Look Back (but not In Anger)

Look Back (but not In Anger)

The Repertory Players were excited to open their 21/22 season of plays with ‘Duets’, a gloriously funny examination of the chaotic world of love, relationships and why the grass is never greener on the other side.
As Production Director Rosemary Gresty noted –

“It’s so exciting to finally have the opportunity to entertain a live audience – there’s nothing quite like the feedback from a live audience to drive comedy and stretch performers to deliver even greater entertainment to the audience”.

Our pre-Christmas offering was the fast-paced farce, Funny Money. Never has this master of farce, Ray Cooney, been frenetically funnier! 

Henry A. Perkins accidently picked up the wrong briefcase – one full of money. Getting the money was easy but keeping it proved to be much harder, as not one but two police inspectors called and Henry, Vic, Betty, and a bemused (and tipsy) Jean are forced into a frantic game of cat and mouse. Hilarious innuendo and cruelly funny turns of fate ensued as the two couples assume all sorts of identities in their battle to keep the money.

Even a cuckoo clock had a minor comedic role. Our very own props maker (and Assistant Director!), Ray Vernon, made a stunning copy of a Bavarian cuckoo, especially for the part!

Post-Christmas, we changed the style and the period as we presented Agatha Christie’s comedy thriller Spider’s Web.

In a conscious parody of the detective thriller, Christie delivers a unique blend of suspense and humour. There is tension and laughter in equal parts in an intricate plot of murder, police, drug addicts, invisible ink, hidden doorways and secret drawers.

The Sentinel review wrote –

“…you will be guar­an­teed a night of sus­pense, entan­gle­ment and subtle humour in equal meas­ure”

In his small pub in the northern town of Oldham, Harry is something of a local celebrity. But what’s the second-best hangman in England to do on the day they’ve abolished hanging?

It was SO good to stage this fabulous play AT LAST! We were about two weeks away from the opening of Hangmen in 2020 when the COVID lockdown hit. After a few enforced Directorial and Cast changes, we were finally able to bring you this gripping, funny and dramatically tense, dark comedy in April 2022.

Laugh out loud moments, mixed with dark edged horror and reality that plunges the depth of human nature were all on show in this riveting play.

Our final offering of the season was the Noël Coward classic, Present Laughter – a light-hearted farce that celebrates Coward’s legendary wit and larger-than-life persona.

Gary Essendine, star of the London theatrical scene, is adored by legions of admirers – but this rarely leads to a simple life! Juggling besotted young women, upcoming playwrights, friends, the scheming wife of a friend, his ex-wife and his secretary merely heightened Gary’s mid-life crisis – and provided hilarity for the audience.

In her Evening Sentinel review, Rebecca Mills wrote –

“…a thoroughly thrilling and dazzling evening. If that was the first performance, I am envious of the audience who are lucky enough to enjoy the rest of this week’s performances.”

 

And that was our 2021/2022 Season – but never fear, there is always more to see. Our 2022/2023 Season opens on 11th October with Tim Firth’s moving comedy, Calendar Girls  Please come back and see us soon.

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