California SuiteWritten by: Neil Simon
Directed by: Laurence Conway Performed at the Pump House Theatre, Watford. 27th February to Saturday 2nd March 2013 This witty play, full of comical situations and delightfully outrageous characters, is set in the Beverly Hills Hotel, California. From the acclaimed author of The Plaza Suite, we are again treated to Simon’s comedic take on situations that people create for themselves as the stories unfold. Is the wife going to catch her husband out? Will the Academy Award nominee win and, if not, find comfort? What will be the culmination of four friends’ tennis-playing vacation? It’s all nicely set up for us to laugh, squirm and enjoy this great family entertainment.
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Cast and Crew
Cast
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Appointments
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Gallery
Rehearsals for play 3
Play 1: Visitor from Philadelphia
Play 2: Visitors from London
Play 3: Visitors from Chicago
Barnet and District Drama Festival: Best Comedy Award
On Saturday 8th June 2013 Belmont Theatre was awarded 'Best Comedy' at the Barnet and District Drama Festival in which all but two of the entries were comedies!
Promotional Material
Barnet and District Peripatetic Drama Festival - Written Adjudication
Society
Production Date Venue Report by |
: Belmont Theatre
: California Suite by Neil Simon : 1st March 2013 : The Pump House Theatre : Jennifer Scott-Reid |
Background
Whenever a person thinks of the quintessential all-American playwright, high on the list of great writers must be Neil Simon.
Marvin Neil Simon’s career catapulted him into the echelons of US greats and an authority on stories of bittersweet tales with extraordinary characters of life in the United States, particularly concentrating on the New York he was born and grew up in.
What better start for a fiercely patriotic American than to be born as he was in the Bronx, New York on Independence Day 4th July 1927.
Simon has written over thirty plays along with 20 plus screenplays, mainly adaptations of his own stage scripts. He is a writer of such talent and versatility that he can write for each of the different genres as easily as the other. An ability which allows the script for screen to become as successful an adaptation, as that of the original stage play, staying faithful to the original play for the stage retaining all the humour and pathos of the piece.
In 1991 he won the Pulitzer prize for his play Lost in Yonkers the coming of age tale which tells the story of Jay left in the care of his Aunt Bella and grandmother in Yonkers, New York.
Neil Simon has written several plays with a similar structure, and a similar theme: namely Plaza Suite; London Suite (the latest of his work) and of course, perhaps, his most famous of the multi-playlet styled scripts California Suite.
Written in 1976, California Suite is a collection of four comedic playlets each with its own distinct story and characters, all of which take place in adjoining Rooms 203 and 204 of the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.
Stage Presentation
Set
The composite set was effective and had some great attention to detail in design. The working double door wardrobes, and hall doors showing the corridor; the connecting door and cut through wall, and the bathroom door were all impressive. The wall papered panels in both rooms also gave the impression of hotel rooms, however, the walls could have been a lighter shade or cream, which would have given a more luxurious impression. Also this is a suite in California and maybe the country style cottage pictures weren’t quite in keeping with this. The bed, the sofa, the chairs and dressings were all good; perhaps larger flowers and more of them were needed for the second scene – after this entire trip, and all the extras, had been paid for by the film company. The French doors and backcloth were good; however these needed closing for the second scene as it was still portraying daytime. This was set as a contemporary suite, and the phones did give the actors the opportunity to move around the stage, however wired handsets are possibly more appropriate for a hotel.
Lighting and Sound
On the whole lighting was good, however, there was a cold spot stage right of the partition between the rooms, and at times actors’ faces weren’t lit. The bathroom light didn’t always come on, but it was a delight when it did; as were the back lights for the corridors.
The music was well chosen and gave the audience a California feel; it could have been turned up for the opening of Act 1 and 2, as it did feel more as wallpaper music than opening music. The toilet flushing was good, however the telephone rings came from high upstage left. It may have worked better if the rings had come from closer to the telephones.
