(4 / 5)

Theatr Clwyd, Friday January 24th 2020. Review by Richard Evans.

Suspense, intrigue, who will get their revenge?

This is a new play, written, directed and lead by Richard Jones and produced by Phoenix Theatre Company from Mold, and requested by the Rotary Club.  It was first performed last May at Theatr Clwyd and reprised this week.

Full marks for bringing a new script and showing the ambition to stage this play.  It made for an enjoyable evening’s entertainment, which while being a very wordy script held my attention to the end.  I particularly enjoyed the characterisation.  As the play was set in Hollywood in the 1950’s it spoofed the major film stars of the day very well, adding a nice touch of humour.

I also thought the live music added much to the play.  The band, J. Edgar and the Hoovers was simple yet highly effective.  A three piece unit played a mixture of covers of 1950’s standards and original compositions tailored to suit the mood and the characters. 

This was a comic murder mystery revolving around a major Hollywood film producer who had a mega salary and an ego to go with it.  He had got to the top with a mixture of grandiose gesture, manipulation, blackmail and cruelty such that he incurred hate in the other characters.  This was played realistically by Richard Jones and while the first act was dominated by him, this suited the bombastic nature of the character and fitted the story line well.  Having gained many enemies on his rise to the top, there was no shortage of people willing to bop him off! 

The second act saw the introduction of Sam Shade, detective, a spoof of Humphrey Bogarts film noir character convincingly delivered by John Kinsey, despite the slightly odd distraction of singing ‘Rawhide’ shortly after his entrance.  This seemed out of kilter with the rest of the play.  The denouement had a suitable twist at the end, allusive of some of the best that Hollywood produced in the 1950’s and also adding great comic value. 

Perhaps I am wrong, I gained the impression that the first act, which was short at 40 minutes long ended too early, omitting one scene that had to be delivered at the start of the second act to avoid effectively writing out one of the characters.   

I found the script very word heavy and the storyline repetitive at times yet there was much to enjoy about this play.  It was great to see allusions to other films or series like Back to the Future and Miss Marple.  The use of Jimmy Cagney’s ‘You dirty rat’ was great showing the script was cleverly constructed and humourous. 

The topic matter is indeed relevant to what has taken place in Hollywood down through the years.    However, I thought the intros in the first act were laboured and could have been incorporated into the following scenes showing the interaction with the lead and the rest of the characters.  Having said this, the acting by all involved was professional and delivered really well. 

Bearing in mind this is an ambitious piece of theatre, performed by an amateur group albeit with a long pedigree it was a very good evening’s entertainment.  Of course it could be honed and refined, but I did not see anyone leave disappointed and the play left the audience with a warm, feel good factor. 

4 stars out of 5, 4 rather than 3.5 because of its originality

A Christmas Carol, a real cracker or just plain humbug?

Would this presentation stay true to Dickens’ novella?  Would it be accessible to children or would they be rather sucking on a bag of humbugs by the end?  These two questions were answered in a resoundingly positive way as the cast and crew at Theatr Clwyd rose to the challenge with aplomb.  

This was a thoroughly enjoyable interactive performance that communicated much of what Dickens intended yet had a lightness of touch, an impish humour and a sense of occasion that made it well suited to a Christmas show.  The script, an adaptation by Alan Harris incorporated plenty of Dickensian language and picked up many of the paradigms that pervade this well known story.  These included the heartless materialism that Victorian London exhibited alongside the powerless struggle against deprivation experienced by the poor.  

The cast was a mixture of professional and community actors and while all the professionals stood out, there was no perceivable divide between the two elements and they communicated a real sense of enjoyment plus feelings of teamwork and unity.  This places the production firmly in the footsteps of community and promenade productions such as the Great Gatsby and Mold Riots.  It has been great to see such creativity and ambition coming from the Theatr and it is exciting to see so many local people so eager to take part in this type of production.  

The play used two adjacent settings in the theatre, one space transformed into a street market where the audience mingled freely with the cast.  Audience members were given a token to exchange for a sample of local produce and this set the tone for the interactive nature of this production.  Being so close to the action immerses you into the experience and builds empathy for the characters.  However it was hard to imagine it was a cold December day when the place was so hot!

The second space staged the visitations of the three Christmas ghosts to Ebenezer Scrooge, played excellently by Steven Elliot.  The transformation of Scrooge from a money grabbing miser who showed little sympathy for the human condition to one shocked into generosity of spirit was plain to see.  In another subtle layer, the play explored the reasons why Scrooge was so miserly.  Had he not been neglected as a child, would he have been so surly?

The sets, light and sound created a gently intimidating atmosphere that was appropriate for a production open to children.  My only problem was that when an actor had their back to you it was hard to hear them.  The first transition between the two rooms felt slow and slightly awkward, but the second seemed much smoother and served to transform the mood successfully from Scrooges depressive night adventures to an optimistic Christmas Day.  

The bleakness and intensity of those ghostly confrontations was broken up with a few pantomime style games that helped maintain concentration for people young and old.  It was good to see even quite young children taking part.  Yet despite considerable phase and change in the play it did not lose its pace or rhythm and those interactive activities did not detract from the story, rather they were worked seamlessly into the production.  

This play to me was most enjoyable.  I particularly liked the performance of Bob Cratchit (Matthew Bulgo) and of Tiny Tim (Lewis Lowry) who brought a stubborn optimism to contrast the materialistic ignorance of Scrooge.  As with many stories, it is great to see the underdog triumph in adversity especially when celestial help was required. It has made for a most pleasant addition to my Christmas celebrations. Christmas Cracker or mere humbug?  I saw a bag of unopened humbugs by the door as I left.