National Operatic & Dramatic
Association
London Region
Society : Belmont Theatre
Production : Remembrance
Date : 26th February 2015
Venue : The Pump House Theatre
Report by : Jacquie Stedman
Show Report
In the absence of Harvey Kesselman, who was recovering from various hospital visits, I was very pleased to come and report on your latest production – ‘Remembrance’ by Graham Reid – obviously a popular play, and understandably so.
Irish songs before curtain up helped to set the scene as the audience entered the auditorium. Excellent sound effects reinforced the fact that we were in Northern Ireland at the time of ‘the Troubles’ in the 80s. It is very difficult to imagining living through those times when the only knowledge most people would have had was through the media.
You had a very well constructed composite set with clearly defined areas for each location. The Cemetery, being centre stage, separated the two households which were both very different in their appearance and affluence, and the area directly DS from the cemetery was actually the garden of Theresa’s house, but until we discovered that it did not look out of place, rather like a different area of the cemetery. Might it have been possible to bring the cemetery rostra downstage a little as it looked rather cramped for Bert and Theresa when entering and exiting USR and USL? Above the scenery there was the intrusion of the outside world with brick walls, graffiti, barbed wire and the sirens. I loved the attention to detail, like the fact that there was rain on their umbrellas during one of the scenes when Bert and Theresa had just arrived at the cemetery: the way Bert wiped the seat when it had rained and the heat from his Thermos flask when he poured their tea.
The smooth lighting changes moved us from location to location effortlessly as the story unfolded. I think the challenge for a non-professional group is the fact that being set in Ireland it requires ALL the players to have convincing Irish accents. Congratulations to the entire cast in managing to get to grips with this. You must all have worked tremendously hard to make the accents seem so effortless. Try not to let them slip into American though! Unfortunately there were places where the concentration slipped, understandably, resulting in a few prompts which, fortunately, didn’t appear to throw the rest of the cast. It must have been devilishly difficult to think about words, moves and accents too, so lack of concentration should not have been an option.
All the characters were well drawn and there was good interaction between them all. At the heart of the play I saw a love story between two people, from different faiths who, in the autumn of their years, have found a new relationship which they seemed to be prevented from enjoying because of the reactions of their adult children. Rather like a version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with the lovers and their warring families. Thrown into this mix was all the underlying antagonism between the English and the Irish which all the younger generation exhibited. It was left to Bert and Theresa to be the voices of reason and to want to create a new life for themselves.
Bert (Bernard Vick) was a calm, kind natured man who had obviously achieved much in his life. To have found a new companion so late in his life was an experience that he treasured. He was disappointed in his son (Victor), and despite what Victor thought, knew his other (deceased) son, Sam, well enough not to have liked his approach to life, particularly when he frequently brought different women home. His relationship with Theresa was gentle and accepting of the difference in their religious beliefs, although he didn’t see that as a stumbling block as much as the attitude of his son.
Victor (Peter Mahon) was angry at the canonization of his dead brother by his father. He seemed so brash, and displayed so much bad language, that he appeared to be hiding some deep-seated fear of being shot or blown up, especially as he was in the RUC. He did display signs of vulnerability occasionally and possible regret that he and Jenny had divorced but they were quickly brushed over. Very well played, although he didn’t seem comfortable with the gun, I wonder whether he should have been holding it another way or whether, in fact, it should have been on a shoulder holster or in his jacket?
Theresa (Mary Woolf) had previously had a hard life with a somewhat violent husband so she really appreciated Bert’s kindness and consideration. She was very old school with regard to bad language (as was Bert), but seemed more aware of the difficulty of their situation. The fact that she had never mentioned to Bert that her son-in-law had been jailed for murdering Protestants showed the depth of her shame over her family’s part in ‘the Troubles’.
Theresa’s daughters were well drawn with Deidre (Judi Campion) exhibiting all the frustrations of having a husband in jail and having to fend for herself and the children, unfortunately to the detriment of her social life. Deidre was also the one who epitomised the fear and suffering that the women suffered when their menfolk ended up in prison – as hers did – for committing some dreadful crime. The emotional scene between Theresa and Deidre was very well handled, with Deidre trying very hard to ‘blackmail’ her mother into looking after the children while she came to England to find work. I was delighted that Theresa didn’t get drawn into the idea!
Joan (Lorna Adler) was the character who did not display her emotions at the beginning and I was shocked when she became so vitriolic in Act ll. Then, after she had met Bert in the cemetery, she appeared to undergo a change of heart, and saw him more as a man than a Protestant. Be careful that you direct your speech to the other players, and do actually look at them from time to time. It is essential that there is some eye contact.
Jenny (Kim Wedler) was very sympathetic to Bert’s situation, but sad about how Victor had let her down in their marriage. She was a much more gentle soul and appeared to be very fond of Bert. Her whole demeanour was one of calm, gentleness, reason and affection for Bert. Despite all her protestations she also appeared to be still in love with Victor, and could probably be persuaded to have him back at some point. She moved about the set with ease and looked very comfortable throughout. I wish the old food and all the detritus on the unit at the back of the set could have been cleared away, although that may well have hampered the scene changes and slowed up the action.
The end of Act ll reminded me rather of ’84 Charing Cross Road’ where the relationship between Bert and Theresa is conducted through letters, leaving the audience wondering whether, in fact, they will ever be together on a permanent basis.
I thought this was a very well constructed play which used the personalities of the characters to drive the story. It could have been very static but Director, Frankie Hogan, had given it enough movement to prevent that happening. This also meant that the players could use physicality to reinforce their dialogue.
Congratulations on undertaking this challenge – I hope you were rewarded with good audiences.