Costumes and Makeup
Marvin looked every inch the part in his white T shirt, black shorts and beige socks, and the never quite getting to grips with his beige stripe shirt or trousers fitting properly totally suited the character. There were some wonderful bright coloured satin clothes on the floor, which of course were Bunny’s. Bunny looked good in Marvin’s pyjama top and stripy boxer shorts. Millie looked good in her cream jacket, patterned skirt and cerise blouse – this was a woman who was taking a trip and was dressing up for the occasion.
Sidney looked dapper in his black tie dinner suit and Diana looked just right for her Oscar debut in her purple ensemble, together with the chiffon problem on the shoulder. The dress was well designed because as an audience I am sure we were all thinking there is a problem – or is there? Diana’s jewellery was lovely, but discreet, and as she asks whether she has overdone the jewellery she maybe needed to be wearing a little more. The colour rinse in the hair was a lovely touch.
Mort and Beth looked wonderful in their tennis whites and it was obvious that these were the more successful of the couples, and probably with more money. Stu and Gert were a wonderful contrast with their fluorescent pink visors, wristbands and grey hoodie.
Production
There was a wonderful start to the play when the tabs opened and the audience were given a few moments to realise there were two people in bed, and Marvin’s wonderful wander off to the bathroom; then shock at the time and horror on who’s in the bed. This helped set the scene and the forthcoming action; as did the wonderful pulling of Bunny outside in to the corridor; throwing her back on the bed; and the attempt to put her in the wardrobe. This was all visually very funny. It was also very funny getting Marvin to lie on the floor as a hopeful distraction. There was a little more that could have been teased out of the lines to deliver more of the humour of the text; however apart from a couple of hesitations the pace was good. Just be careful of sight lines when Marvin was blocking the partition door as some of the audience wouldn’t have been able to see him. This possibly could have been played a little further stage right in the living area of the suite, with Marvin preventing Millie from getting anywhere near the door.
The movement and use of the stage was generally good and the pair’s characterisations were believable as a married couple; also that this was Marvin’s first time at doing anything of this nature. Millie says to Marvin that the shock hasn’t hit her yet, however, I think this is more of a warning that if Marvin thinks she has reacted badly he hasn’t seen anything yet! Therefore, Millie needed to be directed to react more to seeing Bunny and the consequences of Martin’s infidelity, together with the extra shock and humiliation that Bunny was a present from his brother. This would have helped give more light and shade to the scene and show the emotional journey that Millie goes on until she finally calmly decides that the best revenge would be to just spend all of Marvin’s money.
In the second scene, the cues needed to be sharper, as some of the humour was lost due to the hesitation. Every movement should have a purpose and there were a lot of times in this scene that the actors moved on and off different chairs and back and forth from the living area to the bedroom. This worked for Diana’s character, as she is nervous of the evening ahead; however, Sidney could have talked to her from the living area sipping his drink on the chair. Especially as the actor had a wonderful stillness about him, which contrasted nicely to Diana.
There were some great pictures created, and the closeness of their relationship was shown well; for example, when she lay on the sofa with her legs on him. It was a good idea getting both the actors to undress, and Diana achieved this very discreetly. It may have helped the next scene change if they had perhaps changed in the bathroom and left their clothes there.
The music was well chosen for the scene changes. However, these needed to be much quicker.
In the third scene, there was some great choreography in the physical moves and fights, which were all extremely funny. There was great use of stage however, possibly placing Beth on the sofa or chair on her entrance would have prevented the bunching at the door up stage centre. Also possibly changing the wives around would have made the coupling a little more believable. The cues needed to remain sharp at the end of the scene when the physicality is building to hit the climax with a bang, before the tabs close.
The cast worked extremely well together in all the scenes and there was some good ensemble playing. Also the building of the relationships were drawn out nicely.
Acting
Marvin – Michael Collins
This actor looked good with great facial expressions and gestures and had great energy and physical movement; and showed his agitation well. The accent was not always consistent and sometimes the actor swallowed his words a little. Maybe we could have seen more of a contrast with the characterisation for Stu; bringing more of Neil Simon’s beautifully written Jewish rhythm to the dialogue would possibly have helped achieve this. The actor had some fine moments and was excellent at flinging Bunny off and on the bed and achieving a lovely pose on the rug asking to make love. He had some fine moments and his delivery on ‘Let’s not get off the children’ was excellent.
