were to criticise the production at all it would be simply to say that the script was a little long, which is not the fault of the Ottershaw Players, of course, but a couple of cuts to lose about ten minutes overall would have been welcome relief from the exhausting pace of the play.

The cast of ten were superbly directed by Peter More, who had a lightness of touch essential when presenting a period comedy. The actors almost all managed to avoid the pitfalls of caricature, and played their parts with realism. There were some really lovely performances, most notably Mark Holton in the title role; Matthew Horton as his eager to please butler, Baines; Alison Byers in the delightful role of Arthur's great-aunt Clementina and finally in a small but not insignificant role, Jill Coles as Nellie the maid. But truth be told all the cast were a joy to watch, and the production team of lighting, sound, wardrobe and set builders did the Ottershaw Players proud.

The audience had a wonderful time, laughing so hard sometimes that the cast weren't always comfortable leaving long enough gaps after each Wilde witticism, so a few lines were lost amongst the guffaws! A thoroughly enjoyable evening. Thank you to the Ottershaw Players.

Kathie Williams
Brooklands FM

As you may guess, I'm pretty happy with that. I was very worried about before the show about the length of the piece, but other trusted friends have said that it was not an issue as there were no longueurs in the performance. I was also aware that there were one or two actors who were not used to 'riding the laughs'. Apart from daily notes to this effect, there's not much a director can do about this - it's solely down to the experience and awareness of the actors involved.

In any case, these are fairly minor criticisms which I am very happy to accept. I'm chuffed!

Finished!

All over. I thought I'd wait a few days before writing about the rest of the run - gain a little persepective.

Every show was received very warmly and appreciatively by the audience. Some were kind enough to say that it was the best show they've seen Ottershaw Players do. I'm not sure if that's justified (I am more proud of our 2006 production of Habeas Corpus, personally) but it's a nice comment to receive.

The reception was most gratifying. Not least because, even into production week, I wasn't 100% sure whether we had an entertaining production on our hands. I knew that the cast were perfect in their parts and that the backstage crew were giving their all to make the show a success, but I had concerns that the pace and flow of the play would be too slow and langorous.

Luckily, my fears were groundless. Audience members told me that they were gripped throughout. At the interval (one hour 10 mins into the play) my wife told me that she thought it had only been half-an-hour since the play started. Phew!

[I'm really chuffed that a member of our audience - a seasoned theatre-goer - went to see the show in the professional theatre next door on the next night. Despite being exactly the same length, the pro show was said to be overly long and boring. I won't mention the name of the show, or its stars, but that story backs up my long-held contention that there's no reason why amateur theatre should not as professional and entertaining as our paid counterparts.]

I'll be having a post-production meeting in a week or two. More updates then.

And if anyone reading this has seen (or would like to write) a review of the show, I'd be delighted to publish it (or a copy, or link) here.