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Stars explained: * A production of no real merit
with failings in all areas. ** A production showing evidence of not
enough time or effort, or even talent, and which never breathes any real
life into the piece – or a show lumbered with a terrible script. *** A
good enjoyable show which might have some small flaws but has largely
achieved what it set out to do.**** An excellent show which shows a
great deal of work and stage craft with no noticeable or major
flaws.***** A four star show which has found that extra bit of magic
which lifts theatre to another plane. |
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Comedy to die
for Natural Causes
Swan Theatre Amateur Company
Swan Theatre, Worcester
**** YOU
can guarantee when you encounter the work of Eric Chappell that you are
in for an eloquent, yet bitingly sarcastic view of life. His
most famous creation being Rising damp, which provided him with exactly
the right blend of characters to practice his individual observations on
life, and his play Natural Causes
is yet another well written excursion into examining relationships under
the microscope of irony. The play
written in 1988 bears all of the hallmarks of a society reexamining
their rights and individual life options and euthanasia was and still is
a much talked of subject. In response
to that Chappell created Vincent a practitioner from Exodus, a private
euthanasia group. For a sum of money they attend and swiftly assist
professionally in your suicide all with a drop of natural poison. A call from a
customer, Walter Bryce, for his services seems like business as usual,
but on his arrival things don’t quite seem what they appear to be. We
have a depressed wife leaving a portfolio of unsigned suicide notes,
several mistaken identities and a secretary who seems to be a little too
interested in her bosses’ affairs.
The play is
well directed by Sue Smith and lot of fun, yet between the dark comedy
are some very sharp observations on life, and our reasons to end or
continue with it, that require a balance in the performance to get just
right. Tony Childs
as Walter Bryce gave just the right amount of panic and dismay as his
intended plot to remove his wife, clearing the way for his affair with
his secretary, was toppled, diverted and reimagined at the hands of
everyone involved. Jane Lush
played Angie doing her best to make sure Walter keeps his intentions to
be with her, only to see his ardour for her swaying under the weight of
his wife’s possible death. Sue Hawkins
was Celia Bryce and did a fine job of keeping everyone guessing as to
who was plotting what or with whom. Dave Bonnick
was the hapless and doubting Samaritan Withers, called upon to rescue
the situation and failing miserably as his own sureties of happiness
became eroded by the doubt of his own wife and her possible affair. It was John
Lines as Vincent though who kept the entire proceeding flowing with a
dry `bank manger like‘ take on his role of the bringer of death. Played
like an insurance salesman on just another house call, and reminding us
continually of his leaving school at 16 with little education, yet
having studied at night school, enabled his character to deliver some
very complex and amusing passages of dialogue. When Mr. Bryce insists he
would prefer to be interned at his death rather than cremated so that he
becomes part of the food cycle of the earth, Vincent quips : `So you
want to come back as a sliced loaf of bread.’ Natural
Causes is a very funny play and the Swan Theatre Amateur Company has
done an excellent job of bringing Chappell’s ironic wit to life (and
death) in this tragic yet continually changing comedy. To 20-06-15 Jeff Grant
18-06-15 |
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