Millie – Gillian Weinberg
This actress gave a measured and controlled portrayal of the ‘abused’ woman: first by the airline losing her luggage; and then discovering that her husband has a hooker in his bed; and to top it all, the realisation that his brother has paid for the hooker as a present. She used the stage well and had great facial expressions; she needs to be careful not to just use her arms and hands when expressing her feelings and emotions. She gave a natural and underplayed performance and was particularly good on ‘why doesn’t she move’; ‘not in front of the hooker’; ‘shall we leave her a note’ and ‘just the three of us’.
Bunny – Sarah Morton
This actress delivered some great moaning! She was a delight to watch when not only thrown from bed to corridor and back again but to the wardrobe and back again and to the final stretch and roll onto Millie.
Diana – Estelle Dell
The actress looked every inch the English film star, who was hoping to make it big in films after a successful stage career. She had a lovely smile and great facial expressions but at times needed more variation in vocal tone. She states that her phone conversation was her acceptance speech and this could have been played more as such. She displayed the softer side of the character very well, and was a convincing drunk (although she did sober on occasions); and maybe could have been a little more playful with the banter of twit etc with Sidney. Nonetheless, a good characterisation overall and your change into your dressing gown was very discreetly done.
Sidney – Anthony Dell
This was a charming character study and the actor looked good. The cues needed to be a little faster; however, he had a great stillness about him. He established his relationship with Diana well and gave a natural and underplayed performance. He had good facial expressions and his delivery on playing Ophelia and ‘You’re not going to be classy all over me’ was well delivered.
Mort – Norman Stevenson
This actor looked good and was totally believable as the more successful man… and also the alpha male! He had great physicality and was superb on his delivery and actions on ‘sticking the tennis balls up their arses’. The accent wasn’t consistent although the actor had good vocal tones and delivered the text well.
Beth – Carole Baynes
This actress gave a very confidant and solid characterisation of the American wife of a successful businessman. She was wonderful at playing hurt and getting hurt. Every gesture and movement had purpose – which was a delight. She maintained a good accent with strong vocal tones. Great delivery on ‘I want a Monte Cristo sandwich’.
Stu – Michael Collins
This actor had great physicality and was very funny when fighting with Mort. The accent wasn’t always consistent, and be careful of swallowing some of the words, however he twittered about the stage beautifully, moaning that he didn’t get to decide anything and he didn’t get to take a picture.
Gert – Kim Wedler
This actress maintained a good accent and had some wonderful reactions to the different situations going on. This is not a strongly written part and the actress made the most of every opportunity. Wonderful delivery to Stu that Mort ‘has more meat on him’.
Dramatic Achievement
Congratulations Belmont Theatre – you delivered an energetic and comedic production that was enjoyed by the audience.
Whenever a person thinks of the quintessential all-American playwright, high on the list of great writers must be Neil Simon.
Marvin Neil Simon’s career catapulted him into the echelons of US greats and an authority on stories of bittersweet tales with extraordinary characters of life in the United States, particularly concentrating on the New York he was born and grew up in.
What better start for a fiercely patriotic American than to be born as he was in the Bronx, New York on Independence Day 4th July 1927.
Simon has written over thirty plays along with 20 plus screenplays, mainly adaptations of his own stage scripts. He is a writer of such talent and versatility that he can write for each of the different genres as easily as the other. An ability which allows the script for screen to become as successful an adaptation, as that of the original stage play, staying faithful to the original play for the stage retaining all the humour and pathos of the piece.
In 1991 he won the Pulitzer prize for his play Lost in Yonkers the coming of age tale which tells the story of Jay left in the care of his Aunt Bella and grandmother in Yonkers, New York.
Neil Simon has written several plays with a similar structure, and a similar theme: namely Plaza Suite; London Suite (the latest of his work) and of course, perhaps, his most famous of the multi-playlet styled scripts California Suite.
Written in 1976, California Suite is a collection of four comedic playlets each with its own distinct story and characters, all of which take place in adjoining Rooms 203 and 204 of the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles.
