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Review

by Matt Howard

A Runaway Success for Estuary Players!

In Philip King’s 1940s farce, the gentle calm of an unassuming vicarage in the quaint village of Merton-cum-Middlewick is upended by a breakneck stream of mistaken identities, frantic chases, escaped PoWs and plenty of slapstick. With a clear understanding of the play’s rhythm and shape, Director Leigh Steedman created a coherent, playful production full of the energy and silliness required to bring this chaotic caper to life. The set design was effective and inviting, capturing the cosy warmth of a lived-in vicarage while also providing ample room for the play’s physical comedy. The lighting and sound design enhanced the homely atmosphere and the overall effect allowed the fast paced entrances and exits to unfold naturally, without losing the sense of a cosy, familiar home.

The company delivered a lively ensemble performance. Pace and timing were generally effective, although the rhythm occasionally faltered due to some dropped lines and the odd prompt. Despite these few stumbles, the cast worked well as a team to keep the play moving. The physical comedy and slapstick were well executed, though (if I’m being picky) at times a little unpolished. Still, the sense of silliness and shared enjoyment kept the audience engaged and responsive.

Clare Philbrock played the maid, Ida, with expressive physicality and superb comic timing, producing plenty of laughs and helping to maintain the rhythm of the play. As the meddling, judgemental Miss Skillon, Chris Eilbeck delivered a confident performance - her ever increasing inebriation kept the audience chuckling. Alan Caig was suitably well balanced as Reverend Toop, providing clear narrative and chaotic farce in equal measure. As Penelope, Mandy Doherty gave a strong performance, capturing the character’s spirit and driving the action forward.
John Nelson as Clive, and Joe Coghlan as the intruding German PoW, embraced the silliness with enthusiasm: John brought bags of energy and some enjoyable physical gags, and Joe’s full bodied physicality during the frantic chases was another highlight. As the Bishop of Lax, Howard Eilbeck provided a counterpoint to the high energy of the play’s more frenetic characters, which worked particularly well during the recurring chase sequences. Keith Palmer’s bewildered Arthur Humphrey was endearing, and Colin Glennie as the authoritative Sergeant Towers injected additional humour during the latter part of the play.
Feedback from audience members included: ‘Have not laughed out loud so much in a long time’ and ‘The performance was most impressive. We could hear every word and we laughed ourselves silly’.