THEATRE NEWS

P AM AYRES Sadly an tickets for this production were sold out at once so we have missed out and won't be able to go to Chichester.
CORPSE A small group of us went to the Playhouse to see this murder comedy. As usual, for this theatre, it was an excellent but light production.
A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE. We have had to change our visit to the Saturday matinee on Nov 18 as the Thursday matinees sell out very quickly. (please see me for your ticket)
Honor Blackman I have the tickets for the talk on 3 Dec. There is still ticket availability if anyone else is interested.
ORPHEUS at the Nuffield on Fri 24/11. There has been little interest shown in this but there is still ticket availability so let me know if you are interested
SHADOWLANDS Playhouse on Tues 6 Feb at 7.30. This is likely to be an excellent production and there is still ticket availability. Let me know if you want to go
GUYS AND DOLLS. This marvellous musical is coming to the Mayflower next May. We could get a "busload" together Sign up if you would like to go.
Julie/Christine

October plays

19 October The Nuffield Theatre, Salome (Oscar Wilde)

26 October Salisbury Playhouse, Corpse! Is a virtuoso piece of classic farce. First produced at the Apollo Theatre, London in 1984, this comedy Thriller has become an international hit.

31 October Playhouse, Salberg Studio, The Mad Woman in the Attic, Comic Monologue

For further details contact:
Julie 023 80 862704
Christine 023 808628820

Twelth Night by Charterhouse Players

A few select U3A members braved the cools winds to see a performance of Twelth Night at Hilliers Gardens last Saturday (12th August). We went with our modest picnics, coats, blankets and chairs and all three were very pleased we had made the effort!

Chapterhouse Players gave an excellent performance, comic, innovative, excellent characterisation and apart from one cast member, clearly aubible. Good costumes and a simple set all played there part in making this a most enjoyable evening

Review of shows

SCHOOL FOR SCANDAL
Another matinee performance at the Playhouse which for some of us meant a pre theatre lunch at Fisherton Mill. Once again the theatre was packed and once again we were treated to a very polished and professional performance of this Sheridan period comedy. It was fast moving but with good timing slickly moving from one scene to the next. A relaxing and amusing piece of entertainment.
FLANDERS AND SWANN EVENING.
Tim Fitzhigham and Duncan Walsh Atkins brought to the Point the best ever Flanders and Swann evening since the performances by the "Originals". We were entertained to a full repertory of those marvellously witty 1950s songs and how easily we recalled the verses of "I’m a Gnu" and the Hippopotamus song. In fact we were raising the roof with our enthusiasm for "Mud, mud glorious mud"! A happy, lively innocent and fun evening.

March Update

FORTHCOMING:

13 APRIL (Thurs matinee) Playhouse School for Scandal price £7.50

21 APRIL (Fri 7.45) The Point Flanders and Swann Evening price £12.50

23 May (Tues 7.30) Chichester Entertaining Angels: Penelope Keith price £15.00

We have already had 4 theatre visits this year for which there have been mixed reactions.

MACK and MABEL The Mayflower

Christine kindly arranged this and secured a block booking at an excellent price. She also arranged our transport by hiring 2 of the community buses which did make a great difference being delivered to and collected from the doorstep. Sadly the production did not live up to expectations. The supporting cast were very industrious providing all the music and dance routines. However the "e1ectricity" between Mack and Mabel, so essential to the story, just did not exist. I imagined that if David Soul met his co-star in a bar afterwards he would say "Who are you?" so little did he communicate or acknowledge her! This meant that Janie Dee had to work extraordinarily hard (which she did admirably) to generate the exciting energy that is so essential for this musical.

JANE EYRE The NUFFIELD

But what an unexpected treat was this! I had not expected that the Brontes' work could be transferred to the stage but I found for the first time that the play actually gave me a better understanding of the book. It was good to hear the dialogue being delivered in a strong blunt Yorkshire accent. The brilliance of creating the substantive character of Jane's imaginative, and passionate nature controlled and locked away in the attic who seamlessly melded with the character of the mad wife revealed so much more to me than I had gained from my reading. Rochester's account of his meeting of his wife was wonderfully illustrated by the cast recreating a wild exotic and glamorous West Indian scene as a backdrop to his words. Most importantly the whole cast blended so well together and who could not help chuckling at the guy who so delightfully and convincingly played the part of Rochester's dog! For the very first time I actua11y believed in the relationship between J and R!