Stage Presentation
Set
The composite set was effective and had some great attention to detail in design. The working double door wardrobes, and hall doors showing the corridor; the connecting door and cut through wall, and the bathroom door were all impressive. The wall papered panels in both rooms also gave the impression of hotel rooms, however, the walls could have been a lighter shade or cream, which would have given a more luxurious impression. Also this is a suite in California and maybe the country style cottage pictures weren’t quite in keeping with this. The bed, the sofa, the chairs and dressings were all good; perhaps larger flowers and more of them were needed for the second scene – after this entire trip, and all the extras, had been paid for by the film company. The French doors and backcloth were good; however these needed closing for the second scene as it was still portraying daytime. This was set as a contemporary suite, and the phones did give the actors the opportunity to move around the stage, however wired handsets are possibly more appropriate for a hotel.
Lighting and Sound
On the whole lighting was good, however, there was a cold spot stage right of the partition between the rooms, and at times actors’ faces weren’t lit. The bathroom light didn’t always come on, but it was a delight when it did; as were the back lights for the corridors.
The music was well chosen and gave the audience a California feel; it could have been turned up for the opening of Act 1 and 2, as it did feel more as wallpaper music than opening music. The toilet flushing was good, however the telephone rings came from high upstage left. It may have worked better if the rings had come from closer to the telephones.
Costumes and Makeup
Marvin looked every inch the part in his white T shirt, black shorts and beige socks, and the never quite getting to grips with his beige stripe shirt or trousers fitting properly totally suited the character. There were some wonderful bright coloured satin clothes on the floor, which of course were Bunny’s. Bunny looked good in Marvin’s pyjama top and stripy boxer shorts. Millie looked good in her cream jacket, patterned skirt and cerise blouse – this was a woman who was taking a trip and was dressing up for the occasion.
Sidney looked dapper in his black tie dinner suit and Diana looked just right for her Oscar debut in her purple ensemble, together with the chiffon problem on the shoulder. The dress was well designed because as an audience I am sure we were all thinking there is a problem – or is there? Diana’s jewellery was lovely, but discreet, and as she asks whether she has overdone the jewellery she maybe needed to be wearing a little more. The colour rinse in the hair was a lovely touch.
Mort and Beth looked wonderful in their tennis whites and it was obvious that these were the more successful of the couples, and probably with more money. Stu and Gert were a wonderful contrast with their fluorescent pink visors, wristbands and grey hoodie.
Production
There was a wonderful start to the play when the tabs opened and the audience were given a few moments to realise there were two people in bed, and Marvin’s wonderful wander off to the bathroom; then shock at the time and horror on who’s in the bed. This helped set the scene and the forthcoming action; as did the wonderful pulling of Bunny outside in to the corridor; throwing her back on the bed; and the attempt to put her in the wardrobe. This was all visually very funny. It was also very funny getting Marvin to lie on the floor as a hopeful distraction. There was a little more that could have been teased out of the lines to deliver more of the humour of the text; however apart from a couple of hesitations the pace was good. Just be careful of sight lines when Marvin was blocking the partition door as some of the audience wouldn’t have been able to see him. This possibly could have been played a little further stage right in the living area of the suite, with Marvin preventing Millie from getting anywhere near the door.
The movement and use of the stage was generally good and the pair’s characterisations were believable as a married couple; also that this was Marvin’s first time at doing anything of this nature. Millie says to Marvin that the shock hasn’t hit her yet, however, I think this is more of a warning that if Marvin thinks she has reacted badly he hasn’t seen anything yet! Therefore, Millie needed to be directed to react more to seeing Bunny and the consequences of Martin’s infidelity, together with the extra shock and humiliation that Bunny was a present from his brother. This would have helped give more light and shade to the scene and show the emotional journey that Millie goes on until she finally calmly decides that the best revenge would be to just spend all of Marvin’s money.
In the second scene, the cues needed to be sharper, as some of the humour was lost due to the hesitation. Every movement should have a purpose and there were a lot of times in this scene that the actors moved on and off different chairs and back and forth from the living area to the bedroom. This worked for Diana’s character, as she is nervous of the evening ahead; however, Sidney could have talked to her from the living area sipping his drink on the chair. Especially as the actor had a wonderful stillness about him, which contrasted nicely to Diana.
