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The Wand'ring Minstrels Barrington THeatre Ferndown July 2004 It needs a light touch, panache, style and the cast who know they are speaking gorgeously amusing lines. Unfortunately this was mostly missing. And the whole was too static for a comedy, let alone a 'farce', as the programme calls it. There were lovely, simple curtain sets. The costumes were gorgeous. The furniture was rich. The lighting was cheerfully bright, and Lady Bracknell (Vicki Lavies) and Miss Prism (Virginia Harrington) extracted the necessary humour. Alan Wilson tottered into farce as second butler. Bruce Vyner was an unnecessarily sombre Ernest; Kat Crichton grimaced at himself and spoke somewhat unintelligibly as Algernon; and Trevor Smith was a young, deadpan Dr. Chausuble. Fortunately, the two young ladies, Gwendolen (Sharon Abel) and Cecily (Kirsty Paul) joined the other ladies to save the day. The lavish, beautifully produced programma cost £1.50 but I don't really want to pay that amount to read facetious biographies or to learn that the director (Penny Gerken) 'is hopelessly in love with her partner and soul-mate, Kat' (who plays Algernon). Christopher Eden Courtesy of the Bournemouth Daily Echo |
