Steve Young

Ahoy Savoy!

THIS show, from the pen of Penny Crichton-Seager, mainly re-works two of the better known entries in the Gilbert and Sullivan canon: HMS Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance, with a spattering of other G&S shows thrown in for good measure.   There are pretty much two schools of thought regarding G&S – the traditionalists who are reluctant to deviate from a tried and tested formula, and those who like to play around with ‘old friends’ and bring the shows a little up to date.  This show is definitely of the latter.

And Then There Were None

IN many respects, Agatha Christie was 45 years before her time with “And Then There Were None”, albeit with its now politically incorrect original title.  Just as with the plethora of contemporary talent shows, the audience watches avidly as a group of unknowns get whittled down, one by one, by unseen hands until the last (the most talented?) remains.  As ‘The Ten’ are reduced in number to ‘The Final Three’, one is left wondering how those left cope with the rising pressure. 

Patience

PATIENCE… Patience… I vividly remember these words being re-iterated to me while I was growing up.  It is a ‘state of endurance without reacting to provocation’.  This is a perfect assessment of the plot to Gilbert & Sullivan’s sixth collaboration, which is characterized by everyone waiting for everyone else to realize that what they want is right there before them: the Soldiers are waiting for the Ladies to turn away from the poets; Lady Jane is waiting for someone to sweep her off her feet; Grosvenor is waiting for Patience to realize he’s not perfect; and Bunthorne is waiting for… well, something.

The Bathroom Door & The Virtuous Burglar

I will confess to knowing nothing about either the Society or the two 1-Act dramas I was to watch as I entered the village hall that was to be the source of my entertainment this evening.  I was unsure what the evening would hold. The simple set for Gertrude Jennings’ 1943 farce was on display.  It was a corridor with 3 doors.  Yet, despite its’ simplicity, it perfectly allowed the scenario to work through – for those of you unfamiliar with the plot, it may be summarized thus:
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