There were some great pictures created, and the closeness of their relationship was shown well; for example, when she lay on the sofa with her legs on him. It was a good idea getting both the actors to undress, and Diana achieved this very discreetly. It may have helped the next scene change if they had perhaps changed in the bathroom and left their clothes there.
The music was well chosen for the scene changes. However, these needed to be much quicker.
In the third scene, there was some great choreography in the physical moves and fights, which were all extremely funny. There was great use of stage however, possibly placing Beth on the sofa or chair on her entrance would have prevented the bunching at the door up stage centre. Also possibly changing the wives around would have made the coupling a little more believable. The cues needed to remain sharp at the end of the scene when the physicality is building to hit the climax with a bang, before the tabs close.
The cast worked extremely well together in all the scenes and there was some good ensemble playing. Also the building of the relationships were drawn out nicely.
Acting
Marvin – Michael Collins
This actor looked good with great facial expressions and gestures and had great energy and physical movement; and showed his agitation well. The accent was not always consistent and sometimes the actor swallowed his words a little. Maybe we could have seen more of a contrast with the characterisation for Stu; bringing more of Neil Simon’s beautifully written Jewish rhythm to the dialogue would possibly have helped achieve this. The actor had some fine moments and was excellent at flinging Bunny off and on the bed and achieving a lovely pose on the rug asking to make love. He had some fine moments and his delivery on ‘Let’s not get off the children’ was excellent.
Millie – Gillian Weinberg
This actress gave a measured and controlled portrayal of the ‘abused’ woman: first by the airline losing her luggage; and then discovering that her husband has a hooker in his bed; and to top it all, the realisation that his brother has paid for the hooker as a present. She used the stage well and had great facial expressions; she needs to be careful not to just use her arms and hands when expressing her feelings and emotions. She gave a natural and underplayed performance and was particularly good on ‘why doesn’t she move’; ‘not in front of the hooker’; ‘shall we leave her a note’ and ‘just the three of us’.
Bunny – Sarah Morton
This actress delivered some great moaning! She was a delight to watch when not only thrown from bed to corridor and back again but to the wardrobe and back again and to the final stretch and roll onto Millie.
Diana – Estelle Dell
The actress looked every inch the English film star, who was hoping to make it big in films after a successful stage career. She had a lovely smile and great facial expressions but at times needed more variation in vocal tone. She states that her phone conversation was her acceptance speech and this could have been played more as such. She displayed the softer side of the character very well, and was a convincing drunk (although she did sober on occasions); and maybe could have been a little more playful with the banter of twit etc with Sidney. Nonetheless, a good characterisation overall and your change into your dressing gown was very discreetly done.
Sidney – Anthony Dell
This was a charming character study and the actor looked good. The cues needed to be a little faster; however, he had a great stillness about him. He established his relationship with Diana well and gave a natural and underplayed performance. He had good facial expressions and his delivery on playing Ophelia and ‘You’re not going to be classy all over me’ was well delivered.
Mort – Norman Stevenson
This actor looked good and was totally believable as the more successful man… and also the alpha male! He had great physicality and was superb on his delivery and actions on ‘sticking the tennis balls up their arses’. The accent wasn’t consistent although the actor had good vocal tones and delivered the text well.
Beth – Carole Baynes
This actress gave a very confidant and solid characterisation of the American wife of a successful businessman. She was wonderful at playing hurt and getting hurt. Every gesture and movement had purpose – which was a delight. She maintained a good accent with strong vocal tones. Great delivery on ‘I want a Monte Cristo sandwich’.
Stu – Michael Collins
This actor had great physicality and was very funny when fighting with Mort. The accent wasn’t always consistent, and be careful of swallowing some of the words, however he twittered about the stage beautifully, moaning that he didn’t get to decide anything and he didn’t get to take a picture.
