TRIALS AND TRIBULATION
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 1985.
Brought to you by
Here Colin Wilson gives his fourth and last (loud cries of hurray from the 'Compas' editor and staff) personal account of the true life trials and tribulations of a drama company as the performance approaches. It is Monday 1st. April and even though it is All Fools Day storm clouds are gathering over the National Theatre's Workshop where the cast are gathered for another rehearsal of "Noises Off".
Everybody is present this evening, the sick hav[e]. ing now recovered and the Director, Nick press, having returned from his 'business' trip in San Francisco sporting a pretty girl at his side. However, all is not well.
Clive Munyard, gazing into space and smoking profusely, is mumbling and saying he is suing me and Brian Uzzell (who is he?) for last weeks comments about his 'illness', Jeff Parker is telling one of his 'jokes' making the cast even more sombre and gloomy.
Nick Press, with frosty glare and icy tone informs me that the set constructor is not doing any more work until The C.D.S.committee advance some more money. I hurriedly explain about communication breakdowns and the treasurer will be handing him a cheque tomorrow.
(I make a mental note to call the treasurer immediately I get home.) I looked at the set and a vast amount of work has been done. The walls are now in, staircase erected, sliding window in place, handrail fixed and six (or is it eight?) doors are hung. "What an adorable set" I say but Nick has turned to his actors.
"There will be no more joking or fooling around or I shall go ho he says.
The cast look sheep and shuffle their feet nervously with heads bowed. I shall watch how you perform Act One. If it is up to the standard I expect at this stage in time I cancel the entire thing. Nick is in deadly earnest and nobody doubts that. every word. atch the rehearsal my heart in my, silently urging the n to do great things.
nothing to worry Nick's talk seemed 'e worked wonders. The amateur tag was gone. These were professionals acting as though their lives depended upon it.
The performance, and performance it was, was slick, fast paced, very, very funny and virtually without a hitch.
I was enraptured and laughing in all the right places. At the end, the actors came off sweating profusely, especially Martin Couch who must have covered the 10K with the amount of running up and down stairs and in and out of doors that he had to do. Nick summed it all up when he said just one word, "Excellent." And it was. Theatre goers you are in for a real treat.
The casting is superb and most of the names are well known to you, Fiona Honan as the housekeeper (the sardine lady), Martin Couch and Linda Hart as the Estate Agents who are madly in love, Jeff Parker and Anita Munyard as the tax exiles who have sneaked home, Brian Bridson as the drunken actor playing a burglar, Karen Marshall as the innocent and timid assistant stage manager, Ken Jones as the very tired stage manager ("he's been on his feet for twenty four hours, darling") and Clive Munyard as the harrassed Director. All brilliant. Clive's face gets redder and his jowls shake all the more as he sees his cast stumble through the final dress rehearsal of "Nothing On" and his own intimate relationships with two of his actors coming to the fore. Linda Hart loses her contact lenses plus her clothes and wanders around most fetchingly in her undies. Unfortunately for us all, when Nick gave her the bra and panties to try on, she did this back stage and wasn't at all happy about them. She held up the panties and said, "They don't come down very far." I definitely have no comment to make.
Well, there it is. I hope that these articles have whetted your appetite to go along to the National Theatre and see the play. It will be a very enjoyable experience.
Why do people give up all their spare time and suffer the hard work and real frustrations to put on a play for what reward? Money no.
The answer? To hear you, the audience, laugh and to know that through their efforts you have enjoyed yourselves. So let's have the theatre filled to capacity every night.
I must finish off by thanking the cast, the director and his production team for allowing me to visit them and make a little fun at their expense and above all to the Editor of the Caymanian Compass for allowing me all this space and also to Joy Baker who said she would be getting out her red pen to cut the length of the articles down, but never did. Thank you.
