NOBODY'S FOOL. To 27 November.

Tour

NOBODY'S FOOL
by Simon Williams

Tour to 27 November 2004
Runs 2hr 15 min One interval
Review Hazel Brown 12 October 2004 at Lighthouse, Poole (to 16 October)

Witty but lightweight follow on from Williams' previous romantic comedy, Nobody's Perfect.In his basement flat, Leonard is struggling to finish his latest work of romantic fiction, while upstairs on the ground floor his father, Gus is preparing for a reality' TV show about the writer. Unfortunately, Leonard writes under the pseudonym Myrtle Banbury, an elderly woman created in Nobody's Perfect to win a women-only writing competition. Dee Dee, Leonard's daughter, is the third member of this household. Fran, Leonard's ex- wife for whom he still carries a torch, returns after nine years to announce she intends to remarry. The presenter of the TV programme, Letitia Butters, arrives to meet the famous female writer. This scenario provides plenty of opportunities for comic misunderstandings, aided by modern computer technology, the appearance and unmasking of Myrtle, as well as a happy ending.

Simon Williams portrays the shy, moral, lovelorn writer with diffident charm and makes an uncomfortably comic appearance as the elderly Myrtle in clothes that look as though he has robbed Cherie Blair's wardrobe'. Bernard Kay is his disreputable father, Gus, who has a warm and tender relationship with his granddaughter, an entertaining fling' with the formidable TV presenter and a sparring relationship with his ex-daughter in law. Louise Jameson sweeps into the household, sophisticated and sexy, and causes the maximum amount of trouble, both knowingly and unknowingly, as Fran. Chloe Newsome is winsome as the sassy daughter and Joanna Van Gyseghem has fun with the over the top, crystal-loving Letitia.

The set, well-conceived by Julie Godfrey, is split to show the two flats side by side, which adds to the fun as the groups communicate via intercom, hidden microphones and computer-aided recordings. Whilst the script and the situations engineered are funny and provide many laugh-out loud moments, the dialogue, under the weight of a lot of exposition, tends to clunk and jolt along instead of flowing naturally. But, judging from the warm reactions from most of the audience in Poole, this did not cloud their enjoyment of a warm-hearted, but lightweight evening.

Leonard: Simon Williams
Gus: Bernard Kay
Dee Dee: Chloe Newsome
Fran: Louise Jameson
Letitia: Joanna Van Gyseghem

Director: Andy De La Tour
Designer: Julie Godfrey
Lighting: Mark Alexander
Sound: Joe O'Connor

2004-10-15 00:22:51