Gert – Kim Wedler
This actress maintained a good accent and had some wonderful reactions to the different situations going on. This is not a strongly written part and the actress made the most of every opportunity. Wonderful delivery to Stu that Mort ‘has more meat on him’.
Dramatic Achievement
Congratulations Belmont Theatre – you delivered an energetic and comedic production that was enjoyed by the audience.
Noda Report
National Operatic & Dramatic Association - London Region
I was very pleased to be able to cover for Harvey Kesselman, your NODA Regional Rep who was indisposed due to illness, to report on your recent production of ‘California Suite’. Neil Simon had a string of successes from 1961 until 1976 when he wrote this play, and justly deserves the accolade of being the only living US playwright to have a Broadway theatre named after him. He takes as his subject matter those things which are, at some point, contained in all our lives.
The constant in this play is, of course, the hotel in Beverley Hills and, for my money, your set was the ‘star’ of the show. It was very well thought out with ease of access to all the acting areas and really gave the impression of a luxury hotel suite. It was solid with no ‘wavering’ doors and good quality furnishings. The only small glitch was the delay in the bathroom light going on, but after the first delay it was soon righted. My congratulations to the ‘technical team’ for the design and build of such an authentic set – you always use the stage to the very best advantage.
Well done on the wonderful choice of music – for those of us who remember, especially Hotel California by the Eagles and Californication by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers – it is al-ways interesting to see how much thought goes into that. And it all helps to get the audi-ence in the right mood.
With playlets there is very little time to establish the characters in the minds of the audi-ence and for this reason, it is absolutely essential that this is done quickly and that, from the time they appear on the stage, the audience knows the characters have a life prior to their actual entrance. Because of the timescale of rehearsals and the other commitments in people’s lives, the actual ‘dissection’ of the character does not very often happen. In fact, with some playwrights, the personality of the character is actually set out in the dia-logue of the play. Of course, this may be sufficient in the professional theatre where the cast is rehearsing all day, every day, but with non-professionals guidance is needed from the director (and indeed from other members of the cast) as to how the character is writ-ten and what their life was before they actually appear on the stage. This gives the char-acters instant depth which, when picked up by the audience, ensures that the situations being enacted on the stage are ‘true’. Remember also not to throw away laugh lines and to give the audience time to laugh rather than speak over the laughter. If you do this it will inhibit the audience from laughing in case they miss the dialogue. You would not have had to do this in rehearsal, so be prepared with an extra bit of ‘business’ to ensure there is not a hiatus in the action.
Play 1: Visitor from Philadelphia
From the time Marvin (Michael Collins) opened his eyes and realised that he had spent the night with a young woman (with whom he shouldn't have been), we were in no doubt of the absolute horror of his situation and the realisation of what would happen should his wife arrive before he can despatch the young woman, convincingly played by Sarah Morton, back from whence she came. His -energy levels and frenetic movements were very convincing, although you should be careful that the words do not disappear, or are not projected enough due to shortness of breath. You have been rehearsing this for several months so are well acquainted with the text, but the audience has just the one opportunity to hear the words so they must be clear at all times. It was also made very plain from the dialogue and his demeanour that if he was confronted he would be unable to sustain any sort of cover-up.
The early arrival of Marvin’s wife Millie (Gillian Weinberg), before Bunny could be got out of the apartment, was the final straw of his anxiety. Gillian is at the stage in her acting ‘career’ when she is the right age to play ‘the wife’ in lots of plays. However, you have to create a believable character and there has to exist a real ‘relationship’ with your on-stage husband, which means ‘working at being married’. This, then, goes back to my comments above about situations before the character appears on the stage – in this case the loss of Millie’s suitcase leaving her feeling very frustrated. Millie is very fond of her husband so there should be evidence of this. Try and vary the timbre in your voice and the way you move – introducing more light and shade into your characterisation and make the words come alive! So that when you do eventually get very cross (when you discover the young woman) you can draw on emotional reserves to fuel your anger. Re-member too, that when people are really angry they usually lower their voice and remain very still when they speak.
Play 2: Visitors from London
Even at the end of this play I was still unsure about Sidney’s activities, even though it had been hinted about throughout the two acts, such is the way the play is constructed.
