On Golden Pond

Now it is a dangerous thing to speculate that this might have been the best play I’ve seen in the Village Hall. But it may well have been, and if not it was surely among the very best.
Fiona Drysdale and John Fletcher really put everything into their leading roles as the elderly couple – a huge effort as they are both on stage for almost the entire play – and created the easy credibility which is essential to the enjoyment of a good drama. They were helped, as they should be, by carefully chosen properties which were quite exceptional, summoning up a picture of a quieter age in the Lake District. I really did feel that John was quoting the small ads in the Cumberland Times he was reading and the hats, the fishing gear and the furniture built an effective picture of a much-loved holiday cottage.
Aside from the two central roles there are only four other parts. Charlie the postman, played by Ian Crook, provided convincing local colour even if his arrival in a motor boat was accompanied by the oddest of sound effects – the audience around me were convinced it was a helicopter !
The daughter and son-in-law, played by Julia Clarke and Richard Goodman, had the difficult task of creating their characters with a very short time on stage and they did that creditably well, although somewhat upstaged by a superb performance from their teenage son Billy played by Ollie Foster. Only by delivering this difficult role well does the essential theme of the play – John Fletcher’s transition from grumpy old man to loving grandfather – make any sense. Ollie was confident and convincing, summing up the whole play really.
This version of the play was faithful to the original stage production rather than the film. Transferring the action from the USA to the Lake District may have caused some of the language to jar a little and cause us to wonder what wild berries were being gathered in May, but the acting rose easily above such trifles and I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, as the audience around me evidently did. I cannot recollect such admiration, as we chatted on the way out.
Well done, Holt Dramatic Society, and those who didn’t occupy the very few empty seats missed a rare treat.
I have not see the film of “On Golden Pond”, and I don’t think I shall now – I don’t want to spoil the beautifully created images and characters which remain in my mind. Now that’s a measure of fine drama !
Martin Moyes 
 
“Just wanted to let John know that last night was brilliant a very polished performance. We all enjoyed it and were waiting to congratulate you afterwards at The Ham Tree. Good luck for the next performances.”

“Fiona & John
THANK-YOU both for an excellent evening last night. Meg and I thoroughly enjoyed the performance and congratulate you on your very professional [!!] contributions to a very satisfying play. You must have both spent hours learning your lines.
Good luck on the next two performances. Thank you again.”

“We just have to say - what a superb production and performance tonight. Andy & I were totally captivated and thought that the acting was strong and most entertaining.
Well done everyone.”

“Please pass our congrats on to John and crew. We loved every minute of it - I even had a tear in my eye at the end. Well done all - you’ll be flying by Saturday night.”

Arsenic and Old Lace

To lose one Dr Einstein is unfortunate, to lose two looks like carelessness……. Anyone who has been involved with amateur dramatics will know that all productions seem to lurch from crisis to crisis, but Holt’s most recent effort, “Arsenic and Old Lace”, seemed more calamitous than most. When Les Banks was taken ill three weeks before the opening, it was bad enough, but then for Ian Smart to be hospitalised the very week of the production seemed to be the end. I was not alone in feeling that I was going along more out of a sense of duty than any particular expectation of enjoyment.

How wrong we were! Director Carol Longmore stepped into the breach and was an excellent Dr Einstein. All the cast were good, from Jennie Mizen & Marion King as the daffy policewomen to Steve Taylor as the completely batty (but harmless) Teddy Brewster. Simon Green seemed to have found his perfect role as the sinister Jonathan Brewster, and as for Alison Brady and Lesley Ager, well, it all seemed so natural that we shall think twice before accepting a glass of wine from them in the future!

Thank you, one and all, for a really entertaining evening, and we wish the invalids a speedy recovery.

Lettice and Lovage

We gathered in the Village Hall for the latest play put on by the stalwart Holt Dramatic Society for our delectation and delight. This play by Peter Shaffer has some strange themes interwoven into the ideas behind it, but who hasn’t (while listening to some boring historical talk) wanted to enliven the talk with some juicy additional titbits to keep your interest alive?

After the opening scene, with most of the cast taking layer upon layer of clothes off, I did wonder what would happen next, but I needn’t have worried!

Lettice was suitably bored with her own job as a tour guide, and produced some lovely off-the-wall moments being appropriately fey and non-worldly. Alison Brady was a superbly ultra-efficient person from the Preservation Trust come to investigate reports of strange doings, and her irritation with anyone straying from the path of regulations was very well done. These two actresses carried the main story between them, and put across the main theme very well. Additional support came from a wonderful cringing Miss Framer played excellently by Helen Rabaiotti, and a superb rendition of a stuffy lawyer from Steve Taylor, who eventually had the whole audience (on Thursday) humming along with the tum-tiddy-tum-tum bits. Directed by Brian King, and supported by hosts of villagers both behind the scenes and in the front of house, it was a grand effort. As for the Quaff, I think words fail me for that – but it was interesting! And for the resolution of the conflict, and what happens next, I hope you all came to see for yourselves. It was all very enjoyable.

