THE LADYKILLERS. To 22 October.
Exeter
THE LADY KILLERS
adapted for the stage by Giles Croft
Northcott Theatre To 22 October 2005
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat 22 Oct 2.30pm
Audio-described 20 Oct
BSL Signed 11 Oct
Post-show talk 19 Oct
Runs 1hr 40min One interval
TICKETS: 01392 493493
www.northcott-theatre.co.uk
Review: Hazel Brown 30 September
Laugh-out-loud adaptation of film classic, where the set is the star.It doesn't happen often but, when the main curtain rises after the first scene, Exeter's audience applauds the incredible set, creating a warm, receptive atmosphere for the laugh-out-loud comedy action that follows.
A group of unlikely characters rents a room in the home of elderly Mrs Wilberforce, pretending to be a string quintet as cover for the heist they are planning. So the set has to fulfil multiple demands and Sarah Perks' is a masterpiece: a North London house with a room upstairs, that also provides access to the roof and a window to dangle from. Downstairs, there's a front door, hall, stairs, sitting room and scullery; outside, a phone box and behind the house a railway line, complete with passing steam trains, drop-down train signal and an escaping parrot.
The gang is made up of stock villains. Brains behind the operation is The Professor, who has drawn together a group of four stock underworld characters, the spiv Louis, a toff (the Major), the heavy (One Round) and teddy boy Harry. All the actors don these mantles with ease, carrying the characters through all the knockabout action as well as their styles of playing' their musical instruments. Their villainy is only skin deep, for they are totally disabled by an innocent old lady and her friends ladies in various shades in lavender who bring the house down at the end of the first act with an impromptu' performance of Three Little Maids from School'.
Greed is the villains' undoing and innocence triumphs. The comedy requires precise timing from the actors and the sound engineer all succeed with aplomb, creating an evening of fun and laughter in the theatre. There's one small plot flaw: it's unclear how or where the heist is carried out. But it's dealing with the dosh that's the engine for the action and very funny it is too. Memories of the classic film fade as this tour de force production proceeds from one hilarious piece of business to the next.
Mrs Wilberforce: Avril Elgar
The Professor: John Conroy
Louis: Gerard Monaco
The Major: Richard Dixon
One Round: Stephen Moore
Harry: Noel White
Police Sergeant/Amelia: Steve Bennett
Lettice, Constance and Hypatia played by members of the Northcott Community Company: Gill Cree, Pat Hewertson and Susanna Hughes
Director: Ben Crocker
Designer/Costume: Sara Perks
Lighting: Robin Carter
Composer: Duncan Chave
Fight Director: Kate Waters
2005-10-04 11:18:36