Diana (Estelle Dell) is what one thinks of as a second class actress who believes herself to be in the ‘A’ list, and is, I believe, slowly driving Sidney (Anthony Dell) to distraction with her constant demands about being told how wonderful she is and how she justly deserves the Oscar for which she is nominated. Diana looked very much the part with her glamorous evening gown complementing Sidney in his DJ – so together they made the popular image of Hollywood stardom.
I think one has to listen closely to the dialogue to understand that this, perhaps, was a marriage of convenience (hence the query about Sidney’s shenanigans), and one which is strewn with unhappiness. The interpretation of Diana was feisty and bitchy, but full of the insecurities of an aging actress. Try and work on more than a couple of levels with this kind of characterisation, even though it is very difficult because one can only as-sume what celebrities are really like. In Act l Sidney was full of frustrations and impa-tience, quite understandable I think in the light of Diana’s personality.
Act ll saw two very different people return from the event, both looking convincingly drunk. Diana should have been more disappointed and not quite so ‘whingey’ – after all she has waited all her career for this – and I felt there could have been much more of an edge to both performances. There were some lovely reactions from Diana when she looked in the mirror! One is left with the feeling that they will stay together in much the same unsatisfactory relationship as they have always had.
Play 3: Visitors from Chicago
Almost from the first few moments Mort (Norman Stephenson) and Beth (Carole Baynes) came onto the stage one knew about the very real physical pain of Beth’s foot and the disillusionment that comes from spending three weeks on holiday with people with whom you have been friends for a long time. This was then compounded throughout the rest of the play from the time the other couple Stu (Michael Collins) and Gert (Kim Wedler) ap-peared on stage. It was very obvious that Mort was frustrated by the fact that the other couple were the ones making all the choices and ‘dictating’ the activities of the four of them. The tennis injury was the culmination of the pent-up feelings which had built up over the weeks. If one assumes that all the characters are about the same age, try and give a little more thought to the compatibility of the couples. They all did, however, play the parts convincingly, with a wide range of expression. When you are involved with on-stage ‘fighting’ (even a small amount as this) be sure you look properly at how it can be done convincingly. This was very physical and controlled but in a play with only four char-acters there is truly nowhere to hide so has to be looked at carefully – not least to ensure that everyone is safe!
Thank you for your warm welcome as ever and we look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Jacquie Stedman
Councillor - NODA London
The constant in this play is, of course, the hotel in Beverley Hills and, for my money, your set was the ‘star’ of the show. It was very well thought out with ease of access to all the acting areas and really gave the impression of a luxury hotel suite. It was solid with no ‘wavering’ doors and good quality furnishings. The only small glitch was the delay in the bathroom light going on, but after the first delay it was soon righted. My congratulations to the ‘technical team’ for the design and build of such an authentic set – you always use the stage to the very best advantage.
Well done on the wonderful choice of music – for those of us who remember, especially Hotel California by the Eagles and Californication by the Red Hot Chilli Peppers – it is al-ways interesting to see how much thought goes into that. And it all helps to get the audi-ence in the right mood.
With playlets there is very little time to establish the characters in the minds of the audi-ence and for this reason, it is absolutely essential that this is done quickly and that, from the time they appear on the stage, the audience knows the characters have a life prior to their actual entrance. Because of the timescale of rehearsals and the other commitments in people’s lives, the actual ‘dissection’ of the character does not very often happen. In fact, with some playwrights, the personality of the character is actually set out in the dia-logue of the play. Of course, this may be sufficient in the professional theatre where the cast is rehearsing all day, every day, but with non-professionals guidance is needed from the director (and indeed from other members of the cast) as to how the character is writ-ten and what their life was before they actually appear on the stage. This gives the char-acters instant depth which, when picked up by the audience, ensures that the situations being enacted on the stage are ‘true’. Remember also not to throw away laugh lines and to give the audience time to laugh rather than speak over the laughter. If you do this it will inhibit the audience from laughing in case they miss the dialogue. You would not have had to do this in rehearsal, so be prepared with an extra bit of ‘business’ to ensure there is not a hiatus in the action.