The Tempest

When the heavens opened over Holt on the Wednesday it seemed to be the last nail in the brave enterprise to put on Shakespeare’s Tempest outdoors – coming as it did on top of major casting problems and more than the usual production nightmares.

So it was more out of a sense of duty more forthcoming pleasure that we walked up to Holt Manor on a sunny Friday evening.How wrong could we be!?

There really wasn’t a weak performance among the 30 or so who presented this slightly difficult play, which was spoken and presented with a rare clarity and understanding which brought out its humour and its mystery.

The Tempest cannot succeed without a strong Prospero and John Cooke (who you have to admit is naturally half-way to being a wild wizard) was superb. Alonso, who as King of Naples had conspired in Prospero’s fate, was played by Derek Longmore who brought tangible dolour and a sense of hopelessness – and was word-perfect, all of which is quite remarkable as he only first looked at the part a few days beforehand !

The moonstruck lovers (Becki Widdess and Nick Bozic) amused us greatly with their convincing infatuation and the comic (and drunken) duo of Steve Taylor (remember him as the Pantomime Dame ?) and Matthew Heaton caused many to laugh out loud.

There is already something of the night about Simon Green, but his Caliban brought much more out of this complex character – humour, pathos, self-importance and nicely done drunken-ness. And his bewitched companion, Ariel, brought life and action if not depth to another difficult part. The smaller parts – and there are many – could have weakened the dramatic effect but as I said at the beginning they were all well-played – I never thought I’d see Alison Brady sporting a beard, and I thought that Carol Longmore should have worn make-up as Sycorax but they both played well as did the bevy of young nymphs and the seamen – one of whose beards (Phil Lucas) was plainly natural and the other (Bryan Baker) equally obviously not.

All this was complemented by pleasant pastoral music and Chrissie Higgs’ very fine voice. Nicely costumed, neatly cut (the original is rather long), very well organised and only one prompt in the entire evening: this was a well-paced and thoroughly enjoyable entertainment. Well done to everyone I haven’t mentioned by name (about 25 more !) and particularly to Carol Longmore and Brian King for keeping faith through the troubled rehearsal period to see everything come together quite beautifully.

MM

 Gaslight

A slightly off-the-wall plotline did not detract at all from the Victorian thriller which was a real treat for those who filled the Village Hall in mid November.

Directed by Brian King and produced by Helen Rabaiotti, this tale is of a particularly unpleasant husband trying to convince his long-suffering wife that she is mad, while he prowls the upper floors in a spooky way searching for missing treasure. Then enter the retired policeman who knows the husband to be a ruthless and mercenary killer, but needs to prove it, and with the help of the hapless wife manages to confront him. Justice is done, in the end, after some wonderful performances from Becki Widdess as the scared and self-doubting wife, John Cooke as the evil husband, and Steve Taylor as the nemesis in a tweed suit. Not to mention the loyal servant Elizabeth (Alison Brady in fine form), and Natalie Hector who transforms beautifully from the slightly insolent maid into the femme fatale who sees a wealthy man in her sights.

It came complete with footsteps overhead, detectives hiding in wardrobes, stolen rubies, and that wonderful gaslight that always dims when He is prowling upstairs. It all builds to edge-of-seat dramatic climax when justice is finally done. Enter stage left with impeccable timing two Victorian policemen in uniform, bewhiskered and looking every inch the part, and that was it. Magnificent! All in all, a worthy production from the Dramatic Society, supported by large numbers of Holtonians working hard backstage, front of house, and in the kitchen. Well done to all.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie

I have missed just one or two productions in 25 years of theatre-going in Holt Village Hall, so I cannot be certain that “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” was the best – but it may well have been, beating even the famous Flea Circus ! With a cast of 21 (including the very late casting of the Director herself, standing in at the last moment in a crucial role) and the regular army of over 20 behind the scenes there is no way that I can mention everyone – although this time I wish I could.

“Get to the point !” I hear you say. OK then, this was an extremely polished production which brought Muriel Sparks’ powerful story very directly to the audience, with all the humour, atmosphere and poignancy that it deserves. To deliver drama as well as this, first of all you have to get rid of a myriad of distractions ranging from actors who don’t know their lines, through sets and costumes that don’t reflect and support the text, to accents that jar and get in the way of the words. But that is just the starting point on which to build the interpretation, on stage, of the plot and the characters themselves. What a joy, then, that the obviously confident hand of the Director – Kate Palmer – and the talented cast were combined (in the nick of time no doubt – it wouldn’t be amateur dramatics otherwise) to accomplish both of these difficult things so well.

