Presented by Tea Tree Players
Reviewed 30 Sept 2015
If you take a great Chapman & Cooney script and give it a good director who understands comedy, you will have an almost certain hit! All you need is a good cast to complete the formula and Barry Hill has assembled that.
l to r: Mark Bone, Hayley Mitchell, Selena Britz
Rebecca Kemp is great as Miss Tipdale; she demonstrates the patience and devotion of a long-suffering secretary with all the right expressions. Hayley Mitchell shines as Janie McMichael, the object of Mr Bodley’s attentions; she is in her element flirting with all the males very convincingly. As Sue Lawson, Hannah O’Grady hits the right note, sexy but common, and both her and Mitchell look good with their clothes off. Selena Britz did well as Mrs Bodley but should probably have been a little stronger; she is supposed to be the brains of the firm! Anita Glocke as Miss Whittington and Kyla Booth as Mrs Frencham both have good comic timing and fill the roles well.
l to r: Nick Hargreaves, Mark Bone, Hayley Mitchell, Rebecca Kemp
Nick Hargreaves, although not obviously physically the lothario, plays Gilbert Bodley with aplomb and is totally believable. Mike Phillips is all confusion and bluster as the Commander and Richard Hobson is suitably threatening as Mr Lawson, Sue’s husband. Adrian Heness, in his best performance to date, is Harry McMicheal. Janie’s husband and Sue’s boss/lover, and he inhabits the part with gusto. The pivotal role, of course is Arnold Crouch, the innocent partner who gets caught up in all of Bodley’s machinations. Mark Bone’s expressive face, his perfect comic timing, and his delivery make him ideal for this part. He had the audience laughing themselves silly at his and Nick’s cover-ups.
Damon Hill’s scenic art coupled with Samuel Creighton’s set yet again made this tiny stage look big. The set worked really well and allowed free movement in a complex plot. As director Barry Hill did well to bring this all together and audiences would be silly to miss one of the funniest plays that Tea Tree Players have presented!
Reviewed by Fran Edwards
Twitter: @franeds
Venue: Tea Tree Players Theatre cnr Yatala Vale Rd & Hancock Road, Surrey Downs
Season: 30 Feb – 10 October
Duration: 2hr 40mins
Tickets: Adult $15, Conc. $13,
Bookings: http://www.teatreeplayers.com/
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