Habeas corpus
The newsletter editor went along to the second night of the latest production put on by the Old Buckenham Players. The following are his own personal comments on the evening’s entertainment, Alan Bennett’s ‘Habeas Corpus’.
This was a most delightful way to spend an evening. A play by one of the country’s best living playwrights performed by a group of local talented actors. It was a production of the highest standard that had the audience laughing out aloud throughout as the plot unfolded.
Technically the evening went without any obvious boobs. Well that’s not really true as there were several pairs forming an integral part of the plot. With one character unable to cope with his lack of height, another upset about being flat-chested, one hypochondriac and a fourth who was seriously depressed, it is a surprising funny play. Describing the plot is difficult. Alan Bennett is a high class writer who is able to describe things in words that this reviewer is unable to paraphrase without making it sound trite.
The housekeeper, Mrs Swabb, keeps the audience aware of what is going on with the Wicksteed family, Canon Throbbing, Lady Rumpers and her daughter Felicity, Sir Percy Shorter, Mr Shanks and Mr Purdue as they move on and off the stage. Most of the men lose their trousers at some time or another, without the action collapsing into farce, and the phrase “so this is what they mean by the permissive society” is regularly heard.
It would be inappropriate to pick out individual members of the cast – they all played their parts to a high standard and brought out the best in a wonderful script. The set was deliberately kept simple, again to allow the dialogue to speak for itself.
The newsletter editor went along to the second night of the latest production put on by the Old Buckenham Players. The following are his own personal comments on the evening’s entertainment, Alan Bennett’s ‘Habeas Corpus’.
This was a most delightful way to spend an evening. A play by one of the country’s best living playwrights performed by a group of local talented actors. It was a production of the highest standard that had the audience laughing out aloud throughout as the plot unfolded.
Technically the evening went without any obvious boobs. Well that’s not really true as there were several pairs forming an integral part of the plot. With one character unable to cope with his lack of height, another upset about being flat-chested, one hypochondriac and a fourth who was seriously depressed, it is a surprising funny play. Describing the plot is difficult. Alan Bennett is a high class writer who is able to describe things in words that this reviewer is unable to paraphrase without making it sound trite.
The housekeeper, Mrs Swabb, keeps the audience aware of what is going on with the Wicksteed family, Canon Throbbing, Lady Rumpers and her daughter Felicity, Sir Percy Shorter, Mr Shanks and Mr Purdue as they move on and off the stage. Most of the men lose their trousers at some time or another, without the action collapsing into farce, and the phrase “so this is what they mean by the permissive society” is regularly heard.
It would be inappropriate to pick out individual members of the cast – they all played their parts to a high standard and brought out the best in a wonderful script. The set was deliberately kept simple, again to allow the dialogue to speak for itself.
Now we can look forward to the autumn show of one act plays on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 September.
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