LAUGHTER . . . THE BEST MEDICINE DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE
About the article
This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from April 1971.
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There was no "straight man" and no "top banana" each deserves his own little claim to fame for his particular piece of the action. Certainly if an audience rolling in the aisles is a criterion for successful comedy, it won't matter whether the Cayman Drama Society made a dime or not. They succeeded. First nights are often a bundle of bungling lines as the jitters get ironed out but not in "Doctor in the House". No one seemed to drop a cue.
The costumes were truly in. keeping - - and the set looked like real, complete to doors that looked like doors and opened like them, too.
(A rarity in an improvised playhouse). As is customary, while the leading characters learn a million lines, and deliver most of them beautifully, along comes the little guy who is supposed to be an accessory-afterContd. on P. 7. Col. 1. PLAY continued from page 1 the-fact and walks away with the trophy. Stuart Hurst as "Bromley" hospital porter, made the funny scenes funnier and probably won the Oscar if one had to pick good-better-bests from the talanted cast. Colin Medhurst as Tony Grimsdike, Ken Morgan as Simon Sparrow and Keith Ball as John Evans, the med students, were an authentic trio in their human struggles with sex, strong drink, weak studies and making the athletic scene.
They did such a good job of acting their parts that they'll each no doubt carry the tag of their stage character into private life surely as John Wayne is a best-draw to most folks offstage as on. Gloria Myers, French accent under control, was both effective and lovely as the leading lady, obviously perfectly cast in her role as Grimsdike's love, waiting patiently for wedding bells. She never relaxed from her role, whether or not she stood front stage and center at the moment. Lionel Downer, as Sir Lancelot Spratt of surgical fame in the comedy by Ted Willis, and his wife, Lillian as the "battleship" matron of the mythical hospital are A Pair.
Lillian is another of those bit players who bursts on to the scene and seduces it. While her husband has more lines and delivers them. with authority, one word from Lillian might be likened to "a picture worth a thousand words". Pretty Allyson Alberga as Riggie, the ever-hungry nurse, did a really admirable job of underplaying her part for the Christmas play and the humor in her tonelessness contrasted with the ribald humor of the others for one of the best scenes in a production that was full of "bests". Hazel Mackenzie entered toward the last of the production as the prudish Janet whose discerning eyes and quiet authoritarianism)prepared her to take over poor Simon Sparrow, lock, stock and wedding ring.
Hazel, the only one of the cast who lays no claim to previous acting experience, put on a performance as professional as anyone. In fact, her seriousness almost cracked up the rest of the characters in a couple of scenes. The fact that actors could "crack up" is perhaps the human element that makes an amateur stage production such as this one directed by Val Morgan more fun than a Broadway production.
There's something about utter perfection that most of us can't identify with but the enthusiasm and zest plus; darned-good-acting such as in "Doctor in the House" is a personal, satisfying experience. You can't beat laughing-til-you-cry as a relaxing way to spend an evening.
