SNAKES AND LADDERS: Chappell, Touring till 19 August
SNAKES AND LADDERS
by Eric Chappell
Richmond Theatre to 22 June 2002
Mon-Fri 7.45
Runs 2hr 10min One interval
TICKETS 020 8940 0088
Review Emma Dunford 18 June
Energy and momentum, but put a screen in front of the stage and you could have been watching the TV.
SNAKES AND LADDERS would be just as effective if performed on your television sets, with you sitting on the sofa providing all the laughs in the right places. It has all the essence of those one-off sitcom comedies that always fails to make an impression – an inane plot, quirky and frustratingly dry one-liners, innuendoes that may have been considered rude about thirty years ago and characters who need their heads banging together. There is nothing really bad about the play, it is an easy and undemanding piece of theatre, but there is nothing particularly evocative either. A functional set merely provides the backdrop for a functional and relatively uninspiring comedy.
A villa in Spain. Two couples arrive unexpectedly at the same apartment and get caught up in a hugely drawn out confusion surrounding three similar hold-alls – one containing stolen money belonging to a notorious and feral axe-murderer!
The individual displays of these four soapbox comedians offers nothing riveting but nothing really to criticise. They play their parts well, look pretty and pronounce their lines with easy conviction. Paul Nicholas, who plays Sam, could just as easily be playing Vince in JUST GOOD FRIENDS, but a familiar face is what people often pay to see and he delivers successfully. Fay, Howard and Dodie naturally bounce off each other’s jokes and Raynor (the detective) and Moon (the murderer) have ample presence to give their roles the lasting touches they need.
It is the unrelenting enthusiasm of all the performers, along with the twists and turns – and the snake thrown in for good measure – that give the comedy its energy and momentum. But these twists that potentially serve to drive the story forward only manage to drive the audience mad. Rather than being a game of snakes and ladders, Eric Chappell’s comedy sitcom leaves its cast and its audience going round and round in circles.
Undeniably an enjoyable night out, yet maybe it would have been comfier (and less dizzying) to stay seated in your living room at home.
Sam: Paul Nicholas
Fay: Judy Buxton
Howard: Ian Ogilvy
Dodie: Rachel Rhodes
Raynor: Brian Croucher
Moon: Peter G. Reed
Policeman: Jonathan Reason
Director: Jeremy Meadow
Designer: Michael Holt
Lighting: Leonard Tucker
Sound: Tom Lishman
Tour Dates:
June
24-30 New Theatre, Cardiff
July
1-6 Broadway Theatre, Peterborough
8-13 Festival Theatre, Malvern
15-20 Milton Keynes Theatre
22-27 Theatre Royal, Brighton
29-3 Aug Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guilford
August
5-10 Aug Arts Theatre, Cambridge
12-17 Theatre Royal, Norwich
2002-06-20 22:47:02