Jacquie Stedman
Councillor
NODA London
Society : Belmont Theatre
Production : Remembrance
Date : 26th February 2015
Venue : The Pump House Theatre
Report by : Jacquie Stedman
Show Report
In the absence of Harvey Kesselman, who was recovering from various hospital visits, I was very pleased to come and report on your latest production – ‘Remembrance’ by Graham Reid – obviously a popular play, and understandably so.
Irish songs before curtain up helped to set the scene as the audience entered the auditorium. Excellent sound effects reinforced the fact that we were in Northern Ireland at the time of ‘the Troubles’ in the 80s. It is very difficult to imagining living through those times when the only knowledge most people would have had was through the media.
You had a very well constructed composite set with clearly defined areas for each location. The Cemetery, being centre stage, separated the two households which were both very different in their appearance and affluence, and the area directly DS from the cemetery was actually the garden of Theresa’s house, but until we discovered that it did not look out of place, rather like a different area of the cemetery. Might it have been possible to bring the cemetery rostra downstage a little as it looked rather cramped for Bert and Theresa when entering and exiting USR and USL? Above the scenery there was the intrusion of the outside world with brick walls, graffiti, barbed wire and the sirens. I loved the attention to detail, like the fact that there was rain on their umbrellas during one of the scenes when Bert and Theresa had just arrived at the cemetery: the way Bert wiped the seat when it had rained and the heat from his Thermos flask when he poured their tea.
The smooth lighting changes moved us from location to location effortlessly as the story unfolded. I think the challenge for a non-professional group is the fact that being set in Ireland it requires ALL the players to have convincing Irish accents. Congratulations to the entire cast in managing to get to grips with this. You must all have worked tremendously hard to make the accents seem so effortless. Try not to let them slip into American though! Unfortunately there were places where the concentration slipped, understandably, resulting in a few prompts which, fortunately, didn’t appear to throw the rest of the cast. It must have been devilishly difficult to think about words, moves and accents too, so lack of concentration should not have been an option.
All the characters were well drawn and there was good interaction between them all. At the heart of the play I saw a love story between two people, from different faiths who, in the autumn of their years, have found a new relationship which they seemed to be prevented from enjoying because of the reactions of their adult children. Rather like a version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ with the lovers and their warring families. Thrown into this mix was all the underlying antagonism between the English and the Irish which all the younger generation exhibited. It was left to Bert and Theresa to be the voices of reason and to want to create a new life for themselves.
Bert (Bernard Vick) was a calm, kind natured man who had obviously achieved much in his life. To have found a new companion so late in his life was an experience that he treasured. He was disappointed in his son (Victor), and despite what Victor thought, knew his other (deceased) son, Sam, well enough not to have liked his approach to life, particularly when he frequently brought different women home. His relationship with Theresa was gentle and accepting of the difference in their religious beliefs, although he didn’t see that as a stumbling block as much as the attitude of his son.
Victor (Peter Mahon) was angry at the canonization of his dead brother by his father. He seemed so brash, and displayed so much bad language, that he appeared to be hiding some deep-seated fear of being shot or blown up, especially as he was in the RUC. He did display signs of vulnerability occasionally and possible regret that he and Jenny had divorced but they were quickly brushed over. Very well played, although he didn’t seem comfortable with the gun, I wonder whether he should have been holding it another way or whether, in fact, it should have been on a shoulder holster or in his jacket?
Theresa (Mary Woolf) had previously had a hard life with a somewhat violent husband so she really appreciated Bert’s kindness and consideration. She was very old school with regard to bad language (as was Bert), but seemed more aware of the difficulty of their situation. The fact that she had never mentioned to Bert that her son-in-law had been jailed for murdering Protestants showed the depth of her shame over her family’s part in ‘the Troubles’.
Theresa’s daughters were well drawn with Deidre (Judi Campion) exhibiting all the frustrations of having a husband in jail and having to fend for herself and the children, unfortunately to the detriment of her social life. Deidre was also the one who epitomised the fear and suffering that the women suffered when their menfolk ended up in prison – as hers did – for committing some dreadful crime. The emotional scene between Theresa and Deidre was very well handled, with Deidre trying very hard to ‘blackmail’ her mother into looking after the children while she came to England to find work. I was delighted that Theresa didn’t get drawn into the idea!
Joan (Lorna Adler) was the character who did not display her emotions at the beginning and I was shocked when she became so vitriolic in Act ll. Then, after she had met Bert in the cemetery, she appeared to undergo a change of heart, and saw him more as a man than a Protestant. Be careful that you direct your speech to the other players, and do actually look at them from time to time. It is essential that there is some eye contact.
Jenny (Kim Wedler) was very sympathetic to Bert’s situation, but sad about how Victor had let her down in their marriage. She was a much more gentle soul and appeared to be very fond of Bert. Her whole demeanour was one of calm, gentleness, reason and affection for Bert. Despite all her protestations she also appeared to be still in love with Victor, and could probably be persuaded to have him back at some point. She moved about the set with ease and looked very comfortable throughout. I wish the old food and all the detritus on the unit at the back of the set could have been cleared away, although that may well have hampered the scene changes and slowed up the action.
The end of Act ll reminded me rather of ’84 Charing Cross Road’ where the relationship between Bert and Theresa is conducted through letters, leaving the audience wondering whether, in fact, they will ever be together on a permanent basis.
I thought this was a very well constructed play which used the personalities of the characters to drive the story. It could have been very static but Director, Frankie Hogan, had given it enough movement to prevent that happening. This also meant that the players could use physicality to reinforce their dialogue.
Congratulations on undertaking this challenge – I hope you were rewarded with good audiences.
Jacquie Stedman
Councillor
NODA London