Miss Jean herself is the central character in every way, but her persona and the entire story are built on her relationships. So it is vital, if her role is to convince, that the characters of those around her are clearly portrayed. For once, the day after seeing the play, I am having no difficulty in positioning in my mind the philandering Mr Lloyd (Mike Harley), the stay-at-home Mr Lowther (John Fletcher) and the Headmistress (Alison Brady) struggling with a free-spirited teacher in an ultra-conservative school. They all delivered confident performances, as did the four girls in the “Brodie Set” – I’m sure (well, fairly sure) they won’t mind me saying that a measure of their success is that I really didn’t notice the shedding of some 40 years in age ! The nature of the girls’ individual characters really matters in explaining the eventual fate of Miss Brodie and, right from their first scene, they were working hard to bring this to the audience. Sandy’s complex and wide-ranging character is difficult to portray, developing from the class know-all and teacher’s pet to a deeply passionate teenager. I can see how Kate Palmer understood this role so well, but to learn it and to deliver it on stage with only a couple of weeks’ notice astonished me. Monica (Alison Pryke), Jenny (Natalie Hector) and Mary MacGregor (Merwyn Manson) made up, with Sandy, a convincing group of schoolgirls growing up together and I would like to pick out Merwyn’s performance as being quite special – delivering tongue-tied and uncertain characters is much harder than it seems and she did it so well that her unlikely running off to death in the Spanish Civil War did not jar.

So that just leaves Miss Jean Brodie herself. For the whole play to work she simply must be a commanding presence to all around her, even at the end when her flawed judgements come back to haunt her leaving her a sad and isolated figure. Jill Siddall oozed confidence, style and passion in a triumphant performance. She bossed the stage from her first entrance to the very end and carried her long and demanding role with apparent ease. It was a great achievement by any measure, and for someone’s first treading of the boards was quite amazing.

 The Owl and the Pussycat went to see . . .

I know the Owl and the Pussycat by heart – that’s what having children does for you . . . for quite a long time our young son thought he was the Quangle Wangle, but there-again he also had me down as the Blue Baboon . . .

An amazing number of people – over 60 – worked on this startling Holt Dramatic Society production. It would be impossible to mention them all, and it will only cause offence to miss any of them out . . . so no names !! In many ways the Dramatic Society have stepped up a level with their Village Hall productions, something which I think started in earnest with ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’.

This experience began with a beautifully crafted programme – which itself was an interesting read. Then a veritable orchestra and choir tackled some very difficult music, and when the curtains opened colourful and imaginative sets illustrated the strangest of tales.

For children, whose imaginations effortlessly encompass the most outrageous concepts, the play itself was a wonderful staging of Edward Lear’s thoroughly wacky poem. I did notice some older members of the audience struggling to let go of reality, but they say you can’t please all of the people all of the time. Another reason for skipping names !!

The costumes and make-up for this fantasy were pretty challenging, and the substantial back-room crew rose to it very well – the Dong with the Luminous Nose and the Plum Pudding Flea stood out as particularly difficult to accomplish, but really every character – as well as the Owl and the Pussycat themselves – needed special treatment. Maybe, though, the Runcible Spoon was the triumph of costume and the Pig was the triumph of make-up – I’ll never know how she delivered her first squeaking part through that thoroughly realistic snout. At least I think it was make-up . . . .

Getting into the action then, and for once the children were well-rehearsed and showing obvious enjoyment, even if one of them found something very interesting up her left nostril at one stage ! No, I promised no names . . . How refreshing to find everyone confident in their words, and much slicker scene changes than we have been used to – maintaining the flow is so important if a play is not to be reduced to a series of sketches.

The musicians did a really splendid job, and I do so like live music, although some solos were maybe a touch too difficult for the actors at times. That hardly detracted from a series of fine performances, and the wackiest of stories was presented clearly and considerable humour. And the choruses were great.

I said I wouldn’t name any of the cast or crew, but maybe I am allowed to mention Brian and Marion King who have played such a role of their own in shepherding the Dramatic Society through one of its occasional difficult periods into a time when I am really looking forward to the next production. Aside from the King duo and many other stalwarts, the new faces outnumber the old, the new Chairman is making a considerable impact and the future does indeed look bright.

Well done everyone, and roll on the Spring production.

The Prince and the Darkwood

It amazes me that over 50 residents of a small village can be brought together through the cold winter months to put on a Pantomime – what commitment !

Even better when the result turns out to be such fun as the highly original and very entertaining “Prince and the Darkwood” written by Simon Green, who also lives locally.

