Date seen: 13 April 2012
Venue: The Mill at Sonning - My favourite theatre! It's actually a dinner theatre. You have a meal before the show in their excellent diing area with incredibly friendly staff, pudding and coffee and then you go into the theatre. this is set in the round and has excellent, well-tiered views down to the open set.
Costumes: Set in the 1970's and everything was right for this perios without being too obvious.
Plot: Two of the characters have had an affair, a one-night fling, and another character suspects the truth. A fourth has no clue, but has a sense of something changed in the general atmosphere. Two others, innocents in it all, become caught up in the plot and add the elements of misunderstanding and misrepresentation.
Performances: Frank Foster (John Arthur) - Superbly dead-pan. I can't remember the last time a performance made me laugh this much Utterly top-notch.
Fiona Foster (Karen Ascoe) - Probably the least fun of the six parts to play, but she played it very well and was a nice foil to Frank with good comic timing.
Bob Phillips (Neil Andrew) - Deeply unpleasant as a character but that's what required from the part. Was spot on and he reminded me a bit of Mr Bannister from 'Are you being served' with the facial expressions.
Teresa Phillips (Penelope Rawlins) - Played this as verging on the edge of unbalanced or post-natal depression. Great energy drove this partnership along.
William Featherstone (Harry Gostelow) - At times seemed timid and then seemed potentially violent. A complex character but extremely watchable.
Mary Featherstone (Alison Pettitt) - Tremendous! Wonderful facial expressions from the put-upon, yet strong willed Mary. Just delightful!
Summary: A bit of a rush after work on Friday but the delightful setting, best meal we've ever had there and then the highest quality show made this a memorable evening. The farcical timing was spot on and the sets and props were so clever. Brilliant show all round.
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