ARMS AND THE MAN

Four of us went to a matinee performance of this Bernard Shaw play. We first treated ourselves to a light lunch at Fisherton Mill and then moved down the road to the delightful and comfortable Playhouse theatre. As is expected of this theatre we were treated to a polished fast moving we11 timed comedy production. Nothing rea11y to write home about but a very enjoyable and entertaining outing.

RABBI LIONEL BLUE

The Point at Eastleigh is now arranging speakers for one off evenings so I think we shall keep an eye on these particularly as they get booked up very quickly. Rabbi Lionel Blue was just as I expected from hearing him so frequently on the radio. He held the stage for almost an hour with highly entertaining jokes and anecdotes.

During the interval he signed books and without a break was back on the stage with more stories and to field questions from the audience. At the conclusion, having expressed his interest in meeting people he stated he would be in the foyer to chat and would stay until everyone had left, quite a feat for someone recovering from cancer. A very uplifting evening.

High Drama at Hanger Farm

The National All England One Act Play Festival’s local ‘Stage One’—Totton Festival of Drama—is back at Hanger Farm Arts Centre with a really vibrant and varied programme of plays throughout the week from Monday to Saturday March 13th–18th. Curtain up each evening at 7.00pm.

With authors such as Alan Ayckbourn John Godber, George Orwell and Shelagh Stephenson on offer audiences are in for a real treat. . This year’s selection of plays includes classic, comedy, physical, drama, farce and new writing. There really is something for everyone!

With three such varied one act plays performed per evening the festival offers the public a great opportunity to see an extreme variety of theatre in a superb venue, plus you have the bonus of hearing GODA professional adjudicator Jeannie Russell’s public adjudications.

14 groups from across Hampshire will be performing their festival entries in the hope of achieving a place in the Southern Divisional Final. Local audiences can follow the festival through to the next round as Hanger Farm Arts Centre will be the venue the Divisional final on Saturday April 22nd.

Tickets are just £6.00 per evening (£4.00 concessions) and with ample free parking on site—it is a superb chance to see quality theatre at an affordable price in Totton’s first-rate community arts centre. Ring the box-office tel. 023 8066 7683 for tickets, but hurry seating capacity is only 120! Weekly tickets are also available.



For your information Groups & Running order—correct at time of going to press.

Monday 13th March '

Bench Theatre Company 'Unworkable' by Mark Wakeman

Chameleon Theatre Company 'Teechers' by John Godber

Bursledon Players 'Between Mouthfuls' by Alan Ayckbourn

Tuesday 14th March

Hardley School 'Excerpts of Dr Faustus' by Christopher Marlowe

C.A.T.S. Youth Theatre 'The Shoemaker's Incredible Wife' by Federico Garcia Lorca translated by Lucinda Coxon

Wednesday 15th March

Oaklands Youth Music Theatre 'Sequinned Suits and Platform Boots' by Mark Wheeller

Stage Frite Theatre Company 'The Interview' by Les Clarke

Oaklands Community School 'Bang out of Order' by Johnny Carrington and Danny Sturrock

Thursday 16th March

Totton College '30th February' devised the cast

Wessex Youth Theatre 'Animal Farm' by George Orwell adapted by Ian Wooldridge

Chameleon Theatre Company 'A Galway Girl' by Geraldine Aron

Friday 17th March

Bursledon Players 'Gosforth's Fete' by Alan Ayckbourn

Portchester Players '5 Kinds of Silence' by Shelagh Stephenson

Bench Theatre Company 'Customer Delight' by Nathan Chapman



Saturday 18th March—Two plays recalled (Adjudicators choice) and Presentation of Awards



Contact Chris Farleigh for further information on 023 8086 2882 or email christine.farleigh@ntlworld.com