I’ve always rather fancied the idea of going to a health farm to be pampered for a few days, but after watching this comedy farce by Derek Benfield I’ll maybe think again. It is set in just such an establishment, where a businessman has gone for a relaxing break – which quickly becomes anything but, as his secretary, his daughter and his wife arrive in rapid succession.
I've always rather fancied the idea of going to a health farm to be pampered for a few days, but after watching this comedy farce by Derek Benfield I’ll maybe think again. It is set in just such an establishment, where a businessman has gone for a relaxing break – which quickly becomes anything but, as his secretary, his daughter and his wife arrive in rapid succession.
ALL seatbelts fastened for P&P's first flying foray into pantomime (if anyone else says 'Oh yes it is!' I shall scream!), a tradition of classic children's tales told with sparkle, slapstick and good, old fashioned tongue in cheek humour.
SOMETIMES all the ingredients in a show come together to create an almost perfect whole – but it doesn’t happen by chance so every congratulation must go to the company and their production team of Lee Redwood (director), Jean Roach (musical director) and Sonia Gilson (choreographer) for their hard work in providing such a thoroughly enjoyable evening’s entertainment that is a credit to everyone involved.
FOR reasons too complicated to explain I found myself reviewing the dress rehearsal of this production rather than an actual performance, but luckily there were enough of us watching for the performers to get at least some audience reaction – and very positive it seemed too.
If ever an evening was correctly titled, then this night was bang on. We were hooked from the moment the performers came on stage to sing This Is The Moment from Jekyll & Hyde, Phil Redgrave’s glorious baritone smoothly caressing the notes sung by Heather Pretlove and Sharron Pearcy.
HAVING spent rather longer than expected in a foreign airport departure lounge last weekend, due to a delayed flight back to Gatwick, there were certain aspects of this intriguing bitter sweet comedy with which I could most certainly identify.
FOR lovers of Crime Drama, the performance of Norman Robbins’ play, ‘Practice to Deceive,’ at the Barrington Theatre in Ferndown this week is a real treat. In the tradition of thriller style plays, this one does not disappoint.
I really like the Barrington Theatre in Ferndown. It’s one of those theatres that has a good size stage, allowing the actors room to perform, while at the same time being intimate enough from an audience perspective to draw you in and not make you feel that you’re being lost in a vacuum, watching from afar. The only risk with such a set-up, however, is that if the actors are not able to rise to the occasion then this theatre is not kind to you, exposing every awkward moment and fluff-of-a-line. So, how did Ferndown Drama Group do with their play “Ring Round the Moon”? Well, read on and find out...
THIS popular, yet extremely challenging comedy by Richard Harris covers several months in the life of a beginners tap-dance class in a North London church hall. An ex-professional dancer, accompanied by her pianist, tries to instruct 8 “students”, with varying degrees of ability, in the basics of tap-dancing in preparation for an upcoming recital. The students all have their own reasons for being there and the class forms the backdrop for the real focus of the play; the lives, relationships and interaction of these ten, very different, people.