Play 1: Visitor from Philadelphia
From the time Marvin (Michael Collins) opened his eyes and realised that he had spent the night with a young woman (with whom he shouldn't have been), we were in no doubt of the absolute horror of his situation and the realisation of what would happen should his wife arrive before he can despatch the young woman, convincingly played by Sarah Morton, back from whence she came. His -energy levels and frenetic movements were very convincing, although you should be careful that the words do not disappear, or are not projected enough due to shortness of breath. You have been rehearsing this for several months so are well acquainted with the text, but the audience has just the one opportunity to hear the words so they must be clear at all times. It was also made very plain from the dialogue and his demeanour that if he was confronted he would be unable to sustain any sort of cover-up.
The early arrival of Marvin’s wife Millie (Gillian Weinberg), before Bunny could be got out of the apartment, was the final straw of his anxiety. Gillian is at the stage in her acting ‘career’ when she is the right age to play ‘the wife’ in lots of plays. However, you have to create a believable character and there has to exist a real ‘relationship’ with your on-stage husband, which means ‘working at being married’. This, then, goes back to my comments above about situations before the character appears on the stage – in this case the loss of Millie’s suitcase leaving her feeling very frustrated. Millie is very fond of her husband so there should be evidence of this. Try and vary the timbre in your voice and the way you move – introducing more light and shade into your characterisation and make the words come alive! So that when you do eventually get very cross (when you discover the young woman) you can draw on emotional reserves to fuel your anger. Re-member too, that when people are really angry they usually lower their voice and remain very still when they speak.
Play 2: Visitors from London
Even at the end of this play I was still unsure about Sidney’s activities, even though it had been hinted about throughout the two acts, such is the way the play is constructed.
Diana (Estelle Dell) is what one thinks of as a second class actress who believes herself to be in the ‘A’ list, and is, I believe, slowly driving Sidney (Anthony Dell) to distraction with her constant demands about being told how wonderful she is and how she justly deserves the Oscar for which she is nominated. Diana looked very much the part with her glamorous evening gown complementing Sidney in his DJ – so together they made the popular image of Hollywood stardom.
I think one has to listen closely to the dialogue to understand that this, perhaps, was a marriage of convenience (hence the query about Sidney’s shenanigans), and one which is strewn with unhappiness. The interpretation of Diana was feisty and bitchy, but full of the insecurities of an aging actress. Try and work on more than a couple of levels with this kind of characterisation, even though it is very difficult because one can only as-sume what celebrities are really like. In Act l Sidney was full of frustrations and impa-tience, quite understandable I think in the light of Diana’s personality.
Act ll saw two very different people return from the event, both looking convincingly drunk. Diana should have been more disappointed and not quite so ‘whingey’ – after all she has waited all her career for this – and I felt there could have been much more of an edge to both performances. There were some lovely reactions from Diana when she looked in the mirror! One is left with the feeling that they will stay together in much the same unsatisfactory relationship as they have always had.
Play 3: Visitors from Chicago
Almost from the first few moments Mort (Norman Stephenson) and Beth (Carole Baynes) came onto the stage one knew about the very real physical pain of Beth’s foot and the disillusionment that comes from spending three weeks on holiday with people with whom you have been friends for a long time. This was then compounded throughout the rest of the play from the time the other couple Stu (Michael Collins) and Gert (Kim Wedler) ap-peared on stage. It was very obvious that Mort was frustrated by the fact that the other couple were the ones making all the choices and ‘dictating’ the activities of the four of them. The tennis injury was the culmination of the pent-up feelings which had built up over the weeks. If one assumes that all the characters are about the same age, try and give a little more thought to the compatibility of the couples. They all did, however, play the parts convincingly, with a wide range of expression. When you are involved with on-stage ‘fighting’ (even a small amount as this) be sure you look properly at how it can be done convincingly. This was very physical and controlled but in a play with only four char-acters there is truly nowhere to hide so has to be looked at carefully – not least to ensure that everyone is safe!
Thank you for your warm welcome as ever and we look forward to seeing you all again soon.
Jacquie Stedman
Councillor - NODA London