I saw the performance on Saturday and, no doubt after Thursday and Friday had sorted out some of the rough edges, it was a pacey and well-rehearsed show. It couldn’t have started better really – no sooner had the Dame (Richard Lamprell – he was magnificent) introduced herself “Hello boys and girls, I am Dame Henrietta Hollyhock” than Christopher Feilden’s stentorian “Oh no you’re not” set the tone for a hilarious evening.

Usually in a village pantomime you have to make allowances for the younger performers but this time they simply made a terrific contribution. Easily the pick of the bunch was Shari Edwards whose confident Bogeyman deftly swapped sides when the fortunes of the Demon Prince waned; but the Trees, the Ogre, the Chorus, Spot, Gertrude and Daisy May all added depth and variety with lots of poise.

The clear characterisation of the adult parts made following Simon’s innovative script really easy. Idle Jack (Steve Taylor) stands out for his portrayal of a lazy good-for-nothing but again he was supported by strong performances from the ghost of Sir Jasper (Marion King), Lady Lake (Pippa Chandler), King Rufus (Helen Rabaiotti – I’ll never be able to buy a Stamp with a straight face again) and Prince Richard (Becki Widdess – if she were still working in the Ham Tree I’d have the same trouble buying a pint).

Simon Green is a natural-born demon, of course, and the other players gave confident delivery of their lines without the hesitation and forgetfulness that has sometimes marred local performances.

Its never a surprise that the backstage crew outnumber the actors – and this time the 30 or so of them put together a classy performance which enhanced the on-stage action – as it should. The sets were beautifully painted and the changes smooth, the actors well-dressed and made-up (although Sir Champion – Ann Fielden – did look awfully like the much-missed Stan Maggs) and the whole thing moved with precision and pace.

Although the musicians were good, I could have wished for a few more rousing songs with audience participation (not that I want to hear CCF singing) and I found that the second half dragged a little – a case of too little material to fill the time available I think – but I never lost concentration on a super spectacle.

The Princess (Kiri Rai on the night, she alternated with Muffi Solis) was seductively beautiful and quite unperturbed by either the numerous “Superstore” references or her family competing with Chris on the noise meter. Ooh – I didn’t mention Wendy Tucker, the Sen’Eschal (. . . . bless you !) and I have drawn a discreet veil over what is possibly Holt’s first “four-in-a-bed” scene.

Congratulations then to John Cooke for pulling all this together and to the whole company for putting on a memorable show. Shame on you if you didn’t go – you missed a real treat

Holt’s Got Talent

Following the disappointment of not being able to perform ‘Stepping Out’, I was phoned the next day by Gill Norman (who’s husband was playing the one male character in Stepping Out) who suggested the idea of putting on ‘Holt’s Got Talent’ instead! I had been feeling so fed up and not really motivated to think of starting to prepare something else, until that phone call. Talking through the whole idea with Gill and then holding a meeting at which there was such enthusiasm, gave me the energy to try out this brainwave and Holt’s Got Talent was born.

Over the following few weeks, a small committee worked tirelessly to get the show off the ground. A poster designed by Olivia Siddall was appeared as if by magic around the village. The application forms were brilliantly designed by Richard Goodman and Gill Norman and quickly made available for contestants and then all we had to do was wait. It was at this stage that things seemed to slow down with very little response and with only a few days to go until the closing date we thought the whole event would not go ahead.

On the last two days, however, the applications came flooding in and we knew it was going to happen. It was all hands to the pump as we now had to find a compere and a panel of ‘celebrity’ judges. We also realized that we needed to ensure there was a stage set, lighting and, most importantly, a sound system. Suddenly there was a huge amount to do but everyone worked so hard. The stage set was built by a hard working group hammering and painting all day the Saturday before. The lighting and sound was organised by Tim Mason and gradually it all began to take shape. Following the audition night the tickets sold very quickly and we realized how popular this was going to be. It became obvious, too, that seating the large numbers may be a problem, but somehow we got round that.

The evening proved to be a great success. Our compere, Jon Monie, kept the evening moving and his professional talents shone through. The three judges were fair and generally kind to all the contestants. (even Simon Cool was quite generous in his comments). Richard also worked out an ingenious and very fair voting system which clearly identified the winners. (This system is apparently used on Strictly Come Dancing so it is well tried and tested.) The standard of all the acts was quite incredible and judging from the many comments, the audience thoroughly enjoyed the evening.

The winner was Katie Chandler who sang so beautifully. The runner up was Ollie Foster who entertained with some outstanding piano playing and in third place were Hettie Parrett and Antonia Deeley who sang a duet like angels.

This was probably one of the most successful events Holt Dramatic Society has ever put on but I must emphasise that it would not have been possible without the hard work of a small group of enthusiastic individuals and Gill’s original idea. My thanks to everyone, but especially to all the brave and talented contestants, who helped to make this such a good evening.

Kate Palmer