Review by Linda MacDonald of
A BUNCH of AMATEURS by Ian Hislop & Nick Newman
And this cast was nothing like a bunch of amateurs. They brought our lovely theatre back to life, after its enforced closure for 18 months, with this very funny play. A small amateur group performing out of a barn (sound familiar?) are struggling financially and enlist a Hollywood actor to add gravitas to their forthcoming production of King Lear. Only he turns out to be a washed-upactor, with absolutely no knowledge of Shakespeare, who thinks he is destined for Stratford on Avon and not Stratford St John.
His ego, which is huge, and his demands, which are many, are thwarted at every stage by the group’s director and the remaining cast are either besotted and infatuated by him, frustrated by him or downright angry with him, as is the case with his daughter who he forgot was joining him.
The cast brought every character to life. The American accent from both Dave Ellis and Phoebe Mae Matthews was spot on. Fiona and John Blackwell both fawned very convincingly around the so-called star, Charlotte Rich was bubbly and effervescent, Laurie Noble showed the so-called pro how Shakespeare should be performed, and Debbie Porter kept the cast in check throughout and moving in the right direction.
As Shakespeare once wrote, All’s Well That Ends Well. So Jefferson Steele becomes humble, learns his lines, makes up with his estranged daughter and the final production of King Lear is a success, saving the amateur group from closure.
Although the majority of our performances had social distance seating and hence reduced audience numbers, I hope the director and cast know that their efforts were much appreciated by all those attending and all thanks go to Vicky and cast for taking up the reins and getting our doors open once more.